Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Eswatini

Name: Eswatini
Address: SZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Eswatini: $730 a month against $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Eswatini
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Eswatini Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$730

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Eswatini

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

A single person spends $2,478 per month in the United Kingdom vs $730 in Eswatini, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,478
Eswatini $730

A couple spends around $3,608 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,247 in Eswatini, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,608
Eswatini $1,247

A family of three spends $4,739 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,763 in Eswatini, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,739
Eswatini $1,763

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 239% higher than in Eswatini on average.

The United Kingdom sits 83% above the global median, while Eswatini is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.21

$5.69 SZL 93.6

279.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$32.19 SZL 530

172.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 £8.12

$5.88 SZL 96.7

84.01%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$2.03 SZL 33.38

134.98%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$0.96 SZL 15.82

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.51 SZL 8.32

268.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.94

$1.86 SZL 30.63

254.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$1.96 SZL 32.19

234.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.26 SZL 20.73

30.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$0.97 SZL 16.05

70.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.68

$1.65 SZL 27.18

35.15%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.05

$1.62 SZL 26.63

150.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$13.55 SZL 223

-28.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$6.66 SZL 110

37.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$4.98 SZL 82.0

196.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$2.37 SZL 39.04

23.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$0.67 SZL 10.98

146.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$1.49 SZL 24.52

87.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$1.38 SZL 22.67

140.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.54 SZL 25.30

17.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$1.57 SZL 25.88

-0.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$0.72 SZL 11.88

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.82 SZL 13.55

102.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$2.98 SZL 49.00

698.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.85

$5.30 SZL 87.3

97.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$0.88 SZL 14.56

234.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.38 SZL 22.69

145.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$0.75 SZL 12.39

368.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.3

$24.40 SZL 402

327.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 £4.06

$1.86 SZL 30.61

191.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$1.55 SZL 25.56

54.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$3.44 SZL 56.7

686.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.26 SZL 20.69

55.56%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$14.4K SZL 237.8K

167.78%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$16.8K SZL 276.7K

145.32%

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

$323 £242

$82.8 SZL 1,363

290.06%

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

$18.55 £13.92

$34.56 SZL 569

-46.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

$27.58 SZL 454

52.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 £35.08

$21.11 SZL 347

121.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

$2.80 SZL 46.15

541.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$3.74 SZL 61.6

270.32%

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

$1,725 £1,294

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$6,360 SZL 104.7K

255.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.8 £69.6

$34.82 SZL 573

166.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 £34.94

$19.45 SZL 320

139.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$71.4 SZL 1,176

42.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.6

$54.9 SZL 904

85.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 £1,011

$205 SZL 3,371

557.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$140 SZL 2,311

681.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,620

$605 SZL 9,949

257.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,309

$451 SZL 7,425

286.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

$343 SZL 5,642

1526.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

$257 SZL 4,237

1616.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 £2,519

$690 SZL 11.4K

386.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

9.12

-41.67%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Last update for Eswatini: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Eswatini

$140 19.2% 87.2% $957

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$384 15.5%

Eswatini

$145 19.9% 62.2% $239

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$327 13.2%

Eswatini

$107 14.6% 67.4% $220

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.3%

Eswatini

$191 26.2% 37.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$155 6.2%

Eswatini

$81 11.1% 47.4% $73

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$136 5.5%

Eswatini

$37 5.1% 72.7% $99

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$74 3%

Eswatini

$29 3.9% 61.6% $46

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,265 in the United Kingdom vs $113 in Eswatini. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,852 in London and $273 in Mbabane.

Average salary: $3,250 in the United Kingdom vs $638 in Eswatini. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1019% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 592% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 1660% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 409% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇸🇿 Eswatini

🕒 Local time

21:56 9:56 PM

22:56 10:56 PM

1 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

1,230,506

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 SZL = 6.08 USD

100 SZL = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 16.46 SZL (100 SZL = 6.08 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 SZL (100 SZL = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Eswatini 9,180 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Eswatini

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

United Kingdom vs Eswatini: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eswatini is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 239% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,265 versus $113 in Eswatini.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Eswatini, adding to the overall 239% price gap.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Eswatini, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Eswatini is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.