Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Knysna $1,198
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Knysna $1,788
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Knysna $2,379
Cape Town $3,320

Knysna is about 25% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Knysna sits 12% below the global median, while Cape Town is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$12.07 R 199

-20.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$46.65 R 769

-16.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$6.20 R 102

-7.58%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$2.50 R 41.13

-15.60%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.35 R 22.28

-20.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$1.00 R 16.47

-28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$3.06 R 50.4

-23.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$3.67 R 60.5

-24.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.30 R 21.45

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.27 R 20.89

-15.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$2.17 R 35.68

-32.26%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$3.09 R 50.9

-9.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$8.98 R 148

-3.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$6.99 R 115

-29.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$9.67 R 159

-16.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$1.87 R 30.78

-14.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.93 R 31.72

-20.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.77 R 29.13

-9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.18 R 35.86

-28.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.52 R 25.07

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$1.56 R 25.63

-10.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.32 R 21.74

-3.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$1.15 R 18.97

-10.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$3.72 R 61.4

-12.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$6.01 R 99.0

-17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.34 R 22.13

-9.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.13 R 35.11

-27.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$1.55 R 25.53

-3.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$0.60 R 9.85

3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$1.54 R 25.36

-63.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$5.01 R 82.5

66.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$1.60 R 26.33

-11.88%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$35.4K R 583.4K

-33.36%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$34.7K R 570.9K

-20.13%

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

$113 R 1,855

$119 R 1,955

-5.10%

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

$33.83 R 557

$29.42 R 485

14.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$39.81 R 656

11.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$50.8 R 836

-4.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$10.93 R 180

-9.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$8.99 R 148

-2.56%

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

$182 R 3,001

$261 R 4,303

-30.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$6,966 R 114.8K

-15.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$56.1 R 925

-24.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$33.26 R 548

1.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$121 R 1,999

-11.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$108 R 1,779

-28.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$1,028 R 16.9K

-50.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$720 R 11.9K

-33.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$1,835 R 30.2K

-54.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$1,360 R 22.4K

-41.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$2,407 R 39.6K

-58.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$1,504 R 24.8K

-29.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$1,649 R 27.2K

-42.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

10.97

7.84%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Cape Town

$720 45% 49.8% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 1.6% $3.1

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 19.1% $36

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 23.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Cape Town

$143 9% 22.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 4.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 707% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $514 in Knysna versus $1,028 in Cape Town. 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 75% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Knysna versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $226 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

Same time as Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Knysna Cape Town 430 km

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Knysna
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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

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

Cape Town costs about 33% 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 $1,797 per month in Knysna and $2,398 in Cape Town. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,198 in Knysna and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Knysna and $261 in Cape Town. 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 $1,198, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Knysna costs $1,198 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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