South Africa vs United Kingdom - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa United Kingdom
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1016
$2423
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2301
$5632
🏠 One person rent
$520
$1537
🏘️ Family rent
$843
$2579
🍽️ Food expenses
$290
$551
🚐 Transport expenses
$120
$175
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1121
$3400
💸 GDP per capita
$6253
$52637
😃 Human freedom index
7.1
8.64
❤️ Life expectancy
66.1
81.2
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
71
🌐 English speaking %
31%
98.3%
🎓 Higher education
82
100
😀 Quality of life
40
90
🏙️ Population
64M
69.2M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($1016) is 58% less expensive than in the United Kingdom ($2423). South Africa ranked 94th vs 11th 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 1.1 months in South Africa compared to 1.4 months in the United Kingdom. Ranked 128th and 14th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Africa vs United Kingdom infographic

Share this infographic!

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
$9.29
$20.4
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$37.7
$83.9
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.92
$10
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.37
$7.07
 Cappuccino
$2.1
$4.72
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.09
$2.5
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$518
$1632
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$376
$1243
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$933
$2684
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$746
$2247
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$75.4
$175
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$117
$270
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.2
$40.8
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.51%
5.33%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1209
$9148
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$891
$5701
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.01
$3.5
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$46.6
$92.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$10.7
$23.8
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.27
$1.88
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.18
$1.62
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.01
$1.72
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$2.26
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.45
$4.19
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.66
$10.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.01
$8.76
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.26
$14.5
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$2.97
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$1.66
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$2.95
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$3.29
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.35
$1.56
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.63
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.68
$1.07
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.44
$2.95
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.62
$11.2
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.42
$2.91
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.01
$19.9
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.02
$6.08
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.6
$5.17
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.86
$2.87
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.35
$2.39
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$32.7
$48.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.96
$14.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$29.6
$96.4
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.48
$14.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$52.4
$91.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$96.9
$101
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$201
$1767
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4714
$20243

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs the United Kingdom

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1082
4.43M
Soweto
$984
1.27M
Cape Town
$1231
3.78M
Pretoria
$975
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$705
839K
Rustenburg
$940
550K
Durban
$892
595K
Centurion
$892
237K
Sandton
$984
222K
Randburg
$890
337K
East London
$784
267K
Kimberley
$861
225K
Benoni
$826
159K
George
$857
157K
Klerksdorp
$762
187K
Springs
$740
122K
Kroonstad
$808
169K
Paarl
$1243
112K
Potchefstroom
$731
149K
Vereeniging
$706
99K
Middelburg
$830
87.3K
Makhanda
$814
67.3K
Uitenhage
$946
104K
Worcester
$666
97.1K
Vanderbijlpark
$799
95.8K
Port Elizabeth
$1005
312K
Upington
$746
121K
Mthatha
$901
96.1K
Bloemfontein
$698
256K
Komani
$988
68.9K

In the United Kingdom

City Cost of living Population
London
$3851
8.8M
Birmingham
$2137
1.14M
Glasgow
$2058
626K
Edinburgh
$2310
488K
Manchester
$2265
548K
Sheffield
$1890
518K
Bristol
$2450
472K
Leeds
$2067
536K
Liverpool
$1937
513K
Leicester
$1899
464K
Coventry
$2051
363K
Newcastle upon Tyne
$1963
300K
Bolton
$2040
285K
Cardiff
$2105
361K
Bradford
$1746
293K
Nottingham
$1831
289K
Westminster
$2960
255K
Belfast
$1884
345K
Brighton and Hove
$2269
277K
Sunderland
$1602
277K
Derby
$1658
255K
Southampton
$2139
271K
Solihull
$1940
207K
Milton Keynes
$2330
264K
Kingston upon Hull
$1600
260K
Plymouth
$1884
268K
Aberdeen
$1769
201K
Northampton
$1901
246K
York
$1867
208K
Wolverhampton
$1775
251K