Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Karlskrona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,663 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Karlskrona despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
Learn more

Karlskrona Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,663 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Karlskrona $1,663

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,591 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Karlskrona $2,591

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,518 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Karlskrona $3,518

Cape Town is about 8% cheaper than Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Karlskrona sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Karlskrona by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$13.12 SEK 129

-8.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$66.0 SEK 651

-34.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$9.00 SEK 88.8

-31.67%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$3.97 SEK 39.19

-40.30%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.35 SEK 13.34

-5.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$2.24 SEK 22.14

-58.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$7.04 SEK 69.4

-57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$5.00 SEK 49.33

-26.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.48 SEK 14.60

-10.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.70 SEK 26.66

-55.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$3.79 SEK 37.41

-41.95%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$4.44 SEK 43.84

-30.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.98 SEK 108

-20.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$13.29 SEK 131

-48.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$17.72 SEK 175

-47.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$3.09 SEK 30.53

-40.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.37 SEK 23.35

-17.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$2.96 SEK 29.20

-43.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$4.51 SEK 44.54

-52.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.51 SEK 14.90

4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.51 SEK 14.91

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$2.14 SEK 21.11

-36.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.45 SEK 14.36

-21.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$7.09 SEK 69.9

-49.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$12.52 SEK 124

-51.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.96 SEK 19.31

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.66 SEK 16.36

31.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$3.04 SEK 30.03

-53.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$72.4 SEK 714

-16.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$13.48 SEK 133

-93.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$2.10 SEK 20.68

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$81.7 SEK 806

-93.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.78 SEK 17.54

-13.48%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$34.2K SEK 337.3K

3.48%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$33.3K SEK 328.4K

0.30%

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

$117 R 1,935

$52.0 SEK 513

125.18%

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

$25.71 R 425

$27.85 SEK 275

-7.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$37.15 SEK 367

6.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$43.34 SEK 428

19.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$16.63 SEK 164

-46.54%

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

$308 R 5,085

$159 SEK 1,568

93.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$99.6 SEK 983

-42.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$20.22 SEK 200

57.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$82.8 SEK 817

40.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$177 SEK 1,743

-42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$671 SEK 6,624

55.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$589 SEK 5,809

13.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$1,119 SEK 11.0K

66.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$974 SEK 9,610

44.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$2,942 SEK 29.0K

-18.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,528 SEK 25.0K

-37.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,576 SEK 25.4K

-36.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.22

158.06%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Karlskrona

$589 35.4% 12% $81

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Karlskrona

$363 21.8% 62.6% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Karlskrona

$117 7% 35.8% $65

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Karlskrona

$239 14.4% 37.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Karlskrona

$171 10.3% 24% $33

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Karlskrona

$108 6.5% 51.2% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Karlskrona

$77 4.6% 10.4% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $671 in Karlskrona. 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 58% higher in Karlskrona. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $66 in Karlskrona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $363 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

35,212

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 SEK = 10.13 USD

100 SEK = 9.07 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.87 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.03 SEK (100 SEK = 9.07 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Karlskrona 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlskrona costs about 9% 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 $2,495 in Karlskrona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlskrona, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $671 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,663 in Karlskrona. That makes Cape Town about 8% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 16% 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 $1,663 in Karlskrona. 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 $1,663 in Karlskrona. 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, Karlskrona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.