Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostersund and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,761 in Ostersund, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Ostersund despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Ostersund
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Ostersund Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Ostersund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,761

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,761 per month in Ostersund vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ostersund $1,761
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,732 per month in Ostersund vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ostersund $2,732
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,703 per month in Ostersund vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ostersund $3,703
Cape Town $3,306

Ostersund costs about 15% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ostersund and Cape Town sit above the global median – Ostersund by 30%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.51 SEK 142

$12.01 R 198

20.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.6 SEK 673

$42.92 R 707

59.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.03 SEK 88.6

$6.15 R 101

46.83%

Cappuccino

$4.35 SEK 42.71

$2.37 R 39.04

83.54%

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

$2.57 SEK 25.21

$1.27 R 20.96

102.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 19.89

$0.94 R 15.46

115.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 SEK 76.6

$2.96 R 48.77

163.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.36 SEK 72.3

$3.69 R 60.8

99.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 SEK 14.13

$1.32 R 21.73

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$3.03 SEK 29.74

$1.21 R 19.87

150.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 SEK 46.89

$2.20 R 36.26

117.27%

Eggs

$3.34 SEK 32.72

$3.10 R 51.1

7.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.80 SEK 135

$8.73 R 144

58.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 SEK 116

$6.89 R 114

70.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.72 SEK 154

$9.26 R 153

69.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.30 SEK 42.22

$1.83 R 30.08

134.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.92 SEK 28.66

$1.95 R 32.12

49.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.53 SEK 34.64

$1.66 R 27.32

112.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 SEK 41.28

$2.14 R 35.19

96.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 SEK 15.78

$1.58 R 26.01

1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 SEK 15.84

$1.47 R 24.29

9.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 SEK 22.86

$1.35 R 22.18

72.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 SEK 15.31

$1.14 R 18.85

36.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.70 SEK 75.6

$3.58 R 59.0

115.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.05 SEK 98.6

$6.05 R 99.7

66.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 SEK 21.08

$1.39 R 22.95

54.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.32

$2.18 R 35.90

4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 SEK 32.01

$1.40 R 23.02

132.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.3 SEK 748

$60.8 R 1,001

25.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 SEK 60.1

$0.93 R 15.26

558.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 SEK 16.57

$0.90 R 14.83

87.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$60.8 SEK 596

$4.96 R 81.7

1124.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 SEK 17.47

$1.54 R 25.37

15.58%

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

$30.7K SEK 301.0K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-13.26%

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

$36.5K SEK 358.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

9.35%

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

$118 SEK 1,154

$117 R 1,929

0.48%

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

$23.84 SEK 234

$25.71 R 424

-7.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.29 SEK 385

$39.41 R 649

-0.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.62 SEK 369

$51.6 R 850

-27.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.52 SEK 260

$11.35 R 187

133.66%

Cinema Ticket

$15.13 SEK 148

$8.89 R 146

70.19%

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

$127 SEK 1,243

$308 R 5,069

-58.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,587 SEK 54.8K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-31.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 SEK 915

$57.4 R 946

62.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.48 SEK 417

$31.75 R 523

33.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 SEK 779

$116 R 1,911

-31.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$142 SEK 1,395

$101 R 1,660

41.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SEK 7,971

$1,047 R 17.2K

-22.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$610 SEK 5,987

$669 R 11.0K

-8.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 SEK 13.7K

$1,861 R 30.7K

-25.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 SEK 10.2K

$1,407 R 23.2K

-26.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,784 SEK 37.1K

$2,410 R 39.7K

56.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,495 SEK 24.5K

$1,570 R 25.9K

58.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

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 Ostersund: 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

Ostersund

$610 34.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 9.7% $59

Groceries & Markets

Ostersund

$370 21%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 39.7% $147

Eating Out

Ostersund

$268 15.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 35% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostersund

$181 10.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 0.8% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Ostersund

$161 9.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 14.4% $23

Getting Around

Ostersund

$104 5.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 30.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ostersund

$68 3.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Ostersund 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Ostersund versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $370 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Ostersund

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

1 h ahead of Ostersund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,000

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

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Between locations

Ostersund Cape Town 10,800 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostersund
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

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

Ostersund costs about 15% 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 $2,642 per month in Ostersund 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 Ostersund, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $812 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,761 in Ostersund and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 13% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 20% 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 $1,761 in Ostersund 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 $1,761 in Ostersund. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.