Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Torshavn and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,524 in Torshavn, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Torshavn
Learn more

Torshavn Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Torshavn

🇫🇴 Faroe Islands

$2,524

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,524 per month in Torshavn vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Torshavn $2,524
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,982 per month in Torshavn vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Torshavn $3,982
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $5,441 per month in Torshavn vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Torshavn $5,441
Cape Town $3,307

Torshavn costs about 61% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Torshavn and Cape Town sit above the global median – Torshavn by 88%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.65 FOK 178

$11.78 R 194

126.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$152 FOK 1,012

$46.55 R 768

225.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.79 FOK 132

$5.96 R 98.4

232.05%

Cappuccino

$6.96 FOK 46.49

$2.47 R 40.80

181.78%

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

$3.16 FOK 21.11

$1.33 R 21.91

137.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 FOK 17.99

$1.03 R 16.99

161.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.37 FOK 62.6

$3.01 R 49.72

211.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.12 FOK 61.0

$3.66 R 60.4

149.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 FOK 15.54

$1.39 R 22.96

67.63%

White Bread (500g)

$4.87 FOK 32.53

$1.19 R 19.60

309.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 FOK 19.95

$2.11 R 34.84

41.71%

Eggs

$6.55 FOK 43.77

$3.01 R 49.58

117.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 FOK 110

$8.96 R 148

83.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.33 FOK 95.7

$6.65 R 110

115.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.73 FOK 118

$9.29 R 153

90.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.09 FOK 27.31

$1.83 R 30.13

123.50%

Banana (1kg)

$5.66 FOK 37.84

$1.90 R 31.31

197.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.93 FOK 39.62

$1.75 R 28.83

238.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 FOK 34.80

$2.09 R 34.41

149.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.66 FOK 24.47

$1.55 R 25.64

136.13%

Onion (1kg)

$4.63 FOK 30.95

$1.49 R 24.53

210.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.21 FOK 21.44

$1.30 R 21.41

146.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.84 FOK 25.65

$1.16 R 19.19

231.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.14 FOK 74.4

$3.71 R 61.2

200.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.77 FOK 92.0

$6.06 R 100

127.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 FOK 27.60

$1.39 R 22.85

197.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 FOK 19.57

$2.20 R 36.32

33.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.56 FOK 204

$61.0 R 1,006

-49.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$15.18 FOK 101

$0.63 R 10.33

2309.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 FOK 11.36

$1.58 R 26.08

7.59%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$130 FOK 865

$116 R 1,920

11.32%

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

$44.35 FOK 296

$28.37 R 468

56.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.9 FOK 607

$40.69 R 671

123.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 FOK 370

$48.85 R 806

13.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$16.05 FOK 107

$8.83 R 146

81.77%

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

$489 FOK 3,270

$261 R 4,314

87.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 FOK 944

$55.4 R 914

155.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.4 FOK 397

$32.27 R 532

84.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 FOK 1,108

$118 R 1,939

41.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$248 FOK 1,655

$107 R 1,766

131.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 FOK 7,324

$1,015 R 16.7K

8.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$890 FOK 5,947

$715 R 11.8K

24.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 FOK 12.3K

$1,801 R 29.7K

2.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 FOK 9,425

$1,330 R 22.0K

6.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,520 FOK 30.2K

$2,331 R 38.5K

93.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,718 FOK 31.5K

$1,513 R 25.0K

211.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,205 FOK 21.4K

$1,636 R 27.0K

95.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Torshavn: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Torshavn

$890 35.2%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 19.6% $175

Groceries & Markets

Torshavn

$522 20.6%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 57.4% $299

Eating Out

Torshavn

$445 17.6%

Cape Town

$174 11% 60.9% $271

Clothing & Footwear

Torshavn

$276 10.9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 49.2% $136

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Torshavn

$265 10.5%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 30% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Torshavn

$87 3.5%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 23.9% $21

Getting Around

Torshavn

$46 * 1.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 64.7% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,096 in Torshavn versus $1,015 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 96% higher in Torshavn, 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 $152 in Torshavn versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $522 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇴 Torshavn

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

09:43 9:43 AM

1 h ahead of Torshavn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,145 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Faroese Króna FOK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 FOK = 0.15 USD

1 FOK = 0.133 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to FOK – Faroese Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇴 Faroese Króna (kr)

Faroese Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 FOK (1 FOK = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 FOK (1 FOK = 0.133 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to FOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Torshavn Cape Town 10,910 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Torshavn
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

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

Torshavn costs about 61% 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 $3,785 per month in Torshavn and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,524 in Torshavn and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 61%.

Public transport costs about 99% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Torshavn at $2,524. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Torshavn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,524 in Torshavn. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Torshavn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.