Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Lulea

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,878 in Lulea, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. The total is higher in Lulea despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Lulea
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Lulea Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Lulea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,878

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,878 in Lulea, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Lulea $1,878

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,056 in Lulea, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Lulea $3,056

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,235 in Lulea, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Lulea $4,235

Cape Town is about 19% cheaper than Lulea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Lulea sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Lulea by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$12.22 SEK 120

-1.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$110 SEK 1,081

-61.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.62 SEK 114

-47.07%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.57 SEK 44.84

-48.14%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$3.01 SEK 29.57

-57.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.53 SEK 24.87

-62.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$9.77 SEK 95.8

-69.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$9.75 SEK 95.6

-62.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.90 SEK 18.63

-30.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.61 SEK 35.44

-66.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$4.84 SEK 47.50

-54.55%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.68 SEK 45.89

-33.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$13.13 SEK 129

-33.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$13.54 SEK 133

-49.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$24.34 SEK 239

-61.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.05 SEK 29.97

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.74 SEK 26.86

-28.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.50 SEK 24.55

-33.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.26 SEK 41.82

-49.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.17 SEK 21.29

-27.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.53 SEK 14.97

-3.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$3.45 SEK 33.84

-60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.30 SEK 12.79

-12.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$7.08 SEK 69.5

-49.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$12.07 SEK 118

-49.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.72 SEK 16.91

-19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.83 SEK 17.93

19.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.34 SEK 32.78

-58.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$56.9 SEK 558

6.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$9.08 SEK 89.1

-89.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.11 SEK 20.71

-57.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$70.9 SEK 695

-93.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.82 SEK 17.87

-15.38%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$32.2K SEK 316.1K

9.77%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$34.1K SEK 334.6K

-2.14%

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

$117 R 1,929

$169 SEK 1,657

-30.68%

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

$25.71 R 424

$31.98 SEK 314

-19.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$26.77 SEK 263

47.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$47.75 SEK 468

8.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$35.39 SEK 347

-67.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$13.54 SEK 133

-34.34%

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

$308 R 5,069

$157 SEK 1,541

95.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$5,658 SEK 55.5K

43.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$124 SEK 1,212

-53.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$33.38 SEK 328

-4.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$124 SEK 1,219

-6.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$162 SEK 1,593

-37.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$778 SEK 7,631

34.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$596 SEK 5,851

12.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,479 SEK 14.5K

25.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,113 SEK 10.9K

26.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$3,139 SEK 30.8K

-23.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,235 SEK 21.9K

-29.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$2,570 SEK 25.2K

-36.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.85

182.86%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lulea: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Lulea

$596 31.8% 10.9% $73

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Lulea

$412 21.9% 84.4% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Lulea

$228 12.1% 24.9% $45

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Lulea

$278 14.8% 59.7% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Lulea

$200 10.6% 45% $62

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Lulea

$90 4.8% 25.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Lulea

$75 4% 7.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $778 in Lulea. 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 Lulea. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $110 in Lulea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $412 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Lulea

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

04:27 4:27 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

73,864

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.08 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 = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 11.01 SEK (100 SEK = 9.08 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Lulea 11,070 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Lulea

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 Lulea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lulea costs about 23% 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 $2,817 in Lulea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lulea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $778 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,878 in Lulea. That makes Cape Town about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Lulea. 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 $1,878 in Lulea. 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 $1,878 in Lulea. 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, Lulea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.