Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Fredrikstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,013 in Fredrikstad, rent and utilities included – about $17,800 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
145

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,013

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,013 in Fredrikstad, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Fredrikstad $3,013

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $4,412 in Fredrikstad, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Fredrikstad $4,412

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $5,811 in Fredrikstad, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Fredrikstad $5,811

Cape Town is about 49% cheaper than Fredrikstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Fredrikstad sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Fredrikstad by 123%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$23.34 NOK 217

-48.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$134 NOK 1,243

-67.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$17.21 NOK 160

-64.26%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$7.01 NOK 65.2

-66.19%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$6.10 NOK 56.7

-79.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$5.23 NOK 48.62

-82.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$12.15 NOK 113

-75.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$9.60 NOK 89.3

-61.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.37 NOK 22.09

-44.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$4.51 NOK 41.95

-73.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.65 NOK 33.91

-39.73%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$6.23 NOK 57.9

-50.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$13.15 NOK 122

-33.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$18.69 NOK 174

-63.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$35.58 NOK 331

-73.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.39 NOK 31.54

-46.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$3.62 NOK 33.67

-46.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$4.36 NOK 40.54

-61.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$5.32 NOK 49.48

-59.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.65 NOK 24.65

-40.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.78 NOK 25.85

-47.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.99 NOK 27.77

-54.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$2.43 NOK 22.59

-53.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$15.71 NOK 146

-77.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$22.34 NOK 208

-72.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$3.52 NOK 32.74

-60.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$4.30 NOK 40.00

-49.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$4.19 NOK 38.93

-66.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$67.4 NOK 627

-9.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$13.09 NOK 122

-92.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.65 NOK 15.39

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$72.6 NOK 675

-93.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.46 NOK 22.90

-37.40%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$55.2K NOK 513.7K

-35.97%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$41.9K NOK 390.1K

-20.42%

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

$117 R 1,929

$331 NOK 3,076

-64.60%

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

$25.71 R 424

$46.54 NOK 433

-44.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$67.8 NOK 631

-41.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$59.4 NOK 552

-13.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$42.67 NOK 397

-73.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$20.04 NOK 186

-55.64%

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

$308 R 5,069

$171 NOK 1,588

80.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$12.4K NOK 115.3K

-34.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$160 NOK 1,488

-64.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$81.6 NOK 759

-61.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$145 NOK 1,350

-20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$114 NOK 1,060

-11.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,374 NOK 12.8K

-23.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,134 NOK 10.5K

-40.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,896 NOK 17.6K

-1.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,524 NOK 14.2K

-7.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$6,564 NOK 61.1K

-63.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$4,243 NOK 39.5K

-63.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$3,390 NOK 31.5K

-51.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.95

120.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Fredrikstad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 37.6% 69.4% $464

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Fredrikstad

$556 18.5% 149% $333

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Fredrikstad

$445 14.8% 144% $263

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Fredrikstad

$448 14.9% 157% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Fredrikstad

$225 7.5% 63.7% $88

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Fredrikstad

$106 3.5% 47% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Fredrikstad

$99 3.3% 43.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,374 in Fredrikstad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fredrikstad are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $134 in Fredrikstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $556 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

12:54 12:54 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

85,267

💱 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 Fredrikstad 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Fredrikstad

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 Fredrikstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fredrikstad costs about 97% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $4,519 in Fredrikstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,374 in Fredrikstad.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,013 in Fredrikstad. That makes Cape Town about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,013 in Fredrikstad. 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 $3,013 in Fredrikstad. 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, Fredrikstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.