Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Solna

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,777 in Solna, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Solna despite lower rent and utilities.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Solna
Learn more

Solna Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Solna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,777 in Solna, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Solna $1,777

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,778 in Solna, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Solna $2,778

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,780 in Solna, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Solna $3,780

Cape Town is about 14% cheaper than Solna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Solna sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Solna by 31%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$14.40 SEK 141

-16.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$69.6 SEK 680

-38.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.14 SEK 109

-44.79%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$5.06 SEK 49.49

-53.16%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$2.30 SEK 22.43

-44.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.44 SEK 14.11

-34.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$7.53 SEK 73.6

-60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$7.70 SEK 75.3

-52.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.41 SEK 13.81

-6.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$2.48 SEK 24.23

-51.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.63 SEK 35.51

-39.39%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$4.19 SEK 40.99

-26.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$9.45 SEK 92.4

-7.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$13.19 SEK 129

-47.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$22.66 SEK 221

-59.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.13 SEK 30.55

-41.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.09 SEK 20.45

-6.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.58 SEK 25.26

-35.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$3.05 SEK 29.82

-29.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.50 SEK 14.68

5.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.85 SEK 18.06

-20.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.20 SEK 21.48

-38.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.00 SEK 9.74

14.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$7.54 SEK 73.7

-52.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$13.81 SEK 135

-56.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.41 SEK 13.81

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.27 SEK 22.14

-3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$4.32 SEK 42.22

-67.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$100 SEK 982

-39.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$3.66 SEK 35.73

-74.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$2.48 SEK 24.21

-63.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$83.0 SEK 811

-94.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.84 SEK 17.95

-16.30%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$33.5K SEK 327.3K

5.59%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$33.4K SEK 326.1K

-0.01%

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

$117 R 1,918

$107 SEK 1,047

9.26%

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

$25.71 R 421

$22.57 SEK 221

13.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$40.41 SEK 395

-2.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$36.55 SEK 357

41.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$29.88 SEK 292

-62.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$15.01 SEK 147

-40.77%

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

$308 R 5,040

$155 SEK 1,516

98.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$5,017 SEK 49.0K

62.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$106 SEK 1,037

-45.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$40.85 SEK 399

-22.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$89.1 SEK 870

30.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$140 SEK 1,366

-27.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$811 SEK 7,924

29.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$606 SEK 5,921

10.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,541 SEK 15.1K

20.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,047 SEK 10.2K

34.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$6,926 SEK 67.7K

-65.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$2,902 SEK 28.4K

-45.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$3,677 SEK 35.9K

-55.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.53

208.50%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Solna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Solna

$606 34.1% 9.5% $63

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Solna

$354 19.9% 58.8% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Solna

$170 9.6% 6.6% $12

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Solna

$277 15.6% 59.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Solna

$169 9.5% 22.9% $32

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Solna

$134 7.5% 86.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Solna

$67 3.8% 4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $811 in Solna. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Solna are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $70 in Solna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $354 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Solna

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

01:18 1:18 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

85,540

💱 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 6, 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 6, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Solna 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Solna

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 Solna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Solna costs about 16% 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 $2,666 in Solna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Solna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $811 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,777 in Solna. That makes Cape Town about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 40% 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 $1,777 in Solna. 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 $1,777 in Solna. 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, Solna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.