South Africa vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1116
$2399
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2517
$5601
🏠 One person rent
$573
$1485
🏘️ Family rent
$928
$2452
🍽️ Food expenses
$324
$570
🚐 Transport expenses
$125
$178
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$395
$3628
💸 GDP per capita
$6267
$53246
😃 Human freedom index
7.07
8.6
❤️ Life expectancy
66.1
81.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
70
🌐 English speaking %
50.7%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
82
100
😀 Quality of life
38
92
🏙️ Population
64M
69.2M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($1116) is 54% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2399). South Africa ranked 79th vs 12th for the United Kingdom in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.4 months in South Africa compared to 1.5 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 135th and 14th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in South Africa vs the United Kingdom

We calculate prices for South Africa and the United Kingdom as a population-weighted mean of 36 and 277 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

South Africa United Kingdom
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$10.6
$21.3
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$41.8
$85.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.7
$10.6
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.46
$7.28
 Cappuccino
$2.34
$4.93
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.2
$2.62
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$579
$1530
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$417
$1201
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1059
$2627
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$867
$2095
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$95.7
$176
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$147
$269
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$39.7
$42.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.1%
5.1%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1300
$8953
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$937
$5429
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.91
$3.59
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$60.8
$94.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.05
$24
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.34
$1.93
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.27
$1.67
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.12
$1.76
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$2.22
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.6
$4.36
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$10.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.69
$9.32
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.33
$15
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.94
$2.98
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$1.64
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.88
$2.78
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.9
$3.43
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.55
$1.62
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$1.61
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.81
$1.1
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.52
$3.06
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.87
$11.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.61
$3.02
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.26
$22.4
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.56
$6.29
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.89
$5.18
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.06
$2.93
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.38
$2.49
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$35.7
$57.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$7.85
$15.1
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$30.7
$102
💇 Haircut, simple
$7.32
$15.9
👖 Brand Jeans
$56.4
$95.1
👟 Brand Sneakers
$107
$104
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$235
$1814
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$5552
$21784

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs the United Kingdom

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1204
4.8M
Cape Town
$1386
3.78M
Soweto
$1031
1.27M
Pretoria
$1015
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$725
619K
Durban
$938
595K
Rustenburg
$994
550K
Randburg
$912
337K
Port Elizabeth
$1020
312K
East London
$773
267K
Bloemfontein
$742
256K
Centurion
$997
237K
Kimberley
$904
225K
Sandton
$1104
222K
Klerksdorp
$860
187K
Kroonstad
$872
169K
Benoni
$851
159K
George
$877
157K
Potchefstroom
$789
149K
Upington
$796
121K
Springs
$784
122K
Paarl
$1421
112K
Uitenhage
$968
104K
Vereeniging
$742
99.8K
Vanderbijlpark
$867
95.8K
Worcester
$763
97.1K
Mthatha
$953
96.1K
Middelburg
$875
87.3K
Komani
$1033
68.9K
Makhanda
$863
67.3K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3662
8.8M
Birmingham
$2204
1.14M
Glasgow
$2114
626K
Manchester
$2348
548K
Leeds
$2039
536K
Bristol
$2596
472K
Liverpool
$1942
513K
Edinburgh
$2295
488K
Sheffield
$1948
518K
Cardiff
$2082
384K
Bolton
$1987
285K
Coventry
$1971
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1979
300K
Leicester
$1777
369K
Belfast
$1878
345K
Sunderland
$1554
277K
Bradford
$1774
293K
Solihull
$2080
207K
Nottingham
$1990
289K
Derby
$1748
255K
Brighton and Hove
$2197
277K
Northampton
$1886
246K
Southampton
$2309
271K
Milton Keynes
$2312
264K
Croydon
$2563
192K
Portsmouth
$2029
248K
Kingston upon Hull
$1654
260K
Plymouth
$1791
268K
Swansea
$1730
247K
Westminster
$3042
211K