Johannesburg is better than London for young professionals

Young professionals are likely to have much better living prospects in Johannesburg, or any of South Africa’s other major cities, than they would in London.

This is according to economic analyst and former Institute of Race Relations CEO Dr Frans Cronje, who put forth this notion in a column for his independent news outlet The Common Sense.

Cronje explained that the cost of living in South Africa’s major cities is much lower than in London, which is often considered one of the most expensive cities to live in.

“In London, a young professional will have to spend around 50% of their gross income on rent and would not be able to afford to buy a home,” Cronje said.

“In South Africa, a young professional could look to get away with spending around 30% of their gross income on renting, or buying a home, leaving much more room for savings.”

According to Numbeo’s consumer price database, rent is approximately 79.4% lower in Johannesburg than in London.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Johannesburg’s city centre is R8,615 per month, while in London it is £2,240 (or R49,000).

Cronje also pointed to the United Kingdom’s healthcare system, of which he said 74% of high-income earners expressed dissatisfaction due to frequent delays in accessing help.

Meanwhile, young South Africans with private medical aid have quick, easy access to what Cronje considers the best healthcare system in the world, which he said is also relatively cheap.

Thirdly, Cronje said a like-for-like price comparison showed that the average price of a Big Mac or a Netflix subscription was twice as high in London as in Johannesburg.

While this is a simplistic way of viewing the disparity between the two cities, it illustrates Cronje’s point on the vast cost-of-living gap between Johannesburg and London.

It also aligns with Numbeo’s actual cost-of-living estimates, which show that, excluding rent, Johannesburg is 50.2% less expensive than London.

Crime and safety are still major issues

While South Africa may present a far more cost-effective option for young professionals to live in, some argue that factors such as crime and safety are more important.

Between January and March 2026, there were approximately 488 murders across Johannesburg, compared to just 24 in London during the same period.

During an episode of the Talking Sense podcast, in which Cronje is a co-host, economist and fellow host Richard Tren argued that the original column piece somewhat downplayed this issue.

“That safety factor is a huge issue,” Tren said. “People should be able to go to sleep at night and feel safe. But for a lot of people, that’s not true.”

Cronje conceded that safety and South Africa’s penchant for particularly violent crime remained a major concern for many people living in the country.

He specifically pointed to the ability of London residents to walk freely around the city with little fear of becoming the victim of a crime, something which is not as viable in South Africa.

However, he mentioned the growing number of enclave communities in South Africa, many of which are walled and have access to specialised private security services.

Cronje said the rate of violent crime within these enclave areas was more in line with that of countries in the European Union, much lower than the rest of South Africa.

This is an example of “state-proofing”, where residents of a country take it upon themselves to find solutions to poor service delivery, thereby becoming less dependent on the government.

This can be seen in other areas, such as the growing number of South Africans who have switched to self-reliant solar electricity systems after decades of intermittent load shedding.

Financial writer and fellow Talking Sense podcast host Simon Lincoln Reader said that London residents were not as well-versed in the art of “state-proofing” as South Africans and were thus very dependent on government services.