Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Finland and Cape Town
For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,950 in Finland, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.
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Finland Living Index94Cost of Living Index in FinlandLearn more -
Cape Town Living Index76Cost of Living Index in Cape TownLearn more
😐 Solo nomad: Finland is 44.2% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 24.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Finland is 54.6% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 23.2% more expensive with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.64 €14.85
$11.78 R 194
41.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$89.9 €80.2
$46.55 R 768
93.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.54 €11.19
$5.96 R 98.4
110.40%
Cappuccino
$5.02 €4.48
$2.47 R 40.80
103.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 €2.69
$1.33 R 21.91
126.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 €2.07
$1.03 R 16.99
125.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.21 €7.33
$3.01 R 49.72
172.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$9.08 €8.10
$3.66 R 60.4
148.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.34 €1.20
$1.39 R 22.96
-3.60%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 €2.41
$1.19 R 19.60
126.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.60 €2.32
$2.11 R 34.84
23.22%
Eggs
$3.51 €3.13
$3.01 R 49.58
16.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.99 €8.02
$8.96 R 148
0.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.68 €12.21
$6.65 R 110
105.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.67 €20.23
$9.29 R 153
144.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.60 €2.32
$1.83 R 30.13
42.08%
Banana (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.90 R 31.31
14.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 €2.19
$1.75 R 28.83
40.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 €3.79
$2.09 R 34.41
102.87%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 €1.16
$1.55 R 25.64
-16.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.70 €1.52
$1.49 R 24.53
14.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.14 €1.91
$1.30 R 21.41
64.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.91 €1.71
$1.16 R 19.19
64.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$12.99 €11.59
$3.71 R 61.2
250.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.31 €12.77
$6.06 R 100
136.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.46 €3.08
$1.39 R 22.85
148.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.47 €3.10
$2.20 R 36.32
57.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.49 €3.12
$1.51 R 24.98
131.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$70.9 €63.3
$61.0 R 1,006
16.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.08 €8.10
$0.63 R 10.33
1341.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.33 €1.19
$1.53 R 25.29
-13.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$67.2 €60.0
$4.81 R 79.4
1296.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.31 €2.06
$1.58 R 26.08
46.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.0K €33.0K
$35.5K R 585.7K
4.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K €33.6K
$31.7K R 523.8K
18.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 €129
$116 R 1,920
24.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.07 €25.05
$28.37 R 468
-1.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$25.45 €22.72
$40.69 R 671
-37.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.85 €40.03
$48.85 R 806
-8.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.57 €26.38
$11.13 R 184
165.68%
Cinema Ticket
$18.07 €16.12
$8.83 R 146
104.64%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$383 €342
$261 R 4,314
46.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.9K €11.5K
$6,702 R 110.6K
93.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.2 €88.5
$55.4 R 914
78.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.52 €37.05
$32.27 R 532
28.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 €89.4
$118 R 1,939
-14.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 €131
$107 R 1,766
37.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$860 €768
$1,015 R 16.7K
-15.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$700 €625
$715 R 11.8K
-2.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,556 €1,389
$1,801 R 29.7K
-13.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,212 €1,081
$1,330 R 22.0K
-8.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,973 €4,438
$2,331 R 38.5K
113.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,956 €2,638
$1,513 R 25.0K
95.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Finland
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,028 €2,703
$1,636 R 27.0K
85.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.88
10.97
-64.63%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Finland: October 5, 2026
Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Finland $700 36%
Cape Town $715 45.3% 2.2% $15
Groceries & Markets
Finland $377 19.4%
Cape Town $222 14.1% 41% $155
Eating Out
Finland $312 16%
Cape Town $174 11% 44.3% $138
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Finland $198 10.2%
Cape Town $185 11.7% 6.4% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Finland $175 9%
Cape Town $141 8.9% 19.6% $34
Getting Around
Finland $101 5.2%
Cape Town $75 4.8% 25.2% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Finland $81 4.2%
Cape Town $67 4.2% 17.9% $14
Accommodation & Living
Finland $1.2K 29.2%
Cape Town $1.3K 40.8% 9.8% $119
Groceries & Markets
Finland $862 20.7%
Cape Town $516 15.9% 40.1% $345
Eating Out
Finland $1.1K 25.7%
Cape Town $587 18% 45% $479
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Finland $226 5.4%
Cape Town $214 6.6% 5.4% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Finland $388 9.4%
Cape Town $312 9.6% 19.6% $76
Getting Around
Finland $208 5%
Cape Town $154 4.7% 26.2% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Finland $192 4.6%
Cape Town $144 4.4% 24.7% $47
Good to know
🇫🇮 Finland
🇿🇦 Cape Town
Weather
Population
5,608,218
3,740,026 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Finland Cape Town 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
- Finland
- Cape Town
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
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