Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: United Kingdom is 70.2% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 135% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: United Kingdom is 77.5% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 111.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.18 £15.06
$8.70 R 140
131.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.4 £65.9
$38.91 R 626
127.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.31 £7.69
$5.17 R 83.3
99.42%
Cappuccino
$4.61 £3.44
$2.05 R 33.04
124.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 £1.79
$1.02 R 16.48
135.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 £1.26
$0.76 R 12.22
122.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.85 £5.11
$2.26 R 36.34
203.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.35 £4.74
$2.53 R 40.80
150.99%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.68 £1.25
$1.10 R 17.78
52.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 £1.29
$0.94 R 15.15
84.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.24 £1.67
$1.62 R 26.14
38.27%
Eggs
$3.99 £2.98
$2.22 R 35.77
79.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.64 £7.19
$7.52 R 121
28.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.73 £6.52
$4.48 R 72.1
94.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.38 £10.73
$6.61 R 106
117.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 £2.29
$1.50 R 24.17
104.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.70 £1.27
$1.42 R 22.87
19.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.80 £2.09
$1.46 R 23.52
91.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.56 £2.66
$1.51 R 24.33
135.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.68 £1.25
$1.26 R 20.22
33.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.29 R 20.85
24.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 £0.87
$1.03 R 16.56
13.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.49 £1.11
$0.97 R 15.56
53.61%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.98 £14.90
$2.87 R 46.21
596.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.66 £7.95
$4.90 R 78.9
117.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 £2.09
$1.31 R 21.15
114.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.43 £2.56
$1.73 R 27.93
98.27%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.27 £2.44
$1.65 R 26.54
98.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$94.2 £70.3
$44.20 R 712
113.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.33 £3.98
$1.14 R 18.35
367.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 £1.19
$1.09 R 17.56
46.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$27.11 £20.23
$4.70 R 75.8
476.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.99 £1.48
$1.30 R 20.86
53.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £28.8K
$20.8K R 334.8K
85.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.2K £30.0K
$23.5K R 378.5K
70.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$319 £238
$111 R 1,793
186.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.41 £12.99
$32.36 R 521
-46.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.06 £31.37
$40.49 R 652
3.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.02 £34.33
$31.96 R 515
43.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.18 £12.07
$9.72 R 156
66.46%
Cinema Ticket
$13.72 £10.23
$6.80 R 109
101.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,716 £1,280
$189 R 3,035
809.99%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.2K £15.8K
$4,400 R 70.8K
381.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.7 £67.7
$50.2 R 807
80.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.09 £32.89
$30.53 R 492
44.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 £75.9
$94.5 R 1,522
7.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 £78.6
$81.3 R 1,309
29.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,418 £1,057
$453 R 7,289
213.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,122 £837
$372 R 5,991
201.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,313 £1,726
$906 R 14.6K
155.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,807 £1,348
$703 R 11.3K
157.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,834 £4,352
$1,150 R 18.5K
407.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,528 £3,378
$836 R 13.5K
441.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,295 £2,458
$1,471 R 23.7K
123.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.75
11.55
-50.22%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: March 3, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar countries