Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bergen

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.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
146

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
Learn more

Bergen Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Cape Town $1,527
Bergen $3,086

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

Cape Town $2,417
Bergen $4,601

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

Cape Town $3,306
Bergen $6,117

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 51% less than in Bergen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$24.42 NOK 227

-50.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$140 NOK 1,306

-69.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$15.86 NOK 148

-61.22%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$5.53 NOK 51.4

-57.14%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$5.30 NOK 49.31

-76.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$4.72 NOK 43.91

-80.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$12.62 NOK 117

-76.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$10.66 NOK 99.1

-65.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.26 NOK 21.06

-41.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.90 NOK 36.30

-68.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.62 NOK 33.65

-39.23%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$6.67 NOK 62.0

-53.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$14.80 NOK 138

-41.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$17.76 NOK 165

-61.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$37.47 NOK 348

-75.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$4.11 NOK 38.19

-55.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.67 NOK 24.84

-26.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.47 NOK 32.28

-52.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$5.70 NOK 53.0

-62.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.55 NOK 23.76

-38.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$3.34 NOK 31.07

-55.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.95 NOK 27.45

-54.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.86 NOK 17.34

-38.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$18.04 NOK 168

-80.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$19.81 NOK 184

-69.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$3.66 NOK 34.07

-62.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$4.53 NOK 42.15

-51.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$5.61 NOK 52.2

-75.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$88.2 NOK 820

-31.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$12.63 NOK 117

-92.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.89 NOK 17.54

-52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$73.0 NOK 679

-93.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.41 NOK 22.41

-36.10%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$49.5K NOK 460.8K

-28.61%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$44.6K NOK 415.0K

-25.21%

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

$117 R 1,929

$292 NOK 2,719

-59.96%

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

$25.71 R 424

$35.42 NOK 329

-27.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$79.0 NOK 734

-50.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$46.83 NOK 436

10.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$44.17 NOK 411

-74.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$19.31 NOK 180

-53.96%

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

$308 R 5,069

$243 NOK 2,257

26.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$15.5K NOK 144.6K

-47.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$115 NOK 1,068

-50.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$55.2 NOK 513

-42.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$117 NOK 1,084

-0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$162 NOK 1,511

-37.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,613 NOK 15.0K

-35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,283 NOK 11.9K

-47.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$2,639 NOK 24.5K

-29.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,911 NOK 17.8K

-26.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$8,204 NOK 76.3K

-70.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$5,269 NOK 49.0K

-70.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$4,937 NOK 45.9K

-66.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

5.27

106.64%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bergen: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Bergen

$1.3K 41.6% 91.7% $613

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Bergen

$543 17.6% 143% $320

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Bergen

$407 13.2% 123% $225

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Bergen

$434 14.1% 149% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Bergen

$202 6.6% 46.8% $64

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Bergen

$133 4.3% 84.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Bergen

$85 2.8% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $1,613 in Bergen. 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: $43 in Cape Town vs $140 in Bergen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $543 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Bergen

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

10:33 10:33 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

292,482

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 NOK = 10.75 USD

100 NOK = 9.57 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Cape Town
Bergen

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 Bergen: 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.

On paper, salaries run 67% 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 $1,613 in Bergen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $308 in Cape Town versus $243 in Bergen. 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.