Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Jyvaskyla

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,812 in Jyvaskyla, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Jyvaskyla despite lower rent and utilities.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Jyvaskyla
Learn more

Jyvaskyla Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Jyvaskyla

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,812 in Jyvaskyla, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Jyvaskyla $1,812

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,825 in Jyvaskyla, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Jyvaskyla $2,825

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $3,838 in Jyvaskyla, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Jyvaskyla $3,838

Cape Town is about 13% cheaper than Jyvaskyla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Jyvaskyla sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Jyvaskyla by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$16.13 €14.35

-24.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$91.9 €81.8

-50.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$11.84 €10.53

-50.34%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.68 €4.16

-46.58%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.46 €2.19

-48.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.86 €1.65

-47.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$8.18 €7.27

-63.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$8.22 €7.31

-54.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.48 €1.32

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$2.43 €2.16

-48.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.70 €2.40

-17.41%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.80 €2.49

11.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.63 €6.78

18.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$14.58 €12.97

-52.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$18.73 €16.66

-50.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.46 €2.19

-25.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.07 €1.84

-5.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.30 €2.05

-27.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$3.80 €3.38

-42.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.40 €1.25

12.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.59 €1.41

-6.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.45 €1.29

-10.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.81 €1.61

-37.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$13.13 €11.68

-72.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$13.65 €12.14

-54.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$3.18 €2.82

-56.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.34 €2.97

-35.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.34 €2.97

-55.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$72.2 €64.2

-15.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$8.18 €7.28

-92.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.36 €1.21

10.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$65.4 €58.2

-92.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.29 €2.04

-32.31%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$36.6K €32.6K

-1.14%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$36.8K €32.7K

-15.12%

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

$114 R 1,883

$135 €120

-15.34%

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

$28.91 R 476

$29.54 €26.27

-2.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$21.95 €19.53

81.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$55.5 €49.33

-11.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$40.36 €35.90

-72.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$18.66 €16.60

-50.96%

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

$259 R 4,264

$311 €277

-16.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,353 €6,541

-7.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$89.0 €79.1

-36.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$28.11 €25.00

15.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$77.1 €68.6

56.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$113 €100

-4.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$852 €757

19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$649 €577

10.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,331 €1,184

37.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,036 €922

28.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$3,423 €3,045

-30.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$2,310 €2,055

-33.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,901 €2,581

-43.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.94

178.43%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Jyvaskyla: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Jyvaskyla

$649 35.8% 9.5% $68

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Jyvaskyla

$351 19.4% 55.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Jyvaskyla

$187 10.3% 2% $3.6

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Jyvaskyla

$295 16.3% 67.7% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Jyvaskyla

$138 7.6% 3.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Jyvaskyla

$101 5.6% 34.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Jyvaskyla

$93 5.1% 37.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $852 in Jyvaskyla. 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 77% higher in Jyvaskyla, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $92.0 in Jyvaskyla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $351 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇮 Jyvaskyla

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

22:55 10:55 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

147,821

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Jyvaskyla 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Jyvaskyla

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 Jyvaskyla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jyvaskyla costs about 14% 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,719 in Jyvaskyla. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,812 in Jyvaskyla. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Jyvaskyla at $1,812. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jyvaskyla it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,812 in Jyvaskyla. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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