Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ystad and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $1,646 in Ystad, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Ystad despite lower rent and utilities.

79

Cost of Living Index in Ystad
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Ystad Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Ystad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,646

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,646 per month in Ystad vs $1,556 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ystad $1,646
Cape Town $1,556

A couple spends around $2,592 per month in Ystad vs $2,432 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ystad $2,592
Cape Town $2,432

A family of three spends $3,538 per month in Ystad vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ystad $3,538
Cape Town $3,307

Ystad costs about 6% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ystad and Cape Town sit above the global median – Ystad by 21%, Cape Town by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.15 SEK 121

$12.09 R 201

0.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 SEK 857

$44.34 R 738

94.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 SEK 102

$6.15 R 102

66.34%

Cappuccino

$3.06 SEK 30.48

$2.36 R 39.24

29.66%

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

$2.98 SEK 29.66

$1.26 R 21.03

136.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 SEK 22.57

$1.00 R 16.56

127.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.99 SEK 69.6

$3.08 R 51.2

126.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.39 SEK 73.5

$3.70 R 61.5

99.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 16.98

$1.34 R 22.38

27.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 SEK 27.86

$1.19 R 19.86

135.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 SEK 31.31

$2.10 R 34.96

50.00%

Eggs

$3.10 SEK 30.82

$3.05 R 50.7

1.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.51 SEK 115

$8.73 R 145

31.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 SEK 88.0

$6.97 R 116

26.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 SEK 164

$9.39 R 156

75.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.76

$1.89 R 31.39

58.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 SEK 24.32

$1.88 R 31.27

29.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 SEK 29.20

$1.69 R 28.04

73.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.94

$2.04 R 34.02

121.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SEK 15.36

$1.57 R 26.08

-1.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.87

$1.48 R 24.61

14.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.96 SEK 19.46

$1.28 R 21.33

53.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 SEK 16.50

$1.19 R 19.78

39.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.19 SEK 81.5

$3.63 R 60.4

125.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 SEK 120

$6.17 R 103

95.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 SEK 20.39

$1.39 R 23.10

47.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SEK 22.73

$2.18 R 36.27

4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 SEK 33.42

$1.37 R 22.79

145.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.1 SEK 787

$61.3 R 1,020

29.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 SEK 60.2

$0.57 R 9.56

961.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 SEK 17.31

$1.48 R 24.58

17.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$59.2 SEK 589

$4.90 R 81.5

1108.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.61

$1.58 R 26.25

12.03%

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

$29.9K SEK 297.7K

$34.7K R 577.5K

-13.82%

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

$33.3K SEK 331.4K

$34.1K R 567.4K

-2.35%

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

$105 SEK 1,044

$117 R 1,945

-10.29%

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

$19.69 SEK 196

$28.35 R 472

-30.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.14 SEK 300

$40.58 R 675

-25.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.44 SEK 373

$48.54 R 808

-22.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.36 SEK 262

$10.80 R 180

144.07%

Cinema Ticket

$12.15 SEK 121

$9.11 R 152

33.37%

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

$180 SEK 1,789

$302 R 5,024

-40.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,351 SEK 43.3K

$6,720 R 111.8K

-35.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 SEK 510

$55.2 R 919

-7.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.38 SEK 332

$32.70 R 544

2.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 SEK 870

$118 R 1,961

-25.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 SEK 1,328

$104 R 1,728

28.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 SEK 7,883

$1,041 R 17.3K

-23.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,096

$691 R 11.5K

-11.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$1,981 R 33.0K

-31.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 SEK 10.2K

$1,388 R 23.1K

-26.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

$2,420 R 40.3K

66.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,767 SEK 27.5K

$1,552 R 25.8K

78.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,881 SEK 18.7K

$1,576 R 26.2K

19.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

10.97

-72.11%

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

Last update for Ystad: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ystad

$612 37.2%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 12.8% $78

Groceries & Markets

Ystad

$337 20.5%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 33.6% $113

Eating Out

Ystad

$235 14.3%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 25.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ystad

$155 9.4%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 20.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ystad

$137 8.4%

Cape Town

$139 9% 1.4% $1.9

Getting Around

Ystad

$107 6.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 30.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ystad

$62 3.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 8.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $792 in Ystad versus $1,041 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 19% higher in Ystad. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Ystad versus $44 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $224 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Ystad

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

12:02 12:02 PM

1 h ahead of Ystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,350

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ystad Cape Town 9,950 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ystad
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

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

Ystad costs about 6% 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 $2,469 per month in Ystad and $2,335 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ystad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $792 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,646 in Ystad and $1,556 in Cape Town. That’s a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 22% 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 $1,646 in Ystad and $1,556 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,556 in Cape Town to $1,646 in Ystad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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