Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bålsta and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,572 in Bålsta, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. The total is higher in Bålsta despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Bålsta
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Bålsta Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bålsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,572

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bålsta and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bålsta and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,572 in Bålsta versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Bålsta $1,572
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,470 in Bålsta versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Bålsta $2,470
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,367 in Bålsta versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Bålsta $3,367
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Bålsta is roughly 3% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bålsta 16% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.20 SEK 139

$12.01 R 198

18.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.1 SEK 659

$42.92 R 707

56.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.83 SEK 86.6

$6.15 R 101

43.58%

Cappuccino

$4.18 SEK 41.05

$2.37 R 39.04

76.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 SEK 25.80

$1.27 R 20.96

107.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SEK 21.49

$0.94 R 15.46

132.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.34 SEK 72.0

$2.96 R 48.77

147.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.09 SEK 69.6

$3.69 R 60.8

92.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 SEK 14.83

$1.32 R 21.73

14.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 SEK 19.68

$1.21 R 19.87

66.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.64 SEK 35.70

$2.20 R 36.26

65.45%

Eggs

$3.70 SEK 36.31

$3.10 R 51.1

19.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.46 SEK 112

$8.73 R 144

31.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.46 SEK 122

$6.89 R 114

80.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 SEK 109

$9.26 R 153

19.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 24.79

$1.83 R 30.08

38.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 SEK 25.92

$1.95 R 32.12

35.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 SEK 19.66

$1.66 R 27.32

20.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 SEK 27.89

$2.14 R 35.19

32.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 SEK 14.86

$1.58 R 26.01

-4.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 SEK 11.94

$1.47 R 24.29

-17.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 SEK 14.60

$1.35 R 22.18

10.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SEK 10.22

$1.14 R 18.85

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.25 SEK 71.1

$3.58 R 59.0

102.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 SEK 97.5

$6.05 R 99.7

64.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 SEK 14.80

$1.39 R 22.95

8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.15

$2.18 R 35.90

-5.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 SEK 32.26

$1.40 R 23.02

135.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.2 SEK 748

$60.8 R 1,001

25.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 SEK 60.6

$0.93 R 15.26

563.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 SEK 14.79

$0.90 R 14.83

67.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.1 SEK 766

$4.96 R 81.7

1473.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.66

$1.54 R 25.37

16.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.9K SEK 332.7K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-4.11%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.3K SEK 326.7K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-0.22%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$50.8 SEK 499

$117 R 1,929

-56.57%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.45 SEK 201

$25.71 R 424

-20.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.92 SEK 401

$39.41 R 649

3.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.43 SEK 367

$51.6 R 850

-27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.98 SEK 265

$11.35 R 187

137.71%

Cinema Ticket

$13.19 SEK 129

$8.89 R 146

48.37%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$122 SEK 1,194

$308 R 5,069

-60.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,269 SEK 51.7K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-35.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 SEK 698

$57.4 R 946

24.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.02 SEK 98.3

$31.75 R 523

-68.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.8 SEK 812

$116 R 1,911

-28.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 SEK 1,107

$101 R 1,660

12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$823 SEK 8,072

$1,047 R 17.2K

-21.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 SEK 5,946

$669 R 11.0K

-9.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,375 SEK 13.5K

$1,861 R 30.7K

-26.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 SEK 10.2K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-26.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,670 SEK 45.8K

$2,410 R 39.7K

93.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,928 SEK 28.7K

$1,570 R 25.9K

86.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,041 SEK 39.6K

$1,630 R 26.9K

147.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

10.89

-74.29%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bålsta: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bålsta

$606 38.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 10.4% $63

Groceries & Markets

Bålsta

$302 19.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 26.1% $79

Eating Out

Bålsta

$260 16.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 33.2% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Bålsta

$125 7.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 10.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bålsta

$112 7.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 62.4% $70

Getting Around

Bålsta

$103 6.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 30.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bålsta

$64 4.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 8.7% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $823 in Bålsta and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bålsta pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67 in Bålsta vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $302 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Bålsta

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:03 3:03 AM

04:03 4:03 AM

1 h ahead of Bålsta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,138

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.08 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 11.01 SEK (100 SEK = 9.08 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bålsta Cape Town 10,400 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bålsta
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bålsta vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Bålsta. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cape Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Bålsta is about 2.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $823 in Bålsta versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,572 per month in Bålsta versus $1,527 in Cape Town – Cape Town is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cape Town runs roughly 20% less than in Bålsta. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Cape Town wins on affordability, Bålsta on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.