Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Karmøy

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $2,641 in Karmøy, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
132

Cost of Living Index in Karmøy
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Karmøy Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Karmøy

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $2,641 in Karmøy, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Karmøy $2,641

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $4,032 in Karmøy, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Karmøy $4,032

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $5,423 in Karmøy, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Karmøy $5,423

Cape Town is about 41% cheaper than Karmøy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Karmøy sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Karmøy by 94%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$21.23 NOK 197

-43.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$122 NOK 1,135

-63.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$16.23 NOK 151

-62.11%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$6.16 NOK 57.3

-61.69%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$3.80 NOK 35.34

-66.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$2.91 NOK 27.02

-65.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$11.67 NOK 108

-73.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$11.22 NOK 104

-67.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$2.32 NOK 21.55

-42.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$3.87 NOK 35.94

-69.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$3.37 NOK 31.29

-37.69%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$4.39 NOK 40.75

-30.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$12.31 NOK 114

-29.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$15.45 NOK 144

-54.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$29.85 NOK 277

-68.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$3.29 NOK 30.53

-42.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$2.37 NOK 22.03

-20.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$3.05 NOK 28.29

-44.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$4.55 NOK 42.32

-55.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$2.51 NOK 23.35

-37.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$3.00 NOK 27.91

-50.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$3.44 NOK 31.92

-62.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$2.49 NOK 23.13

-52.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$20.07 NOK 186

-81.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$17.00 NOK 158

-63.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$3.89 NOK 36.11

-64.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$4.95 NOK 45.99

-55.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$4.66 NOK 43.32

-70.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$84.3 NOK 783

-27.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$13.42 NOK 125

-95.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$1.84 NOK 17.09

-19.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$63.7 NOK 592

-92.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$2.52 NOK 23.41

-37.30%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$50.9K NOK 472.5K

-31.75%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$41.1K NOK 381.6K

-16.98%

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

$117 R 1,948

$243 NOK 2,259

-51.92%

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

$28.35 R 472

$30.54 NOK 284

-7.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$46.76 NOK 434

-13.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$49.24 NOK 457

-1.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$41.02 NOK 381

-73.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$16.70 NOK 155

-45.45%

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

$302 R 5,032

$259 NOK 2,405

16.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$12.2K NOK 113.3K

-44.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$96.0 NOK 892

-42.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$49.63 NOK 461

-34.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$111 NOK 1,031

6.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$154 NOK 1,429

-32.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$1,262 NOK 11.7K

-17.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$1,044 NOK 9,703

-33.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$2,068 NOK 19.2K

-4.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$1,688 NOK 15.7K

-17.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$6,242 NOK 58.0K

-61.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$4,136 NOK 38.4K

-62.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$4,114 NOK 38.2K

-61.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.94

122.06%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Karmøy: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Karmøy

$1K 39.6% 51.2% $353

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Karmøy

$483 18.3% 116% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Karmøy

$321 12.1% 72.5% $135

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Karmøy

$400 15.2% 128% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Karmøy

$185 7% 32.5% $45

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Karmøy

$126 4.8% 68% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Karmøy

$83 3.1% 23.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $1,262 in Karmøy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karmøy are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $122 in Karmøy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $483 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Karmøy

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

17:38 5:38 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

43,404

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 NOK = 10.76 USD

100 NOK = 9.67 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.29 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.34 NOK (100 NOK = 9.67 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Karmøy 10,430 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Karmøy

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 Karmøy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karmøy costs about 70% 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $3,961 in Karmøy. 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 $1,041 there versus $1,262 in Karmøy.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $2,641 in Karmøy. That’s a gap of about 70%.

Public transport costs about 27% 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 $1,556 in Cape Town and $2,641 in Karmøy. 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 $1,556 in Cape Town to $2,641 in Karmøy. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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