Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $2,381 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $14,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index
115

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Barcelona

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 Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,198 in Knysna versus $2,381 in Barcelona.

Knysna $1,198
Barcelona $2,381

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,788 in Knysna versus $3,406 in Barcelona.

Knysna $1,788
Barcelona $3,406

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,379 in Knysna versus $4,431 in Barcelona.

Knysna $2,379
Barcelona $4,431

Living in Knysna costs roughly 50% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Knysna is 12% below, Barcelona is 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$17.89 €15.92

-46.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$66.2 €58.9

-40.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$13.69 €12.18

-58.14%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$3.06 €2.72

-31.05%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$3.07 €2.73

-65.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$1.94 €1.73

-62.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$3.87 €3.44

-39.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$4.61 €4.10

-39.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.30 €1.16

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$2.10 €1.87

-49.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$1.83 €1.62

-19.67%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$4.62 €4.11

-39.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$17.36 €15.44

-50.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$9.28 €8.25

-47.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$19.83 €17.64

-59.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$3.01 €2.68

-47.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$2.03 €1.81

-24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$2.65 €2.36

-39.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.87 €2.55

-45.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$2.16 €1.92

-25.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$2.15 €1.91

-35.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.47 €1.31

-12.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$0.88 €0.79

17.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$6.93 €6.16

-53.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$7.83 €6.96

-36.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.39 €1.24

-12.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.63 €2.34

-41.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$2.91 €2.59

-48.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.46 €22.64

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$3.00 €2.66

-79.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$1.44 €1.28

-61.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$33.20 €29.53

-74.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$1.86 €1.65

-24.19%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$32.3K €28.8K

-27.03%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$31.7K €28.2K

-12.71%

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

$113 R 1,855

$183 €163

-38.40%

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

$33.83 R 557

$13.61 €12.11

148.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$32.93 €29.29

35.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$54.7 €48.65

-11.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$16.52 €14.70

-40.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$11.23 €9.99

-21.99%

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

$182 R 3,001

$954 €849

-80.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$16.6K €14.8K

-64.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$86.0 €76.5

-50.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$39.11 €34.78

-13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$104 €92.2

3.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$119 €106

-34.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$1,695 €1,508

-69.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$1,276 €1,135

-62.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$2,576 €2,291

-67.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$1,922 €1,710

-58.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$7,281 €6,477

-86.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$5,010 €4,456

-78.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$2,227 €1,981

-57.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

3.28

260.67%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 53.6% 166% $796

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Barcelona

$229 9.6% 20.1% $38

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.7% 71.2% $135

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 87.2% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Barcelona

$156 6.6% 33.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Barcelona

$77 3.2% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Barcelona

$47 2% 404% $38

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 $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 136% 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 $66.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $325 per month, with Knysna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

Same time as Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

1,660,122

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Knysna Barcelona 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Knysna and Barcelona differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($1,198 vs $2,381 including rent). Knysna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 136% lower in Barcelona. 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 $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $182 in Knysna versus $954 in Barcelona. 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 $66.0 in Barcelona. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,198 in Knysna versus $2,381 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Knysna but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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, Knysna and Barcelona 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 99% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.