Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ostersund

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,761 in Ostersund, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Ostersund 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 Ostersund
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Ostersund Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Ostersund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,761 in Ostersund, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Ostersund $1,761

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,732 in Ostersund, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Ostersund $2,732

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,703 in Ostersund, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Ostersund $3,703

Cape Town is about 13% cheaper than Ostersund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Ostersund sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Ostersund by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$14.51 SEK 142

-17.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$68.6 SEK 673

-37.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.03 SEK 88.6

-31.89%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.35 SEK 42.71

-45.52%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.57 SEK 25.21

-50.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.03 SEK 19.89

-53.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$7.80 SEK 76.6

-62.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$7.36 SEK 72.3

-49.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.44 SEK 14.13

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.03 SEK 29.74

-60.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$4.78 SEK 46.89

-53.97%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.34 SEK 32.72

-7.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$13.80 SEK 135

-36.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$11.78 SEK 116

-41.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$15.72 SEK 154

-41.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$4.30 SEK 42.22

-57.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.92 SEK 28.66

-33.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.53 SEK 34.64

-52.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.21 SEK 41.28

-49.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.61 SEK 15.78

-1.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.61 SEK 15.84

-8.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.33 SEK 22.86

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.56 SEK 15.31

-26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$7.70 SEK 75.6

-53.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$10.05 SEK 98.6

-39.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.15 SEK 21.08

-35.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.27 SEK 22.32

-3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.26 SEK 32.01

-57.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$76.3 SEK 748

-20.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$6.12 SEK 60.1

-84.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.69 SEK 16.57

-46.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$60.8 SEK 596

-91.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.78 SEK 17.47

-13.48%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$30.7K SEK 301.0K

15.28%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$36.5K SEK 358.0K

-8.55%

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

$117 R 1,929

$118 SEK 1,154

-0.48%

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

$25.71 R 424

$23.84 SEK 234

7.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$39.29 SEK 385

0.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$37.62 SEK 369

37.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$26.52 SEK 260

-57.20%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$15.13 SEK 148

-41.24%

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

$308 R 5,069

$127 SEK 1,243

142.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$5,587 SEK 54.8K

45.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$93.2 SEK 915

-38.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$42.48 SEK 417

-25.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$79.4 SEK 779

46.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$142 SEK 1,395

-29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$812 SEK 7,971

28.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$610 SEK 5,987

9.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,394 SEK 13.7K

33.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,038 SEK 10.2K

35.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$3,784 SEK 37.1K

-36.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,495 SEK 24.5K

-37.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.38

222.19%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ostersund: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Ostersund

$610 34.6% 8.8% $59

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Ostersund

$370 21% 65.9% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Ostersund

$181 10.3% 0.8% $1.4

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Ostersund

$268 15.2% 53.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Ostersund

$161 9.1% 16.8% $23

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Ostersund

$104 5.9% 44.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Ostersund

$68 3.9% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $812 in Ostersund. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $69 in Ostersund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $370 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Ostersund

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

44,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 11.02 SEK (100 SEK = 9.08 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Ostersund 10,800 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ostersund

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 Ostersund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ostersund costs about 15% 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 $2,642 in Ostersund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ostersund, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,761 in Ostersund. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 20% 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 $1,761 in Ostersund. 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 $1,761 in Ostersund. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.