Cost of Living · SE vs ZA
🇸🇪 Stockholm vs 🇿🇦 Cape Town: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,862 in Sweden vs $833 in South Africa — 55.27% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in South Africa
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -60.27%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -60.27%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -60.27%
Closest to Sweden prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -22.99%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -23.18%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -23.19%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Sweden | South Africa | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $1,307 | $520 (9,293 ZAR) | -60.27% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $1,046 | $416 (7,435 ZAR) | -60.27% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $2,391 | $950 (16,994 ZAR) | -60.27% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $14.31 | $6.93 (124 ZAR) | -51.57% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $59.64 | $28.88 (517 ZAR) | -51.58% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $8.93 | $4.62 (83 ZAR) | -48.26% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.93 | $0.55 (10 ZAR) | -40.86% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.71 | $1.60 (29 ZAR) | -40.96% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.88 | $1.70 (30 ZAR) | -40.97% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $8.47 | $5.00 (89 ZAR) | -40.97% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $3.39 | $2.00 (36 ZAR) | -41% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $4.06 | $2.40 (43 ZAR) | -40.89% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $10.16 | $5.99 (107 ZAR) | -41.04% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.69 | $1.00 (18 ZAR) | -40.83% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $4.77 | $2.31 (41 ZAR) | -51.57% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $7.36 | $5.65 (101 ZAR) | -23.23% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.98 | $1.93 (35 ZAR) | -51.51% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.95 | $1.15 (21 ZAR) | -41.03% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $52.78 | $27.30 (488 ZAR) | -48.28% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $2.23 | $1.16 (21 ZAR) | -47.98% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $3.18 | $1.54 (28 ZAR) | -51.57% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.43 | $0.69 (12 ZAR) | -51.75% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.87 | $0.67 (12 ZAR) | -22.99% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $162 | $84.00 (1,503 ZAR) | -48.28% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $56.84 | $29.40 (526 ZAR) | -48.28% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $36.54 | $18.90 (338 ZAR) | -48.28% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $39.76 | $19.26 (345 ZAR) | -51.56% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $11.13 | $5.39 (96 ZAR) | -51.57% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $23.86 | $11.55 (207 ZAR) | -51.59% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $50.60 | $38.87 (695 ZAR) | -23.18% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $82.81 | $63.61 (1,138 ZAR) | -23.19% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $199 | $96.28 (1,722 ZAR) | -51.57% |
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 cheaper is South Africa than Sweden?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $833 in South Africa versus $1,862 in Sweden — 55.27% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in South Africa?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.31 in South Africa (≈ 41.32 ZAR), versus about $4.77 in Sweden.
- How much is rent in South Africa compared to Sweden?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $520/month in South Africa versus $1,307/month in Sweden (-60.27%). 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.