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 71.6% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 129.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: United Kingdom is 79.6% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 109.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.53 £15.17
$8.71 R 142
135.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$88.0 £65.0
$39.43 R 643
123.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.00 £7.39
$5.16 R 84.1
93.80%
Cappuccino
$4.59 £3.39
$2.03 R 33.09
126.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 £1.84
$1.03 R 16.83
141.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 £1.24
$0.79 R 12.83
112.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.76 £4.99
$2.30 R 37.53
193.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.26 £4.63
$2.55 R 41.59
145.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 £1.21
$1.11 R 18.16
47.75%
White Bread (500g)
$1.73 £1.28
$1.04 R 16.92
66.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.18 £1.61
$1.54 R 25.17
41.56%
Eggs
$4.06 £3.00
$2.24 R 36.56
81.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.49 £7.02
$7.86 R 128
20.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.81 £6.51
$4.73 R 77.2
86.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.17 £10.47
$6.65 R 108
113.08%
Apples (1kg)
$3.02 £2.23
$1.51 R 24.66
100.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 £1.18
$1.41 R 22.93
13.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.89 £2.13
$1.49 R 24.31
93.96%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.42 £2.53
$1.56 R 25.47
119.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.64 £1.21
$1.19 R 19.47
37.82%
Onion (1kg)
$1.54 £1.14
$1.30 R 21.13
18.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 £0.82
$1.04 R 16.99
6.73%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 £1.13
$0.96 R 15.69
58.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.02 £14.79
$2.92 R 47.67
585.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.73 £7.93
$4.80 R 78.3
123.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.87 £2.12
$1.33 R 21.75
115.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.27 £2.41
$1.72 R 28.08
90.12%
🚌 Getting Around
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.23 £2.39
$1.70 R 27.72
90.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.8 £70.8
$45.20 R 737
111.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.55 £4.10
$1.09 R 17.81
409.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 £1.16
$1.05 R 17.13
49.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.67 £19.71
$4.73 R 77.1
463.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.29 R 21.10
52.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.1K £28.2K
$21.1K R 343.2K
80.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.3K £30.5K
$23.6K R 384.2K
75.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$326 £241
$112 R 1,818
192.18%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.49 £12.93
$31.97 R 521
-45.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.23 £31.94
$40.41 R 659
6.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.40 £34.29
$31.85 R 519
45.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.14 £11.93
$9.68 R 158
66.74%
Cinema Ticket
$13.45 £9.94
$6.64 R 108
102.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,734 £1,281
$190 R 3,100
811.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.5K £15.9K
$4,317 R 70.4K
397.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$92.1 £68.1
$48.50 R 791
89.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.35 £32.78
$30.47 R 497
45.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 £74.6
$94.3 R 1,536
7.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 £77.4
$81.4 R 1,327
28.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,419 £1,049
$453 R 7,380
213.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,154 £853
$371 R 6,047
211.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,304 £1,702
$881 R 14.4K
161.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,865 £1,379
$705 R 11.5K
164.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,885 £4,349
$1,147 R 18.7K
413.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,601 £3,400
$818 R 13.3K
462.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
United Kingdom
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,290 £2,431
$1,476 R 24.1K
122.85%
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: April 14, 2026

Last update for South Africa: April 12, 2026

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

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