Before you pack for London, read this: Why you’re better off in Jozi

This article was first published by The Common Sense.South Africa's professional class has long measured success by the ability to leave — for London especially. But a striking analysis from The Common Sense, written during the publication's visit to a major London policy forum, challenges that assumption directly. On housing affordability, healthcare access, cost of living and freedom of expression, young professional families in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Port Elizabeth come out materially ahead of their London counterparts. The comparison is uncomfortable in its clarity. Crime remains the obvious caveat — but the piece argues that private security largely neutralises that disadvantage for middle-class households. The grass, it turns out, is not always greener..From The Editorial Board of The Common Sense .The Common Sense is spending much of the week in London attending the “Davos of the right” and will write about that in due course. But the experience of hobnobbing with British politicians and think tanks working to turn that beleaguered economy around has revealed one thing very starkly: that a young professional family is today much better off in any of South Africa’s major cities than they would be living in London.Consider the following astonishing comparisons: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. As a result, many (around 40% of 25-year-olds) have to live with their parents. 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.Last year, just a quarter of adults in the United Kingdom (UK) were “very” or “quite” satisfied with the way in which the healthcare system works, citing long delays in accessing care and services. For high-income earners, the figure was 26%. Young South African professionals have access to arguably the best healthcare system in the world, where access to a world-class suite of professional services is only ever minutes away.In terms of costs of living, a like-for-like comparison of a Big Mac and a Netflix subscription shows that it will cost twice as much in the UK as in South Africa, and you can extrapolate other costs and services from that number across the two consumer economies.Lastly, the UK has become an intolerant environment, with people being arrested for posting or saying things deemed offensive by others. South Africans will struggle to believe the extent of this, and some examples must be cited. A Facebook user who reposted an offensive meme was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment. Graham Linehan, a comedian, was arrested over posts on X criticising transgender activists. Hundreds of such arrests have taken place.In South Africa you are free to say what you please.Crime, of course, shifts the equation but South Africa’s private security services can be very effective in protecting middle-class enclaves..Read more:.Resilient communities across the world are forging alternative economies amid rising living costs.This newspaper of course hopes that a sensible British government will come to power again and then start the long work of undoing the damage that has been suffered to that economy and its culture. But the task is intimidating in its scale and the politics is not there yet. In the interim, while South Africa has major problems and faces serious risks, on a like-for-like comparison of material circumstances, young professionals in its cities are much better off and have arguably much better prospects to lead fulfilling lives than they would in London..This article was first published by The Common Sense and is republished with permission..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa's bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.

Before you pack for London, read this: Why you’re better off in Jozi

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