Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Askim

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,907 in Askim, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Askim
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Askim Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Askim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,907

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Askim actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $2,907 in Askim.

Cape Town $1,527
Askim $2,907

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $4,380 in Askim.

Cape Town $2,417
Askim $4,380

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $5,854 in Askim.

Cape Town $3,306
Askim $5,854

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 47% less than in Askim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 13% above, Askim 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$21.76 NOK 202

-44.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$127 NOK 1,182

-66.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$16.08 NOK 149

-61.75%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$6.01 NOK 55.8

-60.57%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$4.29 NOK 39.80

-70.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$3.41 NOK 31.69

-72.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$11.63 NOK 108

-74.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$13.06 NOK 121

-71.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$2.63 NOK 24.43

-49.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$4.20 NOK 39.01

-71.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$4.80 NOK 44.58

-54.17%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$5.96 NOK 55.4

-47.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$14.97 NOK 139

-41.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$15.63 NOK 145

-55.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$31.99 NOK 297

-71.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.31 NOK 30.73

-44.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.63 NOK 24.40

-25.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$3.66 NOK 33.99

-54.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$6.10 NOK 56.6

-64.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$2.70 NOK 25.07

-41.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$2.87 NOK 26.65

-48.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$3.17 NOK 29.44

-57.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$2.52 NOK 23.42

-54.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$19.47 NOK 181

-81.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$16.70 NOK 155

-63.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$3.57 NOK 33.17

-61.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$4.40 NOK 40.84

-50.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$4.66 NOK 43.21

-69.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$84.7 NOK 786

-28.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$12.47 NOK 116

-92.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.93 NOK 17.89

-53.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$70.5 NOK 655

-92.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.43 NOK 22.57

-36.63%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$49.9K NOK 463.3K

-29.16%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$38.7K NOK 358.8K

-13.69%

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

$117 R 1,918

$431 NOK 3,996

-72.81%

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

$25.71 R 421

$33.67 NOK 312

-23.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$55.5 NOK 515

-28.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$49.65 NOK 461

3.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$37.08 NOK 344

-69.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$15.80 NOK 147

-43.73%

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

$308 R 5,040

$244 NOK 2,264

26.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$16.0K NOK 148.7K

-49.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$101 NOK 938

-43.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$62.1 NOK 577

-48.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$138 NOK 1,278

-15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$159 NOK 1,476

-36.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$1,264 NOK 11.7K

-17.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,039 NOK 9,642

-35.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$2,079 NOK 19.3K

-10.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,723 NOK 16.0K

-18.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$6,389 NOK 59.3K

-62.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$4,320 NOK 40.1K

-63.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$4,249 NOK 39.4K

-61.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.94

120.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Askim: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Askim

$1K 35.7% 55.3% $370

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Askim

$525 18.1% 135% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Askim

$520 17.9% 185% $338

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Askim

$410 14.1% 135% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Askim

$207 7.1% 50.4% $69

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Askim

$125 4.3% 74.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Askim

$81 2.8% 17.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $1,264 in Askim. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Askim pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $127 in Askim for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $525 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Askim

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

15,368

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 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 = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.28 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.42 NOK (100 NOK = 9.6 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Askim 10,420 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Askim

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 Askim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,907 in Askim, so Cape Town is about 47% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Cape Town. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,264 in Askim. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $43 versus $127 in Askim. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,527 per month in Cape Town versus $2,907 in Askim – Cape Town is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 47% less than in Askim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.