Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Alesund

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,404 in Alesund, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Alesund
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Alesund Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Alesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,404

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,404 in Alesund, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Alesund $2,404

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,786 in Alesund, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Alesund $3,786

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $5,168 in Alesund, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Alesund $5,168

Cape Town is about 36% cheaper than Alesund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Alesund sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Alesund by 78%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$21.07 NOK 196

-43.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$91.7 NOK 853

-53.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$13.66 NOK 127

-54.98%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.31 NOK 40.12

-45.01%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.07 NOK 19.29

-38.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.31 NOK 21.50

-59.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$11.99 NOK 112

-75.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$9.55 NOK 88.9

-61.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.23 NOK 20.76

-40.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.09 NOK 28.72

-60.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.20 NOK 29.73

-31.25%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.71 NOK 43.84

-34.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$14.71 NOK 137

-40.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$14.47 NOK 135

-52.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$21.58 NOK 201

-57.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.82 NOK 26.25

-35.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.42 NOK 22.53

-19.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.37 NOK 22.02

-29.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.82 NOK 35.53

-43.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.69 NOK 25.00

-41.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.64 NOK 15.26

-10.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.93 NOK 27.29

-53.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.87 NOK 17.43

-39.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$15.87 NOK 148

-77.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$19.25 NOK 179

-68.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$3.65 NOK 33.95

-61.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$4.09 NOK 38.02

-46.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$5.23 NOK 48.68

-73.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$91.1 NOK 848

-33.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$12.65 NOK 118

-92.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.99 NOK 18.47

-54.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$74.6 NOK 694

-93.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.32 NOK 21.54

-33.62%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$50.0K NOK 465.0K

-29.26%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$44.1K NOK 409.8K

-24.25%

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

$117 R 1,929

$290 NOK 2,695

-59.59%

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

$25.71 R 424

$35.94 NOK 334

-28.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$61.2 NOK 569

-35.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$61.1 NOK 568

-15.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$32.58 NOK 303

-65.16%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$18.55 NOK 173

-52.08%

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

$308 R 5,069

$247 NOK 2,294

24.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$2,666 NOK 24.8K

205.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$91.0 NOK 846

-36.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$45.61 NOK 424

-30.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$115 NOK 1,072

0.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$143 NOK 1,329

-29.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,095 NOK 10.2K

-4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$815 NOK 7,585

-17.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,553 NOK 14.4K

19.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,687 NOK 15.7K

-16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$4,656 NOK 43.3K

-48.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,540 NOK 23.6K

-38.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$4,236 NOK 39.4K

-61.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.22

158.06%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Alesund: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Alesund

$815 33.9% 21.9% $146

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Alesund

$434 18% 94.3% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Alesund

$387 16.1% 112% $205

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Alesund

$358 14.9% 106% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Alesund

$178 7.4% 29.1% $40

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Alesund

$135 5.6% 87.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Alesund

$98 4.1% 41.5% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,095 in Alesund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alesund are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $92 in Alesund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $434 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Alesund

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

58,683

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 NOK = 10.75 USD

100 NOK = 9.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.3 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.44 NOK (100 NOK = 9.58 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Alesund 10,770 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Alesund

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town, $2,404 in Alesund – Cape Town comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $3,607 in Alesund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,047 in Cape Town and $1,095 in Alesund. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $92 in Alesund. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,404 in Alesund. That makes Cape Town about 36% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,404 in Alesund. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $2,404 in Alesund. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.