Cost of Living · ZA vs NO
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇳🇴 Oslo: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $2,080 in Norway — 149.71% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Norway
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 34.92%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 34.94%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 35.04%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +185.25%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +185.25%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +185.25%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Norway | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $1,482 (15,406 NOK) | +185.25% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $1,186 (12,325 NOK) | +185.25% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $2,710 (28,170 NOK) | +185.25% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $15.80 (164 NOK) | +127.99% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $65.81 (684 NOK) | +127.87% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $9.77 (102 NOK) | +111.47% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $1.00 (10 NOK) | +81.82% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $2.91 (30 NOK) | +81.88% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $3.09 (32 NOK) | +81.76% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $9.09 (95 NOK) | +81.8% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $3.64 (38 NOK) | +82% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $4.36 (45 NOK) | +81.67% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $10.91 (113 NOK) | +82.14% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.82 (19 NOK) | +82% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $5.27 (55 NOK) | +128.14% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $7.63 (79 NOK) | +35.04% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $4.39 (46 NOK) | +127.46% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $2.09 (22 NOK) | +81.74% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $57.72 (600 NOK) | +111.43% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $2.44 (25 NOK) | +110.34% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $3.51 (36 NOK) | +127.92% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.58 (16 NOK) | +128.99% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.91 (9 NOK) | +35.82% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $178 (1,846 NOK) | +111.43% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $62.16 (646 NOK) | +111.43% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $39.96 (415 NOK) | +111.43% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $43.88 (456 NOK) | +127.83% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $12.29 (128 NOK) | +128.01% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $26.33 (274 NOK) | +127.97% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $52.45 (545 NOK) | +34.94% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $85.82 (892 NOK) | +34.92% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $219 (2,281 NOK) | +127.86% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Norway than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,080 in Norway versus $833 in South Africa — 149.71% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Norway?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $5.27 in Norway (≈ 54.79 NOK), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Norway compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,482/month in Norway versus $520/month in South Africa (+185.25%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.