Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sweden and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,950 in Sweden, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Sweden
Cape Town, South Africa
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,950
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Sweden is 46.2% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 27.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sweden is 52.8% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 23.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.10 SEK 149
$12.01 R 198
25.73%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.5 SEK 806
$42.92 R 709
89.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.11 SEK 110
$6.15 R 102
80.65%
Cappuccino
$4.89 SEK 48.35
$2.37 R 39.13
106.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.80 SEK 27.66
$1.27 R 21.01
120.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 SEK 22.98
$0.94 R 15.49
146.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.35 SEK 82.6
$2.96 R 48.88
182.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.69 SEK 76.1
$3.69 R 61.0
108.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.70 SEK 16.79
$1.32 R 21.78
28.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.97 SEK 29.39
$1.21 R 19.91
145.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.69 SEK 36.54
$2.20 R 36.34
67.73%
Eggs
$4.20 SEK 41.51
$3.10 R 51.3
35.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.68 SEK 116
$8.73 R 144
33.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.90 SEK 118
$6.89 R 114
72.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.08 SEK 189
$9.26 R 153
106.05%
Apples (1kg)
$3.14 SEK 31.03
$1.83 R 30.15
71.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.61 SEK 25.78
$1.95 R 32.20
33.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.07 SEK 30.38
$1.66 R 27.38
84.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.47 SEK 44.25
$2.14 R 35.27
108.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.80 SEK 17.78
$1.58 R 26.07
13.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.64 SEK 16.20
$1.47 R 24.35
11.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.44 SEK 24.10
$1.35 R 22.23
80.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.44 SEK 14.27
$1.14 R 18.90
26.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.94 SEK 78.5
$3.58 R 59.1
121.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.12 SEK 110
$6.05 R 100.0
83.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 SEK 19.53
$1.39 R 23.00
41.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 SEK 21.55
$2.18 R 35.98
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.82 SEK 37.78
$1.40 R 23.07
172.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$83.1 SEK 822
$60.8 R 1,003
36.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.40 SEK 63.3
$0.93 R 15.30
588.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.90 SEK 18.79
$0.90 R 14.87
111.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$60.5 SEK 598
$4.96 R 81.9
1118.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 SEK 17.73
$1.54 R 25.43
16.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.2K SEK 338.0K
$35.4K R 584.1K
-3.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K SEK 341.7K
$33.4K R 551.2K
3.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 SEK 1,358
$117 R 1,934
17.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.87 SEK 266
$25.71 R 425
4.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.62 SEK 382
$39.41 R 651
-2.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.42 SEK 400
$51.6 R 852
-21.68%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.60 SEK 283
$11.35 R 187
151.98%
Cinema Ticket
$15.46 SEK 153
$8.89 R 147
73.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$151 SEK 1,498
$308 R 5,081
-50.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,388 SEK 53.3K
$8,141 R 134.5K
-33.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$94.5 SEK 935
$57.4 R 948
64.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.35 SEK 429
$31.75 R 524
36.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$102 SEK 1,008
$116 R 1,915
-12.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$147 SEK 1,450
$101 R 1,663
45.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$913 SEK 9,028
$1,047 R 17.3K
-12.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$730 SEK 7,217
$669 R 11.1K
9.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,525 SEK 15.1K
$1,861 R 30.7K
-18.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,212 SEK 12.0K
$1,407 R 23.2K
-13.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,281 SEK 52.2K
$2,410 R 39.8K
119.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,465 SEK 34.3K
$1,570 R 25.9K
120.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sweden
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,114 SEK 30.8K
$1,630 R 26.9K
91.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.66
10.89
-66.39%

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

Last update for Sweden: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sweden
$730
Cape Town
$669 8.3% $60
Groceries & Markets
Sweden
$368
Cape Town
$223 39.4% $145
Eating Out
Sweden
$290
Cape Town
$174 40.1% $116
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sweden
$203
Cape Town
$182 10.1% $21
Clothing & Footwear
Sweden
$174
Cape Town
$138 20.8% $36
Getting Around
Sweden
$114
Cape Town
$72 37.2% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Sweden
$71
Cape Town
$69 2.7% $2
Good to know
🇸🇪 Sweden
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
04:02 4:02 AM
05:02 5:02 AM
1 h ahead of Sweden
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
10,587,710
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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 9.89 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 16.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.46 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sweden Cape Town 10,370 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sweden
  • 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

Sweden vs other spots: cost of living compared

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