Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarpsborg and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,872 in Sarpsborg, rent and utilities included – about $16,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Sarpsborg, Norway
Cape Town, South Africa
Sarpsborg
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,872
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,872 per month in Sarpsborg vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Sarpsborg $2,872
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $4,169 per month in Sarpsborg vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Sarpsborg $4,169
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $5,466 per month in Sarpsborg vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Sarpsborg $5,466
  • Cape Town $3,306

Sarpsborg costs about 88% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sarpsborg and Cape Town sit above the global median – Sarpsborg by 112%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$40.81 NOK 380
$12.01 R 198
239.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$99.3 NOK 923
$42.92 R 707
131.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$19.17 NOK 178
$6.15 R 101
211.71%
Cappuccino
$5.74 NOK 53.4
$2.37 R 39.04
142.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 NOK 26.81
$1.27 R 20.96
126.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 NOK 24.82
$0.94 R 15.46
184.04%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.60 NOK 61.4
$2.96 R 48.77
122.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.19 NOK 76.2
$3.69 R 60.8
121.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.32 NOK 21.54
$1.32 R 21.73
75.76%
White Bread (500g)
$3.49 NOK 32.50
$1.21 R 19.87
188.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.01 NOK 37.30
$2.20 R 36.26
82.27%
Eggs
$4.56 NOK 42.40
$3.10 R 51.1
47.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.54 NOK 117
$8.73 R 144
43.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$17.04 NOK 158
$6.89 R 114
147.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$34.26 NOK 319
$9.26 R 153
269.98%
Apples (1kg)
$3.85 NOK 35.82
$1.83 R 30.08
110.38%
Banana (1kg)
$2.67 NOK 24.86
$1.95 R 32.12
36.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.49 NOK 32.51
$1.66 R 27.32
110.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.04 NOK 56.2
$2.14 R 35.19
182.24%
Potato (1kg)
$2.84 NOK 26.45
$1.58 R 26.01
79.75%
Onion (1kg)
$3.18 NOK 29.56
$1.47 R 24.29
116.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.65 NOK 24.67
$1.35 R 22.18
96.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.59 NOK 24.05
$1.14 R 18.85
127.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$15.56 NOK 145
$3.58 R 59.0
334.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.73 NOK 128
$6.05 R 99.7
126.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.34 NOK 31.04
$1.39 R 22.95
140.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.71 NOK 43.79
$2.18 R 35.90
116.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.62 NOK 24.41
$1.40 R 23.02
87.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.2 NOK 811
$60.8 R 1,001
43.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.01 NOK 112
$0.93 R 15.26
1191.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.97 NOK 18.30
$0.90 R 14.83
118.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$63.8 NOK 593
$4.96 R 81.7
1186.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.27 NOK 21.12
$1.54 R 25.37
47.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$55.3K NOK 514.6K
$35.4K R 582.8K
56.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$47.2K NOK 438.7K
$33.4K R 549.9K
41.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$238 NOK 2,212
$117 R 1,929
103.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.62 NOK 341
$25.71 R 424
42.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.03 NOK 437
$39.41 R 649
19.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.1 NOK 466
$51.6 R 850
-3.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$38.46 NOK 358
$11.35 R 187
238.85%
Cinema Ticket
$19.49 NOK 181
$8.89 R 146
119.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$239 NOK 2,222
$308 R 5,069
-22.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.6K NOK 108.0K
$8,141 R 134.2K
42.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$111 NOK 1,036
$57.4 R 946
94.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$66.9 NOK 622
$31.75 R 523
110.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 NOK 1,160
$116 R 1,911
7.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$180 NOK 1,674
$101 R 1,660
78.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,224 NOK 11.4K
$1,047 R 17.2K
16.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,093 NOK 10.2K
$669 R 11.0K
63.27%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,606 NOK 14.9K
$1,861 R 30.7K
-13.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,399 NOK 13.0K
$1,407 R 23.2K
-0.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,415 NOK 59.7K
$2,410 R 39.7K
166.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,241 NOK 39.4K
$1,570 R 25.9K
170.20%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sarpsborg
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,714 NOK 25.2K
$1,630 R 26.9K
66.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.18
10.89
-52.43%

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

Last update for Sarpsborg: 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
Sarpsborg
$1.1K
Cape Town
$669 38.8% $423
Eating Out
Sarpsborg
$524
Cape Town
$174 66.8% $350
Groceries & Markets
Sarpsborg
$508
Cape Town
$223 56% $284
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sarpsborg
$321
Cape Town
$182 43.3% $139
Clothing & Footwear
Sarpsborg
$217
Cape Town
$138 36.7% $80
Getting Around
Sarpsborg
$120
Cape Town
$72 40% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Sarpsborg
$89
Cape Town
$69 22.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,224 in Sarpsborg 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 67% higher in Sarpsborg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Sarpsborg versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $508 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇳🇴 Sarpsborg
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
06:05 6:05 AM
07:05 7:05 AM
1 h ahead of Sarpsborg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
59,906
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 9.3 NOK (1 NOK = 0.108 USD). 1 EUR = 10.44 NOK (100 NOK = 9.58 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sarpsborg Cape Town 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sarpsborg
  • 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
Sarpsborg vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sarpsborg or Cape Town?
Sarpsborg costs about 88% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Sarpsborg and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,308 per month in Sarpsborg and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Sarpsborg or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,224 in Sarpsborg.
How much does it cost to live in Sarpsborg compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,872 in Sarpsborg and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 47% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Sarpsborg compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 30% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Sarpsborg or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,872 in Sarpsborg and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Sarpsborg or Cape Town?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $2,872 in Sarpsborg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Sarpsborg or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sarpsborg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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