Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Vasteras

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,875 in Vasteras, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Vasteras
Learn more

Vasteras Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Vasteras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,875

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,875 in Vasteras, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Vasteras $1,875

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,843 in Vasteras, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Vasteras $2,843

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,810 in Vasteras, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Vasteras $3,810

Cape Town is about 19% cheaper than Vasteras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Vasteras sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Vasteras by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$14.32 SEK 141

-16.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$65.9 SEK 646

-34.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$10.32 SEK 101

-40.41%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.40 SEK 43.21

-46.14%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.39 SEK 23.43

-46.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.26 SEK 22.21

-58.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$7.25 SEK 71.1

-59.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$7.11 SEK 69.8

-48.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.47 SEK 14.43

-10.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.06 SEK 29.99

-60.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.79 SEK 37.22

-41.95%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.04 SEK 39.62

-23.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$12.34 SEK 121

-29.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.83 SEK 126

-46.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$22.40 SEK 220

-58.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.29 SEK 32.32

-44.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.59 SEK 25.38

-24.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.67 SEK 36.04

-54.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.51 SEK 44.22

-52.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.52 SEK 14.90

3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.82 SEK 17.83

-19.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.17 SEK 21.32

-37.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.53 SEK 14.99

-25.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$7.70 SEK 75.5

-53.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$13.92 SEK 137

-56.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.40 SEK 13.77

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.14 SEK 20.96

1.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.39 SEK 33.28

-58.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$73.0 SEK 716

-16.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.54 SEK 34.76

-73.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.61 SEK 25.58

-65.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$82.7 SEK 811

-94.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.76 SEK 17.24

-12.50%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$33.5K SEK 328.9K

5.51%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$33.1K SEK 324.7K

0.84%

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

$117 R 1,929

$188 SEK 1,843

-37.67%

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

$25.71 R 424

$22.56 SEK 221

13.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$44.02 SEK 432

-10.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$34.89 SEK 342

47.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$20.40 SEK 200

-44.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$16.89 SEK 166

-47.37%

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

$308 R 5,069

$151 SEK 1,478

104.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$107 SEK 1,051

-46.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$40.98 SEK 402

-22.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$90.4 SEK 886

28.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$141 SEK 1,383

-28.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$757 SEK 7,423

38.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$623 SEK 6,108

7.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,367 SEK 13.4K

36.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,020 SEK 10.0K

38.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$3,738 SEK 36.7K

-35.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$2,511 SEK 24.6K

-37.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$3,041 SEK 29.8K

-46.41%

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 Vasteras: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Vasteras

$623 33.2% 7% $47

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Vasteras

$389 20.7% 74.1% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Vasteras

$254 13.6% 39.6% $72

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Vasteras

$267 14.3% 53.7% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Vasteras

$171 9.1% 24.1% $33

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Vasteras

$103 5.5% 43.7% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Vasteras

$69 3.7% 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $757 in Vasteras. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 87% higher in Vasteras. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $66 in Vasteras. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $389 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇪 Vasteras

🕒 Local time

02:27 2:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

110,877

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 11.01 SEK (100 SEK = 9.08 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Vasteras 10,400 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Vasteras

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 Vasteras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vasteras costs about 23% 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 $2,813 in Vasteras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vasteras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $757 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,875 in Vasteras. That makes Cape Town about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 17% 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 $1,875 in Vasteras. 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 $1,875 in Vasteras. 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, Vasteras makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.