Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,086 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

146

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,086

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen 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 Bergen and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,086 in Bergen versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Bergen $3,086
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,601 in Bergen versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Bergen $4,601
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,117 in Bergen versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Bergen $6,117
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Bergen is roughly 102% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergen 128% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.42 NOK 227

$12.01 R 198

103.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$140 NOK 1,306

$42.92 R 707

227.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.86 NOK 148

$6.15 R 101

157.89%

Cappuccino

$5.53 NOK 51.4

$2.37 R 39.04

133.33%

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

$5.30 NOK 49.31

$1.27 R 20.96

317.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.72 NOK 43.91

$0.94 R 15.46

402.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.62 NOK 117

$2.96 R 48.77

326.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.66 NOK 99.1

$3.69 R 60.8

188.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 NOK 21.06

$1.32 R 21.73

71.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.90 NOK 36.30

$1.21 R 19.87

222.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 NOK 33.65

$2.20 R 36.26

64.55%

Eggs

$6.67 NOK 62.0

$3.10 R 51.1

115.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.80 NOK 138

$8.73 R 144

69.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.76 NOK 165

$6.89 R 114

157.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.47 NOK 348

$9.26 R 153

304.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NOK 38.19

$1.83 R 30.08

124.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.84

$1.95 R 32.12

36.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 NOK 32.28

$1.66 R 27.32

109.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.70 NOK 53.0

$2.14 R 35.19

166.36%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 23.76

$1.58 R 26.01

61.39%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 NOK 31.07

$1.47 R 24.29

127.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.95 NOK 27.45

$1.35 R 22.18

118.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 NOK 17.34

$1.14 R 18.85

63.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.04 NOK 168

$3.58 R 59.0

403.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.81 NOK 184

$6.05 R 99.7

227.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.66 NOK 34.07

$1.39 R 22.95

163.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 NOK 42.15

$2.18 R 35.90

107.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.61 NOK 52.2

$1.40 R 23.02

300.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.2 NOK 820

$60.8 R 1,001

45.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.63 NOK 117

$0.93 R 15.26

1258.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 NOK 17.54

$0.90 R 14.83

110.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.0 NOK 679

$4.96 R 81.7

1371.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 NOK 22.41

$1.54 R 25.37

56.49%

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

$49.5K NOK 460.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

40.07%

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

$44.6K NOK 415.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

33.70%

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

$292 NOK 2,719

$117 R 1,929

149.74%

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

$35.42 NOK 329

$25.71 R 424

37.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.0 NOK 734

$39.41 R 649

100.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.83 NOK 436

$51.6 R 850

-9.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.17 NOK 411

$11.35 R 187

289.16%

Cinema Ticket

$19.31 NOK 180

$8.89 R 146

117.21%

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

$243 NOK 2,257

$308 R 5,069

-21.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K NOK 144.6K

$8,141 R 134.2K

90.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 NOK 1,068

$57.4 R 946

100.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 NOK 513

$31.75 R 523

73.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 NOK 1,084

$116 R 1,911

0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,511

$101 R 1,660

61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,613 NOK 15.0K

$1,047 R 17.2K

54.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

$669 R 11.0K

91.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,639 NOK 24.5K

$1,861 R 30.7K

41.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,911 NOK 17.8K

$1,407 R 23.2K

35.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,204 NOK 76.3K

$2,410 R 39.7K

240.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,269 NOK 49.0K

$1,570 R 25.9K

235.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,937 NOK 45.9K

$1,630 R 26.9K

202.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

10.89

-51.61%

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

Last update for Bergen: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.3K 41.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 47.8% $613

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$543 17.6%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 58.9% $320

Eating Out

Bergen

$434 14.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 59.9% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$407 13.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 55.2% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$202 6.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 31.9% $64

Getting Around

Bergen

$133 4.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 45.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$85 2.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 18.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,613 in Bergen and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergen pays about 3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $140 in Bergen vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $543 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h ahead of Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.75 USD

100 NOK = 9.57 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.3 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.45 NOK (100 NOK = 9.57 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bergen Cape Town 10,560 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bergen
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

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

Cape Town is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Bergen is about 3 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: $1,613 in Bergen versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $243 in Bergen versus $308 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 143% higher in Bergen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Expats usually find Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 51% less than in Bergen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.