Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,071 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,071

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Gothenburg 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 Gothenburg and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,071 per month in Gothenburg vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gothenburg $2,071
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,124 per month in Gothenburg vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gothenburg $3,124
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $4,177 per month in Gothenburg vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Gothenburg $4,177
Cape Town $3,306

Gothenburg costs about 36% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gothenburg and Cape Town sit above the global median – Gothenburg by 53%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.68 SEK 134

$12.01 R 198

13.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 SEK 878

$42.92 R 707

108.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 SEK 120

$6.15 R 101

98.70%

Cappuccino

$5.08 SEK 49.84

$2.37 R 39.04

114.35%

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

$3.13 SEK 30.68

$1.27 R 20.96

146.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SEK 23.69

$0.94 R 15.46

156.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 SEK 68.4

$2.96 R 48.77

135.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 SEK 73.0

$3.69 R 60.8

101.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.26

$1.32 R 21.73

25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 SEK 28.00

$1.21 R 19.87

135.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.29 SEK 32.27

$2.20 R 36.26

49.55%

Eggs

$3.99 SEK 39.20

$3.10 R 51.1

28.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 SEK 114

$8.73 R 144

32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.57 SEK 114

$6.89 R 114

67.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 SEK 170

$9.26 R 153

87.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 SEK 30.77

$1.83 R 30.08

71.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 SEK 24.95

$1.95 R 32.12

30.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.38

$1.66 R 27.32

80.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.38 SEK 42.94

$2.14 R 35.19

104.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.60

$1.58 R 26.01

13.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 SEK 16.20

$1.47 R 24.29

12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 SEK 19.61

$1.35 R 22.18

48.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SEK 17.47

$1.14 R 18.85

56.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.82 SEK 86.5

$3.58 R 59.0

146.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.59 SEK 153

$6.05 R 99.7

157.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 SEK 21.14

$1.39 R 22.95

54.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 SEK 22.70

$2.18 R 35.90

5.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.76 SEK 36.91

$1.40 R 23.02

168.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.5 SEK 849

$60.8 R 1,001

42.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.10 SEK 59.8

$0.93 R 15.26

555.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.55

$0.90 R 14.83

87.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.6 SEK 595

$4.96 R 81.7

1122.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.54

$1.54 R 25.37

16.23%

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

$34.0K SEK 333.3K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-3.94%

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

$34.3K SEK 336.1K

$33.4K R 549.9K

2.64%

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

$106 SEK 1,040

$117 R 1,929

-9.50%

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

$20.04 SEK 197

$25.71 R 424

-22.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 SEK 341

$39.41 R 649

-11.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.18 SEK 345

$51.6 R 850

-31.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.00 SEK 245

$11.35 R 187

120.26%

Cinema Ticket

$17.13 SEK 168

$8.89 R 146

92.69%

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

$227 SEK 2,229

$308 R 5,069

-26.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,683 SEK 46.0K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-42.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 SEK 891

$57.4 R 946

58.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.24 SEK 336

$31.75 R 523

7.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 SEK 868

$116 R 1,911

-23.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,313

$101 R 1,660

32.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,133 SEK 11.1K

$1,047 R 17.2K

8.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 SEK 9,038

$669 R 11.0K

37.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 SEK 18.9K

$1,861 R 30.7K

3.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 SEK 13.8K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-0.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,721 SEK 65.9K

$2,410 R 39.7K

178.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,143 SEK 40.6K

$1,570 R 25.9K

163.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,665 SEK 36.0K

$1,630 R 26.9K

124.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

10.89

-71.90%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: 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

Gothenburg

$921 44.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 27.4% $252

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$368 17.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 39.4% $145

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$279 13.5%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 37.6% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$161 7.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 13.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$156 7.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12% $19

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$116 5.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 38.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$69 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,133 in Gothenburg 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 in Gothenburg are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Gothenburg versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $368 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

1 h ahead of Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.19 USD

100 SEK = 9.08 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 9.81 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 11.02 SEK (100 SEK = 9.08 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Cape Town 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
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

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

Gothenburg costs about 36% 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 $3,107 per month in Gothenburg and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,133 in Gothenburg and $1,047 in Cape Town. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,071 in Gothenburg and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 26% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% 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 $2,071 in Gothenburg and $1,527 in Cape Town. 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 $2,071 in Gothenburg. 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, Gothenburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.