Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Linkoping

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,915 in Linkoping, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Linkoping
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Linkoping Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Linkoping

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,915 in Linkoping, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Linkoping $1,915

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,958 in Linkoping, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Linkoping $2,958

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,001 in Linkoping, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Linkoping $4,001

Cape Town is about 20% cheaper than Linkoping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Linkoping sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Linkoping by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$13.98 SEK 137

-14.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$67.6 SEK 660

-36.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$10.16 SEK 99.3

-39.47%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$4.56 SEK 44.53

-48.03%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.61 SEK 25.54

-51.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$2.26 SEK 22.05

-58.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$7.26 SEK 71.0

-59.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$6.97 SEK 68.1

-47.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.64 SEK 16.05

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$2.78 SEK 27.20

-56.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.25 SEK 31.79

-32.31%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$4.04 SEK 39.50

-23.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$11.61 SEK 113

-24.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$11.41 SEK 112

-39.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$17.46 SEK 171

-46.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.08 SEK 30.07

-40.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.44 SEK 23.84

-20.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.98 SEK 19.34

-16.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$4.58 SEK 44.80

-53.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.50 SEK 14.70

5.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.71 SEK 16.69

-14.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.01 SEK 19.66

-32.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.68 SEK 16.46

-32.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$7.41 SEK 72.4

-51.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$10.17 SEK 99.4

-40.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$2.03 SEK 19.85

-31.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.21 SEK 21.55

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$3.47 SEK 33.89

-59.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$78.1 SEK 763

-22.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$6.41 SEK 62.6

-85.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.77 SEK 17.29

-49.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$59.2 SEK 579

-91.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.77 SEK 17.26

-12.99%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$33.8K SEK 330.7K

4.51%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$33.2K SEK 324.6K

0.46%

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

$117 R 1,918

$105 SEK 1,030

11.09%

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

$25.71 R 421

$19.64 SEK 192

30.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$34.39 SEK 336

14.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$46.10 SEK 450

11.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$34.32 SEK 335

-66.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$17.71 SEK 173

-49.80%

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

$308 R 5,040

$212 SEK 2,077

44.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$89.1 SEK 871

-35.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$33.64 SEK 329

-5.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$91.4 SEK 893

26.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$134 SEK 1,308

-24.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$826 SEK 8,071

26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$794 SEK 7,763

-15.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,453 SEK 14.2K

28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,380 SEK 13.5K

1.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$4,151 SEK 40.6K

-41.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$2,839 SEK 27.7K

-44.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$2,705 SEK 26.4K

-39.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

2.8

288.93%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Linkoping: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Linkoping

$794 41.5% 18.7% $125

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Linkoping

$350 18.3% 56.6% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Linkoping

$159 8.3% 12.5% $23

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Linkoping

$267 13.9% 53.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Linkoping

$157 8.2% 13.8% $19

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Linkoping

$107 5.6% 49.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Linkoping

$82 4.3% 17.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $826 in Linkoping. 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 66% higher in Linkoping. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $68 in Linkoping. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $350 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Linkoping

🕒 Local time

23:30 11:30 PM

22:30 10:30 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

115,682

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

100 SEK = 10.23 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 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 = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.77 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.97 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Linkoping 10,270 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Linkoping

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 Linkoping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linkoping costs about 25% 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 $2,873 in Linkoping. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Linkoping, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $826 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,915 in Linkoping. That makes Cape Town about 20% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% 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 $1,915 in Linkoping. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,915 in Linkoping. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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