Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,193 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Knysna $2,357

Cape Town costs about 28% more than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Knysna is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.44 R 155

27.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 706

$39.22 R 645

9.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$5.80 R 95.4

6.03%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.97

$2.09 R 34.33

13.40%

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

$1.27 R 20.93

$1.04 R 17.13

22.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.43

$0.74 R 12.15

27.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.68

$2.36 R 38.78

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.7

$2.72 R 44.79

35.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.70

$1.16 R 19.16

13.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.83

$1.00 R 16.42

21.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.19

$1.49 R 24.52

47.65%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.0

$2.70 R 44.46

14.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.56 R 141

1.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$4.87 R 80.2

41.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$8.10 R 133

14.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.02

$1.63 R 26.88

12.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.07

$1.46 R 23.97

33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.27

$1.56 R 25.70

6.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.13

$1.52 R 24.98

40.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.96

$1.66 R 27.33

-4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.25

$1.43 R 23.60

2.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.14

$1.22 R 20.01

10.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.82

$1.02 R 16.84

11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.9

$3.19 R 52.5

12.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.6

$4.72 R 77.7

28.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.91

$1.19 R 19.53

16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.84

$1.46 R 23.97

49.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.98

$1.79 R 29.43

-21.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 999

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.24

$0.83 R 13.62

12.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.81

$0.52 R 8.53

73.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.6

$8.29 R 136

-40.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.33

$1.47 R 24.21

4.76%

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

$35.4K R 581.8K

$23.4K R 384.8K

51.20%

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

$33.4K R 549.0K

$28.2K R 464.6K

18.17%

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

$117 R 1,926

$110 R 1,815

6.14%

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

$25.71 R 423

$32.86 R 541

-21.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 648

$43.51 R 716

-9.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 849

$47.47 R 781

8.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$10.83 R 178

4.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.55 R 141

3.98%

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

$308 R 5,061

$176 R 2,900

74.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.9K

$5,855 R 96.3K

39.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 944

$41.94 R 690

36.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 522

$33.00 R 543

-3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,908

$107 R 1,766

8.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,657

$75.9 R 1,248

32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$505 R 8,301

107.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$486 R 8,001

37.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.6K

$808 R 13.3K

130.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$794 R 13.1K

77.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.6K

$755 R 12.4K

219.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.8K

$1,011 R 16.6K

55.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.8K

$940 R 15.5K

73.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

11.83

-7.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Knysna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 27.3% $183

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 16.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 2.5% $4.5

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 18.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 15.6% $21

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 85.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 7% $4.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $505 in Knysna. 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 73% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $39 in Knysna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $187 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

23:01 11:01 PM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

51,078

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cape Town Knysna 430 km

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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

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

Cape Town costs about 28% more than Knysna, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,790 in Knysna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Knysna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $505 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,193 in Knysna. That makes Knysna about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $176 in Knysna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Knysna, where all-in costs run around $1,193, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Knysna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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