Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solna and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,777 in Solna, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Solna despite lower rent and utilities.

85

Cost of Living Index in Solna
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Solna Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Solna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,777

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,777 per month in Solna vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Solna $1,777
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,778 per month in Solna vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Solna $2,778
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,780 per month in Solna vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Solna $3,780
Cape Town $3,306

Solna costs about 16% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Solna and Cape Town sit above the global median – Solna by 31%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.40 SEK 141

$12.01 R 197

19.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 SEK 680

$42.92 R 703

62.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.14 SEK 109

$6.15 R 101

81.14%

Cappuccino

$5.06 SEK 49.49

$2.37 R 38.81

113.50%

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

$2.30 SEK 22.43

$1.27 R 20.84

81.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 SEK 14.11

$0.94 R 15.37

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.53 SEK 73.6

$2.96 R 48.48

154.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 SEK 75.3

$3.69 R 60.5

108.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 SEK 13.81

$1.32 R 21.61

6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 SEK 24.23

$1.21 R 19.75

104.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 SEK 35.51

$2.20 R 36.05

65.00%

Eggs

$4.19 SEK 40.99

$3.10 R 50.8

35.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 SEK 92.4

$8.73 R 143

8.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.19 SEK 129

$6.89 R 113

91.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.66 SEK 221

$9.26 R 152

144.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 SEK 30.55

$1.83 R 29.90

71.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 SEK 20.45

$1.95 R 31.94

7.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.26

$1.66 R 27.16

55.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 SEK 29.82

$2.14 R 34.99

42.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 SEK 14.68

$1.58 R 25.86

-5.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 SEK 18.06

$1.47 R 24.15

25.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 SEK 21.48

$1.35 R 22.05

62.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 SEK 9.74

$1.14 R 18.75

-12.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.54 SEK 73.7

$3.58 R 58.6

110.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.81 SEK 135

$6.05 R 99.2

128.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 SEK 13.81

$1.39 R 22.82

1.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.14

$2.18 R 35.69

4.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.32 SEK 42.22

$1.40 R 22.88

208.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 SEK 982

$60.8 R 995

65.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 SEK 35.73

$0.93 R 15.18

293.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.48 SEK 24.21

$0.90 R 14.75

175.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.0 SEK 811

$4.96 R 81.3

1572.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 SEK 17.95

$1.54 R 25.23

19.48%

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

$33.5K SEK 327.3K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-5.29%

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

$33.4K SEK 326.1K

$33.4K R 546.7K

0.01%

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

$107 SEK 1,047

$117 R 1,918

-8.47%

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

$22.57 SEK 221

$25.71 R 421

-12.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.41 SEK 395

$39.41 R 646

2.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.55 SEK 357

$51.6 R 846

-29.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.88 SEK 292

$11.35 R 186

163.26%

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 SEK 147

$8.89 R 146

68.84%

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

$155 SEK 1,516

$308 R 5,040

-49.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,017 SEK 49.0K

$8,141 R 133.4K

-38.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 SEK 1,037

$57.4 R 940

85.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.85 SEK 399

$31.75 R 520

28.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 SEK 870

$116 R 1,900

-23.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 SEK 1,366

$101 R 1,650

38.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 SEK 7,924

$1,047 R 17.1K

-22.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 SEK 5,921

$669 R 11.0K

-9.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 SEK 15.1K

$1,861 R 30.5K

-17.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 SEK 10.2K

$1,407 R 23.1K

-25.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,926 SEK 67.7K

$2,410 R 39.5K

187.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,902 SEK 28.4K

$1,570 R 25.7K

84.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,677 SEK 35.9K

$1,630 R 26.7K

125.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.89

-67.58%

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

Last update for Solna: 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

Solna

$606 34.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 10.4% $63

Groceries & Markets

Solna

$354 19.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 37% $131

Eating Out

Solna

$277 15.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 37.3% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solna

$170 9.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 7.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Solna

$169 9.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 18.6% $32

Getting Around

Solna

$134 7.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 46.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Solna

$67 3.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4.2% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $811 in Solna 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 Solna are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Solna versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $354 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Solna

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:33 12:33 AM

01:33 1:33 AM

1 h ahead of Solna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,540

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 5, 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 5, 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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Highest

Between locations

Solna Cape Town 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Solna
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

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

Solna costs about 16% 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 $2,666 per month in Solna 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 Solna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $811 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,777 in Solna and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 14% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 40% 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 $1,777 in Solna 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 $1,777 in Solna. 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, Solna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.