Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Welkom and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,057 a month against $3,986 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Welkom
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,057
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$3,986
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Welkom 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 Welkom and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,057 per month in Welkom vs $3,986 in London, rent included.

  • Welkom $1,057
  • London $3,986

A couple spends around $1,595 per month in Welkom vs $5,791 in London, rent included.

  • Welkom $1,595
  • London $5,791

A family of three spends $2,132 per month in Welkom vs $7,595 in London, rent included.

  • Welkom $2,132
  • London $7,595

Welkom is about 73% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Welkom sits 22% below the global median, while London is 195% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Welkom
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.03 R 149
$25.93 £19.45
-65.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.75 R 342
$107 £79.9
-80.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.50 R 90.6
$10.71 £8.03
-48.65%
Cappuccino
$2.30 R 37.92
$5.47 £4.11
-57.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.50 R 8.20
$2.97 £2.23
-83.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 R 10.32
$2.20 £1.65
-71.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.19 R 19.67
$9.13 £6.85
-86.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.52 R 25.05
$7.94 £5.96
-80.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Welkom
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 R 17.35
$1.86 £1.40
-43.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.06 R 17.42
$2.07 £1.55
-48.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 R 23.35
$2.42 £1.81
-41.32%
Eggs
$1.80 R 29.60
$5.09 £3.82
-64.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.71 R 111
$12.87 £9.66
-47.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.52 R 74.4
$10.43 £7.82
-56.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.82 R 79.5
$16.87 £12.66
-71.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.52 R 25.12
$3.11 £2.33
-51.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 R 27.69
$1.40 £1.05
20.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.72 R 28.42
$3.08 £2.31
-44.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.20 R 19.72
$3.27 £2.45
-63.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 R 18.54
$1.58 £1.19
-28.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 R 20.09
$1.74 £1.31
-29.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 R 15.69
$1.40 £1.05
-32.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R 22.12
$1.80 £1.35
-25.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.48 R 40.92
$23.28 £17.46
-89.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$2.44 R 40.23
$13.03 £9.77
-81.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 R 25.18
$3.17 £2.38
-51.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 R 30.12
$4.42 £3.32
-58.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Welkom
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.44 R 23.72
$4.07 £3.05
-64.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$247 £185
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.31 R 5.11
$5.58 £4.18
-94.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.81 R 13.35
$3.36 £2.52
-75.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.49 R 239
$56.8 £42.58
-74.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 R 25.04
$2.13 £1.60
-28.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K R 581.8K
$38.2K £28.6K
-7.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K R 568.2K
$40.9K £30.7K
-15.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Welkom
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$151 R 2,491
$372 £279
-59.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.35 R 615
$17.82 £13.37
109.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.39 R 600
$40.37 £30.29
-9.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Welkom
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.34 R 533
$60.0 £44.99
-46.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.53 R 157
$21.29 £15.97
-55.24%
Cinema Ticket
$7.32 R 121
$17.74 £13.31
-58.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Welkom
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$265 R 4,368
$2,864 £2,149
-90.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,448 R 89.8K
$35.3K £26.5K
-84.58%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Welkom
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.2 R 893
$114 £85.5
-52.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.69 R 522
$54.3 £40.71
-41.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.2 R 1,519
$124 £93.2
-25.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.6 R 1,361
$163 £122
-49.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Welkom
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 R 6,490
$2,869 £2,152
-86.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 R 5,997
$2,233 £1,675
-83.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$729 R 12.0K
$5,266 £3,951
-86.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$736 R 12.1K
$3,778 £2,835
-80.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$950 R 15.6K
$18.3K £13.8K
-94.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$754 R 12.4K
$8,024 £6,020
-90.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Welkom
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$5,037 £3,779
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
4.74
139.24%

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

Last update for Welkom: October 13, 2026

Last update for London: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Welkom
$364
London
$2.2K 514% $1.9K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Welkom
$225
London
$430 91.3% $205
Groceries & Markets
Welkom
$164
London
$349 114% $186
Eating Out
Welkom
$130
London
$388 199% $258
Clothing & Footwear
Welkom
$117
London
$205 74.8% $88
Sport & Entertainment
Welkom
$47
London
$95 103% $48
Getting Around
Welkom
$10 *
London
$285 2721% $275

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Welkom 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Welkom versus $107 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $349 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Welkom
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
09:31 9:31 AM
08:31 8:31 AM
1 h behind Welkom
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
64,130
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Welkom London 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Welkom
  • 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
Welkom vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Welkom and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,057 in Welkom, $3,986 in London – roughly 277% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Welkom compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,585 per month in Welkom and $5,979 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Welkom and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Welkom or London?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,057 in Welkom and $3,986 in London. That's a gap of about 277%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Welkom and London?
Kindergarten costs $265 per month in Welkom and $2,864 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Welkom, where all-in costs run around $1,057, than in London at $3,986. In Welkom it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Welkom and London?
It depends on your priorities. London has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,057 in Welkom to $3,986 in London. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Welkom and London?
If budget matters most, go with Welkom. 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.

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