Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Knysna

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Knysna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $1,198 in Knysna.

Austin, TX $2,698
Knysna $1,198

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,788 in Knysna.

Austin, TX $4,160
Knysna $1,788

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $2,379 in Knysna.

Austin, TX $5,622
Knysna $2,379

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 125% more expensive than in Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Knysna is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$9.64 R 159

114.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$39.13 R 645

116.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$5.73 R 94.5

110.65%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$2.11 R 34.70

159.72%

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

$3.80 $3.80

$1.07 R 17.57

255.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.72 R 11.84

243.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.34 R 38.49

244.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.78 R 45.75

219.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.19 R 19.58

-6.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.07 R 17.57

247.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$1.47 R 24.27

129.25%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$2.81 R 46.24

53.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$8.66 R 143

51.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$4.90 R 80.8

188.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$8.09 R 133

101.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.59 R 26.22

186.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.54 R 25.32

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.60 R 26.39

194.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.55 R 25.53

167.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.60 R 26.33

61.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.39 R 22.83

69.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.28 R 21.02

38.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.03 R 17.00

107.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.24 R 53.5

211.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$4.97 R 81.9

205.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.21 R 19.91

133.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.54 R 25.44

123.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$1.49 R 24.49

3.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$0.62 R 10.21

351.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.56 R 9.30

185.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$8.34 R 137

311.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.41 R 23.22

-33.33%

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

$34.0K $34.0K

$23.6K R 388.8K

43.99%

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

$26.8K $26.8K

$27.7K R 455.9K

-3.29%

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

$223 $223

$113 R 1,855

97.77%

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

$58.9 $58.9

$33.83 R 557

74.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$44.58 R 735

58.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$48.38 R 797

19.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$9.84 R 162

67.99%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$8.76 R 144

62.79%

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

$1,511 $1,511

$182 R 3,001

729.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$5,898 R 97.2K

254.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$42.18 R 695

21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$33.77 R 556

30.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$107 R 1,770

-19.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$77.4 R 1,275

34.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$514 R 8,462

277.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$480 R 7,912

174.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$837 R 13.8K

337.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$799 R 13.2K

221.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$1,001 R 16.5K

634.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$1,056 R 17.4K

196.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

$942 R 15.5K

460.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.83

-42.60%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Knysna

$480 40.1% 63.5% $836

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Knysna

$190 15.9% 53.2% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Knysna

$191 16% 45.8% $161

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Knysna

$144 12% 58.9% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Knysna

$117 9.8% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Knysna

$66 5.5% 23.6% $20

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8% 83.8% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $514 in Knysna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 461% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $39.00 in Knysna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $190 per month, with Knysna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

09:42 9:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

51,078

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Knysna 14,500 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Knysna

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

Austin, TX vs Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Knysna wins on cost – living expenses run 125% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Knysna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 461% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $514 in Knysna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,511 in Austin, TX versus $182 in Knysna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Knysna – a meal for two runs $39.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,198 in Knysna versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Knysna but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Knysna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Knysna are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Knysna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 125% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.