Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gavle and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Gavle: $1,448 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

70

Cost of Living Index in Gavle
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Gavle Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Gavle

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,448

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Gavle and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,448 per month in Gavle vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gavle $1,448
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,309 per month in Gavle vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gavle $2,309
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,169 per month in Gavle vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gavle $3,169
Cape Town $3,306

Gavle is about 5% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Gavle and Cape Town sit above the global median – Gavle by 7%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.66 SEK 133

$12.01 R 197

13.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 SEK 795

$42.92 R 703

89.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 96.5

$6.15 R 101

60.49%

Cappuccino

$4.53 SEK 44.22

$2.37 R 38.81

91.14%

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

$2.02 SEK 19.72

$1.27 R 20.84

59.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 SEK 19.75

$0.94 R 15.37

114.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 SEK 77.9

$2.96 R 48.48

169.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.84 SEK 76.6

$3.69 R 60.5

112.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.08

$1.32 R 21.61

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.65 SEK 25.87

$1.21 R 19.75

119.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.03 SEK 39.38

$2.20 R 36.05

83.18%

Eggs

$3.91 SEK 38.17

$3.10 R 50.8

26.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.56 SEK 93.4

$8.73 R 143

9.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.61 SEK 104

$6.89 R 113

53.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.65 SEK 182

$9.26 R 152

101.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 SEK 30.54

$1.83 R 29.90

71.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 SEK 27.65

$1.95 R 31.94

45.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.12 SEK 30.48

$1.66 R 27.16

87.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.35 SEK 42.46

$2.14 R 34.99

103.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.63

$1.58 R 25.86

7.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 SEK 17.78

$1.47 R 24.15

23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.54 SEK 24.82

$1.35 R 22.05

88.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SEK 20.49

$1.14 R 18.75

84.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.16 SEK 79.7

$3.58 R 58.6

127.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.29 SEK 110

$6.05 R 99.2

86.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 SEK 15.66

$1.39 R 22.82

15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 SEK 16.07

$2.18 R 35.69

-24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.40 SEK 33.23

$1.40 R 22.88

142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 SEK 579

$60.8 R 995

-2.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 SEK 44.03

$0.93 R 15.18

384.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 SEK 15.30

$0.90 R 14.75

74.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.16 SEK 334

$4.96 R 81.3

588.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 SEK 18.00

$1.54 R 25.23

19.48%

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

$26.7K SEK 260.9K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-24.52%

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

$28.3K SEK 276.1K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-15.35%

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

$55.8 SEK 545

$117 R 1,918

-52.32%

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

$21.43 SEK 209

$25.71 R 421

-16.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.39 SEK 395

$39.41 R 646

2.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.95 SEK 469

$51.6 R 846

-7.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$14.92 SEK 146

$8.89 R 146

67.83%

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

$134 SEK 1,305

$308 R 5,040

-56.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K SEK 150.2K

$8,141 R 133.4K

88.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 SEK 689

$57.4 R 940

22.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 SEK 596

$31.75 R 520

92.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.3 SEK 501

$116 R 1,900

-55.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 SEK 905

$101 R 1,650

-8.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$580 SEK 5,671

$1,047 R 17.1K

-44.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 SEK 4,123

$669 R 11.0K

-36.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 SEK 7,546

$1,861 R 30.5K

-58.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$666 SEK 6,510

$1,407 R 23.1K

-52.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,935 SEK 18.9K

$2,410 R 39.5K

-19.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 SEK 13.1K

$1,570 R 25.7K

-14.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 SEK 30.9K

$1,630 R 26.7K

94.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

10.89

-68.96%

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

Last update for Gavle: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gavle

$422 29.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 58.6% $247

Groceries & Markets

Gavle

$357 24.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 37.5% $134

Eating Out

Gavle

$265 18.3%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 34.3% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Gavle

$124 8.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 11.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gavle

$118 8.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 54.9% $65

Getting Around

Gavle

$85 5.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 15.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Gavle

$78 5.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 10.8% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $580 in Gavle versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 94% higher in Gavle, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Gavle versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gavle

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:00 3:00 AM

04:00 4:00 AM

1 h ahead of Gavle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.23 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

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).

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).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gavle Cape Town 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Gavle
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

Gavle vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 5% more than Gavle, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,173 per month in Gavle and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gavle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $580 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,448 in Gavle and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Gavle about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $134 per month in Gavle and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,448 in Gavle and $1,527 in Cape Town, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Gavle – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.