Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sundsvall and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,733 in Sundsvall, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Sundsvall despite lower rent and utilities.

Sundsvall, Sweden
Cape Town, South Africa
Sundsvall
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,733
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,733 per month in Sundsvall vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Sundsvall $1,733
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,641 per month in Sundsvall vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Sundsvall $2,641
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,549 per month in Sundsvall vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Sundsvall $3,549
  • Cape Town $3,306

Sundsvall costs about 13% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sundsvall and Cape Town sit above the global median – Sundsvall by 28%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.18 SEK 149
$12.01 R 198
26.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.1 SEK 796
$42.92 R 707
89.03%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.13 SEK 109
$6.15 R 101
80.98%
Cappuccino
$4.64 SEK 45.48
$2.37 R 39.04
95.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 SEK 23.59
$1.27 R 20.96
88.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 SEK 18.61
$0.94 R 15.46
102.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.76 SEK 86.0
$2.96 R 48.77
195.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.77 SEK 76.2
$3.69 R 60.8
110.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.46 SEK 14.37
$1.32 R 21.73
10.61%
White Bread (500g)
$3.10 SEK 30.41
$1.21 R 19.87
156.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.61 SEK 35.44
$2.20 R 36.26
64.09%
Eggs
$3.46 SEK 33.94
$3.10 R 51.1
11.61%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.66 SEK 94.8
$8.73 R 144
10.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.93 SEK 97.4
$6.89 R 114
44.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.90 SEK 176
$9.26 R 153
93.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.69 SEK 26.36
$1.83 R 30.08
46.99%
Banana (1kg)
$2.40 SEK 23.53
$1.95 R 32.12
23.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 SEK 24.10
$1.66 R 27.32
48.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.08 SEK 40.00
$2.14 R 35.19
90.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 SEK 14.30
$1.58 R 26.01
-7.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.42 SEK 13.91
$1.47 R 24.29
-3.40%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.86 SEK 18.28
$1.35 R 22.18
37.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 SEK 9.43
$1.14 R 18.85
-15.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.51 SEK 73.7
$3.58 R 59.0
109.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.13 SEK 89.6
$6.05 R 99.7
50.91%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 SEK 16.78
$1.39 R 22.95
23.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 SEK 13.91
$2.18 R 35.90
-34.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.34 SEK 32.80
$1.40 R 23.02
138.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 SEK 869
$60.8 R 1,001
45.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.05 SEK 59.4
$0.93 R 15.26
550.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$6.01 SEK 59.0
$0.90 R 14.83
567.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$4.96 R 81.7
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 SEK 16.98
$1.54 R 25.37
12.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.2K SEK 306.1K
$35.4K R 582.8K
-11.79%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.5K SEK 309.2K
$33.4K R 549.9K
-5.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 SEK 988
$117 R 1,929
-13.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.58 SEK 280
$25.71 R 424
11.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.44 SEK 269
$39.41 R 649
-30.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.86 SEK 411
$51.6 R 850
-18.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.33 SEK 160
$11.35 R 187
43.88%
Cinema Ticket
$14.12 SEK 139
$8.89 R 146
58.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$142 SEK 1,393
$308 R 5,069
-53.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$8,141 R 134.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.3 SEK 935
$57.4 R 946
66.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.41 SEK 200
$31.75 R 523
-35.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.2 SEK 679
$116 R 1,911
-40.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$125 SEK 1,227
$101 R 1,660
24.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$688 SEK 6,754
$1,047 R 17.2K
-34.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$621 SEK 6,096
$669 R 11.0K
-7.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,238 SEK 12.1K
$1,861 R 30.7K
-33.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$895 SEK 8,782
$1,407 R 23.2K
-36.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,439 SEK 23.9K
$2,410 R 39.7K
1.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,745 SEK 17.1K
$1,570 R 25.9K
11.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sundsvall
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,993 SEK 29.4K
$1,630 R 26.9K
83.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.88
10.89
-64.37%

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

Last update for Sundsvall: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sundsvall
$621
Cape Town
$669 7.7% $48
Groceries & Markets
Sundsvall
$320
Cape Town
$223 30.3% $97
Eating Out
Sundsvall
$287
Cape Town
$174 39.4% $113
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sundsvall
$157
Cape Town
$182 16.2% $25
Clothing & Footwear
Sundsvall
$140
Cape Town
$138 1.4% $1.9
Getting Around
Sundsvall
$138
Cape Town
$72 48% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Sundsvall
$70
Cape Town
$69 1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $688 in Sundsvall 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 84% higher in Sundsvall. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Sundsvall versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Sundsvall
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
09:07 9:07 AM
10:07 10:07 AM
1 h ahead of Sundsvall
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
57,606
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sundsvall Cape Town 10,710 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sundsvall
  • 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
Sundsvall vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sundsvall or Cape Town?
Sundsvall costs about 13% 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 Sundsvall and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,599 per month in Sundsvall 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, Sundsvall or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sundsvall, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $688 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Sundsvall compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,733 in Sundsvall and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 12% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Sundsvall compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 31% 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 Sundsvall or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,733 in Sundsvall and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Sundsvall or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,733 in Sundsvall. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Sundsvall or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sundsvall makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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