Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Knysna and in Durban: $1,198 and $1,166 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Durban

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $1,166 in Durban, rent included.

Knysna $1,198
Durban $1,166

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $1,788 in Durban, rent included.

Knysna $1,788
Durban $1,788

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $2,411 in Durban, rent included.

Knysna $2,379
Durban $2,411

Knysna costs about 3% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Knysna and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Knysna 12% lower, Durban 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$8.00 R 132

20.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$38.82 R 640

0.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$6.14 R 101

-6.68%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$2.62 R 43.15

-19.47%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.10 R 18.19

-2.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$0.91 R 14.92

-20.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.46 R 40.48

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$2.56 R 42.25

8.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.19 R 19.55

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$0.93 R 15.38

15.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$1.55 R 25.61

-5.16%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$2.34 R 38.49

20.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$8.47 R 140

2.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$5.21 R 85.9

-5.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$7.19 R 119

12.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$2.02 R 33.21

-21.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.89 R 31.10

-18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.93 R 31.79

-17.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.66 R 27.42

-6.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.52 R 24.99

5.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$1.45 R 23.89

-4.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.17 R 19.23

9.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$1.15 R 18.88

-10.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$3.59 R 59.1

-9.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$4.99 R 82.3

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.48 R 24.37

-18.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$1.94 R 31.93

-20.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$1.86 R 30.60

-19.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$0.45 R 7.43

37.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$0.74 R 12.23

-24.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$7.85 R 129

6.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$1.57 R 25.80

-10.19%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$36.1K R 594.9K

-34.64%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$33.2K R 546.3K

-16.54%

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

$113 R 1,855

$151 R 2,482

-25.27%

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

$33.83 R 557

$36.50 R 601

-7.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$39.27 R 647

13.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$32.16 R 530

50.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$8.90 R 147

10.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$7.50 R 123

16.80%

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

$182 R 3,001

$315 R 5,184

-42.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$7,763 R 127.9K

-24.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$54.3 R 895

-22.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$30.58 R 504

10.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$98.7 R 1,627

8.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$83.1 R 1,370

-6.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$470 R 7,738

9.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$405 R 6,666

18.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$824 R 13.6K

1.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$783 R 12.9K

2.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$906 R 14.9K

10.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$589 R 9,707

79.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$1,296 R 21.3K

-27.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

11.78

0.42%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Durban

$405 34.7% 15.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Durban

$226 19.4% 18.5% $35

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Durban

$194 16.7% 2.4% $4.5

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Durban

$139 12% 3.3% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Durban

$120 10.3% 2.3% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Durban

$47 4.1% 28.5% $19

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Durban

$34 2.9% 260% $24

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 $470 in Durban. 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 $39.00 in Knysna versus $39.00 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $194 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

Same time as Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

3,442,361

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Knysna Durban 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
Durban

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 Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Knysna is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,797 per month in Knysna and $1,749 in Durban. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Knysna and $39.00 in Durban. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Knysna – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,166, than in Knysna at $1,198. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Knysna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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