Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vasteras and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,875 in Vasteras, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Vasteras, Sweden
Cape Town, South Africa
Vasteras
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,875
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,875 per month in Vasteras vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Vasteras $1,875
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,843 per month in Vasteras vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Vasteras $2,843
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,810 per month in Vasteras vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Vasteras $3,810
  • Cape Town $3,306

Vasteras costs about 23% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vasteras and Cape Town sit above the global median – Vasteras by 39%, Cape Town by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$14.32 SEK 140
$12.01 R 197
19.23%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.9 SEK 644
$42.92 R 703
53.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.32 SEK 101
$6.15 R 101
67.80%
Cappuccino
$4.40 SEK 43.04
$2.37 R 38.81
85.65%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 SEK 23.34
$1.27 R 20.84
88.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 SEK 22.12
$0.94 R 15.37
140.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.25 SEK 70.8
$2.96 R 48.48
144.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 SEK 69.5
$3.69 R 60.5
92.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.47 SEK 14.37
$1.32 R 21.61
11.36%
White Bread (500g)
$3.06 SEK 29.88
$1.21 R 19.75
152.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.79 SEK 37.07
$2.20 R 36.05
72.27%
Eggs
$4.04 SEK 39.47
$3.10 R 50.8
30.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.34 SEK 121
$8.73 R 143
41.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.83 SEK 125
$6.89 R 113
86.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$22.40 SEK 219
$9.26 R 152
141.90%
Apples (1kg)
$3.29 SEK 32.19
$1.83 R 29.90
79.78%
Banana (1kg)
$2.59 SEK 25.28
$1.95 R 31.94
32.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.67 SEK 35.90
$1.66 R 27.16
121.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.51 SEK 44.05
$2.14 R 34.99
110.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 SEK 14.84
$1.58 R 25.86
-3.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.82 SEK 17.76
$1.47 R 24.15
23.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.17 SEK 21.24
$1.35 R 22.05
60.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 SEK 14.93
$1.14 R 18.75
34.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.70 SEK 75.2
$3.58 R 58.6
115.08%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.92 SEK 136
$6.05 R 99.2
130.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 SEK 13.72
$1.39 R 22.82
0.72%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 SEK 20.88
$2.18 R 35.69
-1.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.39 SEK 33.15
$1.40 R 22.88
142.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$73.0 SEK 713
$60.8 R 995
20.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.54 SEK 34.62
$0.93 R 15.18
280.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.61 SEK 25.48
$0.90 R 14.75
190.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$82.7 SEK 808
$4.96 R 81.3
1566.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.76 SEK 17.17
$1.54 R 25.23
14.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.5K SEK 327.5K
$35.4K R 579.4K
-5.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K SEK 323.4K
$33.4K R 546.7K
-0.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$188 SEK 1,836
$117 R 1,918
60.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.56 SEK 220
$25.71 R 421
-12.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.02 SEK 430
$39.41 R 646
11.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.89 SEK 341
$51.6 R 846
-32.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.40 SEK 199
$11.35 R 186
79.74%
Cinema Ticket
$16.89 SEK 165
$8.89 R 146
89.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$151 SEK 1,472
$308 R 5,040
-51.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$8,141 R 133.4K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$107 SEK 1,047
$57.4 R 940
86.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.98 SEK 401
$31.75 R 520
29.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 SEK 883
$116 R 1,900
-22.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$141 SEK 1,378
$101 R 1,650
39.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$757 SEK 7,393
$1,047 R 17.1K
-27.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$623 SEK 6,084
$669 R 11.0K
-6.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,367 SEK 13.4K
$1,861 R 30.5K
-26.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,020 SEK 9,966
$1,407 R 23.1K
-27.53%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,738 SEK 36.5K
$2,410 R 39.5K
55.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,511 SEK 24.5K
$1,570 R 25.7K
60.00%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vasteras
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,041 SEK 29.7K
$1,630 R 26.7K
86.61%
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 Vasteras: 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
Vasteras
$623
Cape Town
$669 7.5% $47
Groceries & Markets
Vasteras
$389
Cape Town
$223 42.6% $165
Eating Out
Vasteras
$267
Cape Town
$174 34.9% $93
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vasteras
$254
Cape Town
$182 28.4% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Vasteras
$171
Cape Town
$138 19.4% $33
Getting Around
Vasteras
$103
Cape Town
$72 30.4% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Vasteras
$69
Cape Town
$69 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $757 in Vasteras 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 87% higher in Vasteras. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Vasteras versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Vasteras
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
23:04 11:04 PM
00:04 12:04 AM
1 h ahead of Vasteras
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
110,877
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 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vasteras Cape Town 10,400 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Vasteras
  • 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
Vasteras vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Vasteras or Cape Town?
Vasteras costs about 23% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Vasteras and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,813 per month in Vasteras 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, Vasteras or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Vasteras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $757 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Vasteras compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,875 in Vasteras and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 19% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Vasteras compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 17% 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 Vasteras or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,875 in Vasteras 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, Vasteras or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,875 in Vasteras. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Vasteras or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vasteras makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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