Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Narvik and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,505 in Narvik, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Narvik
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Narvik Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Narvik

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,505

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,505 per month in Narvik vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Narvik $2,505
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $3,842 per month in Narvik vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Narvik $3,842
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $5,178 per month in Narvik vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Narvik $5,178
Cape Town $3,306

Narvik costs about 64% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Narvik and Cape Town sit above the global median – Narvik by 85%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.97 NOK 297

$12.01 R 197

166.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.4 NOK 886

$42.92 R 703

122.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.21 NOK 150

$6.15 R 101

163.58%

Cappuccino

$4.96 NOK 46.05

$2.37 R 38.81

109.28%

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

$2.99 NOK 27.70

$1.27 R 20.84

135.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 NOK 27.24

$0.94 R 15.37

212.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.54 NOK 107

$2.96 R 48.48

289.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.29 NOK 114

$3.69 R 60.5

233.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 NOK 23.00

$1.32 R 21.61

87.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 32.20

$1.21 R 19.75

186.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 NOK 25.54

$2.20 R 36.05

25.00%

Eggs

$5.40 NOK 50.1

$3.10 R 50.8

74.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.28 NOK 114

$8.73 R 143

40.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.33 NOK 142

$6.89 R 113

122.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.63 NOK 219

$9.26 R 152

155.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.00 NOK 37.09

$1.83 R 29.90

118.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 NOK 20.34

$1.95 R 31.94

12.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.81 NOK 44.68

$1.66 R 27.16

189.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.68 NOK 43.46

$2.14 R 34.99

118.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 24.78

$1.58 R 25.86

68.99%

Onion (1kg)

$4.87 NOK 45.20

$1.47 R 24.15

231.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 NOK 28.11

$1.35 R 22.05

124.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 NOK 19.75

$1.14 R 18.75

86.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$16.49 NOK 153

$3.58 R 58.6

360.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.68 NOK 164

$6.05 R 99.2

192.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 NOK 33.92

$1.39 R 22.82

162.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 NOK 34.31

$2.18 R 35.69

69.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.68 NOK 43.43

$1.40 R 22.88

234.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.2 NOK 855

$60.8 R 995

51.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 NOK 60.3

$0.93 R 15.18

598.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 NOK 12.15

$0.90 R 14.75

45.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$54.4 NOK 505

$4.96 R 81.3

997.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.44 NOK 22.63

$1.54 R 25.23

58.44%

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

$40.4K NOK 374.8K

$35.4K R 579.4K

14.20%

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

$38.2K NOK 354.8K

$33.4K R 546.7K

14.56%

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

$265 NOK 2,463

$117 R 1,918

126.68%

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

$51.0 NOK 473

$25.71 R 421

98.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 NOK 799

$39.41 R 646

118.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 NOK 529

$51.6 R 846

10.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.07 NOK 251

$11.35 R 186

138.50%

Cinema Ticket

$17.83 NOK 165

$8.89 R 146

100.56%

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

$320 NOK 2,969

$308 R 5,040

4.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,137 NOK 29.1K

$8,141 R 133.4K

-61.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$130 NOK 1,205

$57.4 R 940

126.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.77 NOK 332

$31.75 R 520

12.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$145 NOK 1,350

$116 R 1,900

25.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 NOK 1,540

$101 R 1,650

64.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 NOK 8,885

$1,047 R 17.1K

-8.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 NOK 6,800

$669 R 11.0K

9.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 NOK 15.7K

$1,861 R 30.5K

-9.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,265 NOK 11.7K

$1,407 R 23.1K

-10.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,281 NOK 49.0K

$2,410 R 39.5K

119.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,771 NOK 44.3K

$1,570 R 25.7K

203.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,706 NOK 34.4K

$1,630 R 26.7K

127.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

10.89

-53.99%

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

Last update for Narvik: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Narvik

$733 29.2%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 8.7% $64

Eating Out

Narvik

$470 18.8%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 63% $296

Groceries & Markets

Narvik

$469 18.7%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 52.4% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Narvik

$403 16.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 54.7% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Narvik

$215 8.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 35.9% $77

Getting Around

Narvik

$124 5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 42.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Narvik

$93 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 25.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $957 in Narvik 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 Narvik are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Narvik versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $469 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Narvik

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

20:06 8:06 PM

1 h ahead of Narvik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,183

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.78 USD

100 NOK = 9.59 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 9.28 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.43 NOK (100 NOK = 9.59 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Narvik Cape Town 11,380 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Narvik
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

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

Narvik costs about 64% 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 $3,758 per month in Narvik 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 $957 in Narvik 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 $2,505 in Narvik and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 39% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% 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 $2,505 in Narvik and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $2,505 in Narvik. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Narvik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.