Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Karlstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,766 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. The total is higher in Karlstad despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,766 in Karlstad, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Karlstad $1,766

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,710 in Karlstad, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Karlstad $2,710

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,654 in Karlstad, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Karlstad $3,654

Cape Town is about 14% cheaper than Karlstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Karlstad sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Karlstad by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$15.34 SEK 150

-21.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$82.9 SEK 810

-48.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$10.06 SEK 98.3

-38.87%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$4.71 SEK 45.99

-49.68%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.58 SEK 25.18

-50.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$2.15 SEK 20.98

-56.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$8.33 SEK 81.5

-64.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$6.56 SEK 64.1

-43.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.54 SEK 15.02

-14.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$2.91 SEK 28.47

-58.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.63 SEK 35.49

-39.39%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$4.59 SEK 44.88

-32.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$10.37 SEK 101

-15.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$14.46 SEK 141

-52.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$18.51 SEK 181

-49.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$2.93 SEK 28.67

-37.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.57 SEK 25.14

-24.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$3.09 SEK 30.19

-46.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$5.49 SEK 53.7

-61.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.93 SEK 18.89

-18.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.50 SEK 14.61

-2.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.73 SEK 26.64

-50.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.35 SEK 13.18

-15.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$7.39 SEK 72.2

-51.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$10.04 SEK 98.1

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$2.50 SEK 24.48

-44.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.05 SEK 20.05

6.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$3.22 SEK 31.52

-56.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$80.6 SEK 788

-24.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$5.50 SEK 53.8

-83.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.30 SEK 12.68

-30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$63.3 SEK 619

-92.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.82 SEK 17.81

-15.38%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$33.7K SEK 328.9K

5.09%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$34.1K SEK 333.0K

-2.07%

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

$117 R 1,918

$102 SEK 998

14.61%

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

$25.71 R 421

$16.03 SEK 157

60.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$44.48 SEK 435

-11.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$46.36 SEK 453

11.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$16.60 SEK 162

-31.63%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$13.91 SEK 136

-36.09%

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

$308 R 5,040

$128 SEK 1,251

140.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$107 SEK 1,042

-46.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$41.24 SEK 403

-23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$75.1 SEK 734

54.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$143 SEK 1,401

-29.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$860 SEK 8,405

21.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$597 SEK 5,835

12.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,228 SEK 12.0K

51.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$872 SEK 8,523

61.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$3,863 SEK 37.7K

-37.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$2,875 SEK 28.1K

-45.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$2,847 SEK 27.8K

-42.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.86

182.12%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karlstad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Karlstad

$597 33.8% 10.8% $72

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Karlstad

$379 21.5% 69.7% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Karlstad

$163 9.2% 10.7% $20

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Karlstad

$283 16% 62.7% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Karlstad

$165 9.3% 19.8% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Karlstad

$105 6% 47% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Karlstad

$74 4.2% 6.9% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $860 in Karlstad. 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 75% higher in Karlstad. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $83 in Karlstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $379 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

19:24 7:24 PM

18:24 6:24 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

62,797

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

100 SEK = 10.23 USD

100 SEK = 9.11 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.77 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 SEK (100 SEK = 9.11 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Karlstad 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlstad costs about 16% 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 $2,649 in Karlstad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlstad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $860 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,766 in Karlstad. That makes Cape Town about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 25% 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 $1,766 in Karlstad. 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 $1,766 in Karlstad. 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, Karlstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.