Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,378 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Skien
Learn more

Skien Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,378 in Skien, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Skien $2,378

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,353 in Skien, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Skien $3,353

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,329 in Skien, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Skien $4,329

Cape Town is about 36% cheaper than Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Skien sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Skien by 76%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$21.79 NOK 203

-44.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$108 NOK 1,006

-60.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$16.41 NOK 153

-62.52%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$5.22 NOK 48.57

-54.60%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$4.43 NOK 41.20

-71.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$3.17 NOK 29.51

-70.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$11.72 NOK 109

-74.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$12.78 NOK 119

-71.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.06 NOK 19.19

-35.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$4.05 NOK 37.70

-70.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$4.47 NOK 41.54

-50.78%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$5.76 NOK 53.6

-46.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$13.21 NOK 123

-33.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$16.25 NOK 151

-57.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$22.96 NOK 214

-59.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.47 NOK 32.25

-47.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.69 NOK 25.01

-27.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.53 NOK 32.79

-52.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$5.86 NOK 54.5

-63.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.34 NOK 21.76

-32.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.94 NOK 27.35

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.96 NOK 27.58

-54.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$2.43 NOK 22.61

-53.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$19.40 NOK 180

-81.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$15.89 NOK 148

-61.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$3.52 NOK 32.79

-60.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$4.41 NOK 40.98

-50.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.31 NOK 30.79

-57.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$47.55 NOK 442

27.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$11.48 NOK 107

-91.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.92 NOK 17.90

-53.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$70.5 NOK 656

-92.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.29 NOK 21.28

-32.75%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$50.1K NOK 466.4K

-29.47%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$43.8K NOK 407.1K

-23.75%

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

$117 R 1,929

$99.8 NOK 928

17.36%

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

$55.0 NOK 512

-28.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$45.11 NOK 420

14.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$15.83 NOK 147

-43.84%

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

$308 R 5,069

$238 NOK 2,212

29.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$17.6K NOK 163.6K

-53.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$63.3 NOK 588

-9.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$62.1 NOK 577

-48.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$91.8 NOK 854

26.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$159 NOK 1,477

-36.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,098 NOK 10.2K

-4.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$979 NOK 9,104

-31.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,078 NOK 10.0K

72.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$970 NOK 9,022

45.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$3,540 NOK 32.9K

-31.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,175 NOK 29.5K

-50.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$4,282 NOK 39.8K

-61.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.37

149.20%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Skien: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Skien

$979 41.2% 46.3% $310

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Skien

$481 20.2% 115% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Skien

$190 8% 4.1% $7.5

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Skien

$401 16.9% 130% $227

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Skien

$169 7.1% 22.9% $32

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Skien

$82 3.4% 14.1% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Skien

$77 3.2% 10.6% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,098 in Skien. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $108 in Skien. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $481 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

03:26 3:26 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

56,769

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Skien 10,400 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Skien costs about 56% 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 $3,567 in Skien. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,047 in Cape Town and $1,098 in Skien. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,378 in Skien. That makes Cape Town about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Skien. 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 $2,378 in Skien. 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 $1,527 in Cape Town to $2,378 in Skien. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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