Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boras and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,913 in Boras, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Boras
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Boras Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Boras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,913

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,913 in Boras versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Boras $1,913
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,241 in Boras versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Boras $2,241
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,568 in Boras versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Boras $2,568
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Boras is roughly 25% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Boras 42% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 SEK 128

$12.01 R 198

8.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 SEK 891

$42.92 R 707

111.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 SEK 102

$6.15 R 101

68.78%

Cappuccino

$4.25 SEK 41.72

$2.37 R 39.04

79.32%

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

$2.12 SEK 20.77

$1.27 R 20.96

66.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SEK 20.24

$0.94 R 15.46

119.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.95 SEK 68.2

$2.96 R 48.77

134.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.99 SEK 68.6

$3.69 R 60.8

89.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 SEK 17.51

$1.32 R 21.73

34.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 SEK 25.53

$1.21 R 19.87

114.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 SEK 29.40

$2.20 R 36.26

36.36%

Eggs

$4.54 SEK 44.53

$3.10 R 51.1

46.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.39 SEK 122

$8.73 R 144

41.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.94 SEK 117

$6.89 R 114

73.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 SEK 155

$9.26 R 153

70.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 SEK 30.33

$1.83 R 30.08

68.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 SEK 26.15

$1.95 R 32.12

36.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 SEK 28.27

$1.66 R 27.32

73.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 SEK 36.16

$2.14 R 35.19

72.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.67

$1.58 R 26.01

-5.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 SEK 13.78

$1.47 R 24.29

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 SEK 22.58

$1.35 R 22.18

70.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 SEK 13.82

$1.14 R 18.85

23.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 SEK 67.1

$3.58 R 59.0

91.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 SEK 81.9

$6.05 R 99.7

38.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 SEK 17.22

$1.39 R 22.95

26.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 SEK 16.38

$2.18 R 35.90

-23.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 SEK 36.48

$1.40 R 23.02

165.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.2 SEK 777

$60.8 R 1,001

30.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 SEK 50.9

$0.93 R 15.26

458.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 SEK 10.56

$0.90 R 14.83

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.40 SEK 416

$4.96 R 81.7

754.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 SEK 18.15

$1.54 R 25.37

20.13%

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

$25.7K SEK 252.6K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-27.19%

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

$15.3K SEK 150.2K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-54.12%

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

$61.0 SEK 598

$117 R 1,929

-47.93%

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

$29.01 SEK 285

$25.71 R 424

12.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.54 SEK 398

$39.41 R 649

2.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.84 SEK 352

$51.6 R 850

-30.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.06 SEK 246

$11.35 R 187

120.79%

Cinema Ticket

$15.21 SEK 149

$8.89 R 146

71.09%

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

$163 SEK 1,598

$308 R 5,069

-47.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.3 SEK 494

$57.4 R 946

-12.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 SEK 505

$31.75 R 523

62.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 SEK 790

$116 R 1,911

-30.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 SEK 992

$101 R 1,660

0.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 SEK 8,738

$669 R 11.0K

33.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,054 SEK 30.0K

$1,630 R 26.9K

87.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

10.89

-55.92%

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

Last update for Boras: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boras

$891 46.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 24.9% $221

Groceries & Markets

Boras

$342 17.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 34.7% $119

Eating Out

Boras

$252 13.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 30.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boras

$131 6.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 39.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Boras

$128 6.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 7.9% $10

Getting Around

Boras

$105 5.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 31.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Boras

$66 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4.7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

Boras pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $91 in Boras vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Boras

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h ahead of Boras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,273

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

Boras Cape Town 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Boras
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

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

Cape Town is about 20% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Boras, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you’ll spend $1,913 per month in Boras versus $1,527 in Cape Town – Cape Town is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Cape Town runs roughly 23% less than in Boras. 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, Boras on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.