Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Oslo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,524 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
169

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,524 in Oslo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Oslo $3,524

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $5,087 in Oslo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Oslo $5,087

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $6,650 in Oslo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Oslo $6,650

Cape Town is about 57% cheaper than Oslo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Oslo sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Oslo by 161%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$21.37 NOK 199

-43.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$129 NOK 1,204

-66.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$15.92 NOK 148

-61.37%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$5.88 NOK 54.7

-59.69%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$4.45 NOK 41.43

-71.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$3.48 NOK 32.33

-72.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$11.61 NOK 108

-74.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$12.67 NOK 118

-70.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.52 NOK 23.48

-47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$4.14 NOK 38.47

-70.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$4.89 NOK 45.45

-55.01%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$6.27 NOK 58.3

-50.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$15.45 NOK 144

-43.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$16.34 NOK 152

-57.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$31.50 NOK 293

-70.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.34 NOK 31.10

-45.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.75 NOK 25.61

-29.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.55 NOK 32.99

-53.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$6.04 NOK 56.2

-64.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.73 NOK 25.36

-42.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.86 NOK 26.57

-48.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.99 NOK 27.79

-54.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$2.41 NOK 22.40

-52.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$19.16 NOK 178

-81.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$16.09 NOK 150

-62.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$3.48 NOK 32.41

-60.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$4.32 NOK 40.16

-49.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$5.04 NOK 46.84

-72.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$78.8 NOK 733

-22.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$12.43 NOK 116

-92.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.84 NOK 17.10

-51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$72.0 NOK 669

-93.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.41 NOK 22.42

-36.10%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$50.2K NOK 466.6K

-29.50%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$45.3K NOK 421.1K

-26.30%

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

$117 R 1,929

$430 NOK 4,004

-72.80%

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

$25.71 R 424

$34.90 NOK 325

-26.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$54.8 NOK 510

-28.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$58.2 NOK 541

-11.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$29.89 NOK 278

-62.03%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$19.63 NOK 183

-54.71%

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

$308 R 5,069

$246 NOK 2,293

24.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$17.6K NOK 164.1K

-53.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$103 NOK 957

-44.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$62.6 NOK 582

-49.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$134 NOK 1,249

-13.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$159 NOK 1,478

-36.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$2,117 NOK 19.7K

-50.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,651 NOK 15.4K

-59.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$3,238 NOK 30.1K

-42.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$2,501 NOK 23.3K

-43.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$12.0K NOK 111.5K

-79.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$7,601 NOK 70.7K

-79.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$4,955 NOK 46.1K

-67.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.94

120.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Oslo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Oslo

$1.7K 46.9% 147% $982

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Oslo

$524 14.9% 135% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Oslo

$520 14.8% 186% $338

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Oslo

$404 11.5% 132% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Oslo

$206 5.9% 50% $69

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Oslo

$121 3.4% 68% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Oslo

$97 2.8% 40.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $2,117 in Oslo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Oslo are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $129 in Oslo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $524 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Oslo

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,098,061 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 NOK = 10.75 USD

100 NOK = 9.58 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.3 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.44 NOK (100 NOK = 9.58 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Oslo 10,460 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Oslo

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 Oslo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oslo costs about 131% 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 $5,287 in Oslo. 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 $1,047 there versus $2,117 in Oslo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,524 in Oslo. That makes Cape Town about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 23% 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 $3,524 in Oslo. 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 $3,524 in Oslo. 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, Oslo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.