Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,165 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $33,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index
194

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,986

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Stellenbosch and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Stellenbosch and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,165 per month in Stellenbosch vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,165
London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Stellenbosch vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,913
London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,660 per month in Stellenbosch vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

Stellenbosch $2,660
London $7,595

Stellenbosch is about 71% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Stellenbosch sits 14% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 R 120

$25.93 £19.45

-71.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 R 590

$107 £79.9

-66.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 R 77.8

$10.71 £8.03

-55.93%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 33.74

$5.47 £4.11

-62.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.52

$2.97 £2.23

-66.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.67

$2.20 £1.65

-65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 R 44.51

$9.13 £6.85

-70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R 50.7

$7.94 £5.96

-61.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.16

$1.86 £1.40

-27.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.85

$2.07 £1.55

-44.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.68

$2.42 £1.81

-23.14%

Eggs

$2.84 R 46.86

$5.09 £3.82

-44.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$12.87 £9.66

-33.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 R 95.6

$10.43 £7.82

-44.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 R 124

$16.87 £12.66

-55.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.67

$3.11 £2.33

-44.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.14

$1.40 £1.05

5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.78

$3.08 £2.31

-45.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.17

$3.27 £2.45

-51.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.58 £1.19

-31.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.17

$1.74 £1.31

-12.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.50

$1.40 £1.05

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.36

$1.80 £1.35

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.1

$23.28 £17.46

-84.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$13.03 £9.77

-52.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.93

$3.17 £2.38

-58.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.91

$4.42 £3.32

-50.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$247 £185

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 R 10.10

$5.58 £4.18

-89.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 R 25.56

$3.36 £2.52

-53.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 R 82.7

$56.8 £42.58

-91.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.05

$2.13 £1.60

-34.27%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.0K R 577.2K

$38.2K £28.6K

-8.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.0K R 510.9K

$40.9K £30.7K

-24.18%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$103 R 1,691

$372 £279

-72.42%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.53 R 470

$17.82 £13.37

60.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 R 565

$40.37 £30.29

-15.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.25 R 482

$60.0 £44.99

-51.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 R 277

$21.29 £15.97

-21.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$17.74 £13.31

-49.89%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$264 R 4,351

$2,864 £2,149

-90.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,389 R 39.4K

$35.3K £26.5K

-93.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 858

$114 £85.5

-54.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.72 R 473

$54.3 £40.71

-47.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,951

$124 £93.2

-4.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 R 1,486

$163 £122

-44.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.5K

$2,869 £2,152

-75.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 R 8,038

$2,233 £1,675

-78.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 R 23.8K

$5,266 £3,951

-72.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 R 19.0K

$3,778 £2,835

-69.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K £13.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,024 £6,020

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,556 R 42.1K

$5,037 £3,779

-49.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

4.74

125.74%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9%

London

$2.2K 56% 358% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4%

London

$349 8.8% 72.8% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2%

London

$430 10.8% 160% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2%

London

$205 5.1% 57.4% $75

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6%

London

$388 9.7% 213% $264

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$47 4%

London

$95 2.4% 103% $48

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7%

London

$285 7.2% 3310% $277

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $698 in Stellenbosch versus $2,869 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 97% higher in London, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Stellenbosch versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $349 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

1 h behind Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stellenbosch London 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Stellenbosch vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,165 in Stellenbosch, $3,986 in London – roughly 242% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,748 per month in Stellenbosch and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,165 in Stellenbosch and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 242%.

Kindergarten costs $264 per month in Stellenbosch and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,165, than in London at $3,986. In Stellenbosch it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,165 in Stellenbosch to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Stellenbosch. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.