ZA flag
Cape Town

South Africa

vs
GB flag
London

United Kingdom

Climate

Cape Town logs 294 sunny days a year to London's 111 — Cape Town wins by 183. London also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 3.

Cape TownLondon
Sunny days
294111
Hot days
00
Frost days
018
Rain days
69141
Outdoor dinner months
0/123/12
Avg wind
5.2 m/s4.0 m/s
Sunshine hours
3,1661,565
Darkest month sun
188 hrs/mo38 hrs/mo
UV peak month
11.94.7

Cape Town

Feels-like °C

26
25
22
18
14
12
9
10
13
19
21
23

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

London

Feels-like °C

-4
-2
1
6
14
17
18
18
14
8
2
-3

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Cape Town is $2414/mo cheaper

Cape Town runs about $1,323/mo for a balanced lifestyle against London's $3,737/mo — Cape Town comes in $2,414 cheaper each month, roughly 182% less.

Cape Town

$1,323

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $994Comfort $2,123
Top 82%in Among 11 Africa cities

London

$3,737

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $2,983Comfort $5,936
Top 94%in Among 217 Europe cities

Mobility

On mobility, London scores 4.0 vs Cape Town's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public transit. Cape Town still holds an edge on car efficiency.

2.0/5
vs
4.0/5
Cape TownLondon
Airport
WalkabilityTransitCyclingFlightsAirport
London leads

Culture

London's culture score of 4.9 sits well above Cape Town's 3.8, with the biggest gap on arts & culture.

3.8/5
vs
4.9/5
Cape TownLondon
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
London leads

Nature & Outdoors

Cape Town's nature & outdoors score of 4.8 sits well above London's 3.8, with the biggest gap on mountain access. London still holds an edge on skiing & snowboarding.

4.8/5
vs
3.8/5
Cape TownLondon
SeaMountainsForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingBeachSurfingDivingClimbing
ForestGreen AreasLakesRunningCamping
Cape Town leads

Safety

London's safety score of 2.5 sits well above Cape Town's 0.0, with the biggest gap on walking safety.

0.0/5
vs
2.5/5
Cape TownLondon
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadWildfire
Property Crime
London leads

Career

London's career score of 5.0 sits well above Cape Town's 2.7, with the biggest gap on career opportunities.

2.7/5
vs
5.0/5
Cape TownLondon
Coworking
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking
London leads

Social & Community

London's social & community score is ~1.3× Cape Town's — in the upper band, while Cape Town lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on expat-first community. Cape Town still holds an edge on local-first community.

3.2/5
vs
4.0/5
Cape TownLondon
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support
London leads

Food & Dining

On food & dining, London scores 5.0 vs Cape Town's 3.4 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on vegan & vegetarian options.

3.4/5
vs
5.0/5
Cape TownLondon
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery
London leads

Family

On family, London scores 4.6 vs Cape Town's 3.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.

3.1/5
vs
4.6/5
Cape TownLondon
UniversitiesAmenitiesSportGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportPlaygroundsGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis
London leads

Healthcare

On healthcare, London scores 3.4 vs Cape Town's 3.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on public healthcare quality.

3.1/5
vs
3.4/5
Cape TownLondon
Private Healthcare
Private Healthcare
London leads

Air Quality

Cape Town averages 9.4 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus London's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — London breathes ~8% cleaner air (0.8 µg/m³ lower).

Cape Town

London

9.4µg/m³
8.6µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Good
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Cape Town (4.3M) and London (10.4M) are 2.4x in population — London is the larger metro, Cape Town the smaller; on land area London spans roughly 2.4x more ground.

2.4x

London is roughly 2.4x the scale of Cape Town

Combined population & area comparison

GB flagLondon
2.4x
ZA flagCape Town
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.GB flagLondon10.4M2.4x
2.ZA flagCape Town4.3M1x
Area
1.GB flagLondon1,649 km²2.4x
2.ZA flagCape Town695 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
36 km34 km

ZA flagCape Town

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
63 km55 km

GB flagLondon

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Cape Town vs London

Which is cheaper, Cape Town or London?
Cape Town is approximately $2,414 per month cheaper. Cape Town averages $1,323/mo while London averages $3,737/mo.
How does the climate compare between Cape Town and London?
Sunny days: 294 vs 111 d — Cape Town higher Annual sunshine: 3,166 vs 1,565 hrs — Cape Town higher Winter sunshine: 188 vs 38 hrs/day — Cape Town higher Hot days (>30°C): 0 vs 0 d — Similar Frost days: 0 vs 18 d — Cape Town lower Rainy days: 69 vs 141 d — Cape Town lower
Is Cape Town or London safer?
London scores higher on safety. Cape Town rates 0.0/5 while London rates 2.5/5, based on street safety, property crime rates, and natural hazard exposure.
Should I move to Cape Town or London?
Cape Town and London are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. Cape Town is generally more affordable, while London may offer different lifestyle advantages. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Cape Town and London stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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