Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Tromso

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,238 in Tromso, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
157

Cost of Living Index in Tromso
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Tromso Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Tromso

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,238 in Tromso, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Tromso $3,238

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $4,860 in Tromso, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Tromso $4,860

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $6,481 in Tromso, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Tromso $6,481

Cape Town is about 53% cheaper than Tromso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Tromso sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Tromso by 140%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$34.47 NOK 320

-65.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$108 NOK 1,004

-60.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$16.42 NOK 152

-62.55%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$6.74 NOK 62.6

-64.84%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$4.91 NOK 45.54

-74.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$3.86 NOK 35.79

-75.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$13.05 NOK 121

-77.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$13.79 NOK 128

-73.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$2.62 NOK 24.36

-49.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$3.41 NOK 31.69

-64.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.93 NOK 36.50

-44.02%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$5.29 NOK 49.12

-41.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$12.31 NOK 114

-29.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$14.93 NOK 139

-53.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$41.93 NOK 389

-77.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$4.12 NOK 38.20

-55.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$3.15 NOK 29.28

-38.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$5.21 NOK 48.35

-68.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$6.40 NOK 59.4

-66.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$3.59 NOK 33.32

-55.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$4.96 NOK 46.05

-70.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.96 NOK 27.47

-54.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$2.12 NOK 19.71

-46.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$16.29 NOK 151

-78.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$17.70 NOK 164

-65.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$3.86 NOK 35.87

-63.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$4.87 NOK 45.16

-55.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$5.17 NOK 47.96

-72.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$66.7 NOK 619

-8.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$6.56 NOK 60.9

-85.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$1.31 NOK 12.16

-31.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$55.1 NOK 511

-91.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.46 NOK 22.86

-37.40%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$48.6K NOK 451.3K

-27.27%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$45.4K NOK 421.4K

-26.51%

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

$117 R 1,918

$262 NOK 2,428

-55.25%

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

$25.71 R 421

$51.8 NOK 480

-50.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$84.3 NOK 782

-53.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$49.13 NOK 456

5.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$47.52 NOK 441

-76.12%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$17.69 NOK 164

-49.75%

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

$308 R 5,040

$320 NOK 2,967

-3.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$3,102 NOK 28.8K

162.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$67.1 NOK 622

-14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$35.64 NOK 331

-10.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$152 NOK 1,412

-23.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$165 NOK 1,529

-38.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$1,759 NOK 16.3K

-40.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,384 NOK 12.8K

-51.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$3,216 NOK 29.8K

-42.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$2,279 NOK 21.1K

-38.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$8,196 NOK 76.1K

-70.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$5,546 NOK 51.5K

-71.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$4,396 NOK 40.8K

-62.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

5.01

117.37%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tromso: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Tromso

$1.4K 42.7% 107% $715

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Tromso

$549 17% 146% $326

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Tromso

$398 12.3% 118% $215

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Tromso

$534 16.5% 207% $360

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Tromso

$189 5.8% 37.2% $51

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Tromso

$100 3.1% 40% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Tromso

$85 2.6% 21.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,759 in Tromso. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tromso are about 2.7 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 Tromso. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $549 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇴 Tromso

🕒 Local time

02:50 2:50 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

78,908

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.6 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 = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.28 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.42 NOK (100 NOK = 9.6 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Tromso 11,520 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Tromso

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 Tromso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tromso costs about 112% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $4,858 in Tromso. 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 $1,759 in Tromso.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,238 in Tromso. That makes Cape Town about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 9% 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 $3,238 in Tromso. 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 $3,238 in Tromso. 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, Tromso makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.