Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Taby

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,141 in Taby, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
103

Cost of Living Index in Taby
Learn more

Taby Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Taby

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,141 in Taby, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Taby $2,141

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,090 in Taby, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Taby $3,090

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,040 in Taby, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Taby $4,040

Cape Town is about 29% cheaper than Taby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Taby sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Taby by 58%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$14.18 SEK 139

-15.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$65.3 SEK 638

-34.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$10.37 SEK 101

-40.69%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$4.30 SEK 42.04

-44.88%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$3.49 SEK 34.10

-63.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$2.43 SEK 23.72

-61.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$7.07 SEK 69.1

-58.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$8.47 SEK 82.8

-56.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.78 SEK 17.42

-25.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$3.11 SEK 30.40

-61.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$4.08 SEK 39.87

-46.08%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$5.13 SEK 50.1

-39.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$12.51 SEK 122

-30.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$13.33 SEK 130

-48.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$17.62 SEK 172

-47.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.29 SEK 32.15

-44.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.77 SEK 27.03

-29.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.03 SEK 19.79

-18.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$4.46 SEK 43.62

-52.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.71 SEK 16.72

-7.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.82 SEK 17.78

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.28 SEK 22.32

-40.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.94 SEK 18.99

-41.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$7.28 SEK 71.1

-50.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$12.58 SEK 123

-51.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.99 SEK 19.46

-30.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.36 SEK 23.05

-7.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$4.38 SEK 42.82

-68.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$103 SEK 1,002

-40.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$6.06 SEK 59.3

-84.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.56 SEK 15.28

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$57.3 SEK 560

-91.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.84 SEK 17.99

-16.30%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$33.6K SEK 328.5K

5.21%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$33.9K SEK 331.6K

-1.65%

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

$117 R 1,918

$181 SEK 1,766

-35.22%

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

$25.71 R 421

$27.60 SEK 270

-6.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$41.21 SEK 403

-4.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$17.34 SEK 170

-48.73%

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

$308 R 5,040

$153 SEK 1,500

100.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$101 SEK 990

-43.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$53.8 SEK 526

-40.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$100 SEK 982

15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$182 SEK 1,783

-44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$1,012 SEK 9,889

3.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$866 SEK 8,463

-22.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,403 SEK 13.7K

32.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,221 SEK 11.9K

15.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$6,040 SEK 59.0K

-60.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$7,057 SEK 69.0K

-77.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$3,338 SEK 32.6K

-51.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

2.8

288.93%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Taby: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Taby

$866 40.5% 29.4% $197

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Taby

$387 18.1% 73.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Taby

$250 11.7% 37% $67

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Taby

$272 12.7% 56.4% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Taby

$197 9.2% 43.2% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Taby

$134 6.3% 86.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Taby

$35 * 1.6% 50% $35

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,012 in Taby. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Taby are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $65 in Taby. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $387 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Taby

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

06:52 6:52 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

58,123

💱 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 Taby 10,390 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Taby

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 Taby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taby costs about 40% 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 $3,211 in Taby. 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 $1,012 in Taby. 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 $2,141 in Taby. That makes Cape Town about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 41% 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 $2,141 in Taby. 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 $2,141 in Taby. 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, Taby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.