Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Gavle

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,448 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,448

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,448 in Gavle, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Gavle $1,448

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,309 in Gavle, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Gavle $2,309

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,169 in Gavle, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Gavle $3,169

Cape Town costs about 5% more than Gavle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cape Town and Gavle sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Gavle by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$13.66 SEK 134

-12.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$81.4 SEK 798

-47.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.87 SEK 96.9

-37.69%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.53 SEK 44.40

-47.68%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.02 SEK 19.80

-37.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.02 SEK 19.83

-53.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$7.97 SEK 78.2

-62.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$7.84 SEK 76.9

-52.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.65 SEK 16.15

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.65 SEK 25.98

-54.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$4.03 SEK 39.54

-45.41%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.91 SEK 38.32

-20.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.56 SEK 93.8

-8.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$10.61 SEK 104

-35.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$18.65 SEK 183

-50.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.13 SEK 30.66

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.83 SEK 27.76

-31.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.12 SEK 30.60

-46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.35 SEK 42.63

-50.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.70 SEK 16.70

-7.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.82 SEK 17.85

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.54 SEK 24.92

-46.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$2.10 SEK 20.57

-45.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$8.16 SEK 80.1

-56.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$11.29 SEK 111

-46.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.60 SEK 15.72

-13.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.64 SEK 16.14

32.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.40 SEK 33.36

-58.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$59.3 SEK 582

2.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$4.51 SEK 44.21

-79.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.57 SEK 15.36

-42.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$34.16 SEK 335

-85.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.84 SEK 18.07

-16.30%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$26.7K SEK 261.9K

32.48%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$28.3K SEK 277.2K

18.13%

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

$117 R 1,929

$55.8 SEK 548

109.73%

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

$25.71 R 424

$21.43 SEK 210

19.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$40.39 SEK 396

-2.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$47.95 SEK 470

7.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$14.92 SEK 146

-40.42%

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

$308 R 5,069

$134 SEK 1,311

130.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$15.4K SEK 150.8K

-47.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$70.5 SEK 692

-18.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$61.0 SEK 598

-47.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$51.3 SEK 503

126.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$92.6 SEK 909

8.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$580 SEK 5,694

80.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$422 SEK 4,139

58.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$772 SEK 7,576

140.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$666 SEK 6,536

111.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,935 SEK 19.0K

24.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,345 SEK 13.2K

16.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$3,165 SEK 31.1K

-48.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.38

222.19%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gavle: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Gavle

$422 29.1% 36.9% $247

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Gavle

$357 24.7% 60% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Gavle

$118 8.1% 35.4% $65

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Gavle

$265 18.3% 52.2% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Gavle

$124 8.6% 10% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Gavle

$85 5.9% 18.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Gavle

$78 5.4% 12.1% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $580 in Gavle. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Gavle, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $81 in Gavle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $357 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Gavle

🕒 Local time

04:55 4:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

100,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Gavle 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Gavle

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 Gavle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 5% more than Gavle, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $2,173 in Gavle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gavle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $580 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,448 in Gavle. That makes Gavle about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $134 in Gavle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,448 in Gavle, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gavle – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.