Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 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
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in South Africa

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 South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
South Africa $2,583

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in South Africa ($618–$1,556), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 105% higher than in South Africa on average.

The United Kingdom sits 81% above the global median, while South Africa is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.04

$10.67 R 178

101.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.0

$41.66 R 696

105.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.92

$5.80 R 96.9

82.93%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$2.36 R 39.39

108.05%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$1.12 R 18.64

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$0.90 R 15.06

107.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$2.42 R 40.36

173.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.11

$3.06 R 51.1

123.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.18 R 19.67

42.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.13 R 18.91

52.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.74 R 29.02

24.71%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$2.57 R 42.98

55.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.03

$8.43 R 141

11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.86

$5.12 R 85.5

79.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.03

$7.59 R 127

94.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$1.77 R 29.64

67.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.74 R 29.02

-6.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$1.77 R 29.55

61.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$1.76 R 29.38

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.49 R 24.91

22.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.47 R 24.48

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.23 R 20.61

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.10 R 18.33

50.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.66

$3.24 R 54.2

629.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.84

$5.00 R 83.5

110.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.50 R 25.01

98.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.94 R 32.40

80.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$1.48 R 24.69

168.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.2

$59.3 R 990

81.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$1.09 R 18.29

375.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$0.99 R 16.53

137.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.04

$7.46 R 125

259.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$1.43 R 23.86

39.16%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$35.3K R 589.8K

11.74%

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

$40.5K £30.2K

$32.4K R 541.9K

24.81%

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

$327 £244

$133 R 2,218

146.48%

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

$18.21 £13.60

$34.83 R 582

-47.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.56

$39.76 R 664

9.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.63

$33.09 R 553

28.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.60

$11.65 R 195

56.39%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.34

$7.18 R 120

92.90%

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

$1,868 £1,395

$224 R 3,744

733.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$5,462 R 91.3K

314.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.4

$54.2 R 906

71.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.29

$34.13 R 570

34.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.9

$102 R 1,706

-0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.3

$88.5 R 1,478

15.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,002

$492 R 8,223

172.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £801

$398 R 6,645

169.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,666

$946 R 15.8K

135.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,301

$827 R 13.8K

110.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,182

$1,099 R 18.4K

409.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,185

$769 R 12.8K

454.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,501

$1,502 R 25.1K

123.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

11.23

-52.63%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 62.9% $676

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 46.7% $182

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 52% $170

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 36.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 18.6% $29

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 49.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

South Africa

$47 4% 32.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 205% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 113% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 66% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

12:21 12:21 PM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

62,027,503

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom South Africa 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 51% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $422 in South Africa.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in South Africa – part of why living there is about 51% cheaper overall.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in South Africa, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.