Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,120 a month against $1,193 in Knysna, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Knysna outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Durban vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Durban $1,120
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Durban vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Durban $1,725
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Durban vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Durban $2,330
Knysna $2,357

Durban is about 6% cheaper than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Durban and Knysna are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Knysna 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 R 141

$9.44 R 155

-9.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 R 605

$39.22 R 645

-6.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 99.6

$5.80 R 95.4

4.31%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 43.78

$2.09 R 34.33

27.27%

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

$1.06 R 17.49

$1.04 R 17.13

1.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.80

$0.74 R 12.15

13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.03

$2.36 R 38.78

2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.18

$2.72 R 44.79

-10.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.53

$1.16 R 19.16

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.84

$1.00 R 16.42

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.55

$1.49 R 24.52

Eggs

$2.26 R 37.11

$2.70 R 44.46

-16.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$8.56 R 141

-5.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.2

$4.87 R 80.2

2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R 124

$8.10 R 133

-6.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 32.62

$1.63 R 26.88

21.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 31.94

$1.46 R 23.97

32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.77

$1.56 R 25.70

23.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.82

$1.52 R 24.98

7.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.63

$1.66 R 27.33

-13.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.48

$1.43 R 23.60

-4.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.90

$1.22 R 20.01

-0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.40

$1.02 R 16.84

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 57.9

$3.19 R 52.5

10.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 78.0

$4.72 R 77.7

0.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.32

$1.19 R 19.53

24.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.92

$1.46 R 23.97

32.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.79 R 29.43

-1.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 360

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.60

$0.83 R 13.62

-51.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.70

$0.52 R 8.53

36.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 R 128

$8.29 R 136

-6.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.88

$1.47 R 24.21

2.72%

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

$35.9K R 590.0K

$23.4K R 384.8K

53.33%

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

$33.4K R 549.5K

$28.2K R 464.6K

18.28%

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

$147 R 2,422

$110 R 1,815

33.50%

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

$38.50 R 633

$32.86 R 541

17.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.93 R 624

$43.51 R 716

-12.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 R 498

$47.47 R 781

-36.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 R 148

$10.83 R 178

-16.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R 119

$8.55 R 141

-15.09%

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

$309 R 5,087

$176 R 2,900

75.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,433 R 122.3K

$5,855 R 96.3K

26.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 865

$41.94 R 690

25.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.16 R 447

$33.00 R 543

-17.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 R 1,575

$107 R 1,766

-10.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R 1,346

$75.9 R 1,248

7.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 R 6,981

$505 R 8,301

-15.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 R 6,033

$486 R 8,001

-24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 R 12.9K

$808 R 13.3K

-2.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$794 R 13.1K

-8.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.7K

$755 R 12.4K

10.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,465

$1,011 R 16.6K

-43.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.4K

$940 R 15.5K

38.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

11.83

-1.10%

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

Last update for Durban: 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

Durban

$367 32.8%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 32.6% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$224 20%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 16.5% $37

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 17.2%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 3% $5.9

Eating Out

Durban

$143 12.8%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 0.6% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$116 10.3%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 0.3% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$45 4%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 44.2% $20

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 67.9% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Durban 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 38% higher in Durban, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban versus $39 in Knysna. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Durban vs $187 in Knysna – so Knysna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

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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Between locations

Durban Knysna 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
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

Durban vs Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Knysna is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,680 per month in Durban 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 Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $505 in Knysna.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban and $39 in Knysna. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Knysna – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,120 in Durban and $1,193 in Knysna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.