Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $1,771 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,771

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,198 in Knysna versus $1,771 in Athens.

Knysna $1,198
Athens $1,771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Knysna versus $2,736 in Athens.

Knysna $1,788
Athens $2,736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,379 in Knysna versus $3,701 in Athens.

Knysna $2,379
Athens $3,701

Living in Knysna costs roughly 32% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Knysna is 12% below, Athens is 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$16.83 €14.97

-42.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$68.2 €60.7

-42.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$11.43 €10.17

-49.87%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$4.06 €3.61

-48.03%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$2.74 €2.44

-60.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$0.53 €0.47

35.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$5.69 €5.06

-58.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$5.68 €5.06

-51.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.85 €1.64

-35.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.44 €1.28

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$2.82 €2.51

-47.87%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$4.86 €4.32

-42.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$15.27 €13.58

-43.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$10.36 €9.21

-52.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$19.10 €16.99

-57.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$2.22 €1.98

-28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.92 €1.71

-19.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.41 €1.25

13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.04 €1.82

-24.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.05 €0.93

52.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$1.17 €1.04

18.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.08 €0.96

18.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$0.84 €0.75

22.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$5.49 €4.89

-40.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$10.17 €9.05

-51.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$2.13 €1.90

-43.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.28 €2.03

-32.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$1.37 €1.22

8.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.71 €26.43

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$4.39 €3.90

-85.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$1.00 €0.89

-44.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$16.63 €14.79

-49.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$2.38 €2.11

-40.76%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$28.4K €25.3K

-16.91%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$27.2K €24.2K

1.68%

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

$113 R 1,855

$203 €181

-44.66%

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

$33.83 R 557

$26.79 €23.83

26.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$30.16 €26.82

47.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$53.7 €47.74

-9.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$26.40 €23.48

-62.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$10.59 €9.42

-17.28%

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

$182 R 3,001

$566 €504

-67.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$12.9K €11.4K

-54.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$89.1 €79.3

-52.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$40.48 €36.01

-16.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$104 €92.3

3.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$124 €111

-37.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$729 €648

-29.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$647 €576

-25.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$1,328 €1,181

-36.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$1,169 €1,040

-31.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$4,024 €3,579

-75.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$3,483 €3,098

-69.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$1,240 €1,103

-24.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

4.48

164.06%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Athens

$647 36.5% 34.8% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Athens

$260 14.7% 36.3% $69

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Athens

$312 17.6% 64.6% $123

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Athens

$271 15.3% 88% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Athens

$161 9.1% 37.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Athens

$75 4.2% 13.6% $9

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Athens

$45 2.5% 375% $35

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 $514 in Knysna and $729 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 32% 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: $39.00 in Knysna vs $68.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $312 per month, with Knysna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

14:22 2:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

1 h ahead of Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Knysna Athens 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
Athens

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

Knysna vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Knysna wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Knysna the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 32% lower in Athens. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $514 in Knysna versus $729 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Knysna versus $566 in Athens. 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 $68.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,198 in Knysna versus $1,771 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Knysna but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Knysna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Knysna delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,198 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Knysna hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Knysna and Athens 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 48% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.