Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Kingdom vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
United Kingdom is 2.7 times more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1 times more in United Kingdom
- Groceries
-
pay 54.7% more in United Kingdom
- Transportation
-
pay 82.2% more in United Kingdom
- Housing
-
pay 2.5 times more in United Kingdom
- Childcare
-
pay 6.9 times more in United Kingdom
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.1 times more in United Kingdom
- Clothing
-
pay 32.4% more in United Kingdom
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, transportation, and groceries in United Kingdom are more expensive than in South Africa. Notably, childcare, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in United Kingdom.
United Kingdom vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 2.1 times more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.33
ZAR159.73
|
$20.41
£15.41
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR87.49
|
$9.94
£7.51
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
ZAR17.65
|
$2.32
£1.75
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
ZAR13.74
|
$1.65
£1.24
|
|
South Africa vs. United Kingdom - Cost of restaurants
pay 54.7% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.00
ZAR17.16
|
$1.59
£1.20
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
ZAR66.47
|
$4.71
£3.55
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.37
ZAR74.79
|
$6.20
£4.68
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.33
ZAR39.93
|
$3.87
£2.92
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.13
ZAR36.52
|
$3.87
£2.92
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR12.46
|
$1.32
£1.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
ZAR11.16
|
$0.73
£0.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR11.70
|
$1.28
£0.97
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
ZAR12.14
|
$1.49
£1.13
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR10.02
|
$0.72
£0.54
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZAR10.27
|
$0.71
£0.54
|
|
South Africa vs. United Kingdom - Cost of groceries
pay 82.2% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.92
ZAR84.25
|
$7.22
£5.45
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.18
ZAR961.29
|
$99.05
£74.80
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,394.82
ZAR366,106.47
|
$36,224.29
£27,355.86
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.34
ZAR159.79
|
$22.08
£16.67
|
|
South Africa vs. United Kingdom - Cost of transportation
pay 2.5 times more for housing
|
South Africa
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.36
ZAR673.48
|
$41.90
£31.64
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$404.16
ZAR6,915.94
|
$1,285.79
£971.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$361.59
ZAR6,187.51
|
$1,062.09
£802.07
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$88.13
ZAR1,508.04
|
$233.57
£176.39
|
|
South Africa vs. United Kingdom - Cost of housing
pay 6.9 times more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$173.48
ZAR2,968.50
|
$1,530.71
£1,155.97
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,962.11
ZAR67,799.29
|
$19,375.12
£14,631.70
|
|
South Africa vs. United Kingdom - Cost of childcare
pay 3.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.18
ZAR37.27
|
$6.35
£4.79
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.05
ZAR35.06
|
$4.54
£3.43
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.96
ZAR50.72
|
$19.18
£14.48
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.26
ZAR517.83
|
$49.26
£37.20
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.85
ZAR117.19
|
$13.88
£10.48
|
|
South Africa vs. United Kingdom - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 32.4% more for clothing
|
South Africa
|
United Kingdom
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.74
ZAR868.31
|
$86.00
£64.94
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.75
ZAR560.46
|
$44.20
£33.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
ZAR1,611.79
|
$95.21
£71.90
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.80
ZAR1,399.67
|
$101.36
£76.54
|
|
South Africa vs. United Kingdom - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: November 2025
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