Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Knysna $1,198
Johannesburg $1,428

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $2,226 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Knysna $1,788
Johannesburg $2,226

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $3,023 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Knysna $2,379
Johannesburg $3,023

Knysna is about 16% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Knysna sits 12% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$12.35 R 204

-21.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$46.17 R 761

-15.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$7.42 R 122

-22.78%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$2.45 R 40.29

-13.88%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.28 R 21.09

-16.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$0.92 R 15.08

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.36 R 38.87

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$2.82 R 46.43

-1.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.37 R 22.51

-13.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.26 R 20.81

-15.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$1.72 R 28.37

-14.53%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$2.76 R 45.42

1.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$8.96 R 148

-3.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$5.74 R 94.5

-14.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$9.17 R 151

-11.78%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$2.12 R 35.00

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.87 R 30.87

-17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.83 R 30.17

-12.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.06 R 33.92

-24.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.68 R 27.63

-4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$1.79 R 29.44

-22.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.47 R 24.22

-12.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$1.31 R 21.66

-21.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$3.53 R 58.2

-8.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$5.93 R 97.7

-16.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.85 R 30.49

-34.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.33 R 38.34

-33.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$2.06 R 33.90

-27.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$0.88 R 14.54

-29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$0.87 R 14.41

-35.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$14.78 R 243

-43.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$1.53 R 25.23

-7.84%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$35.7K R 588.6K

-33.95%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$35.2K R 580.5K

-21.46%

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

$113 R 1,855

$227 R 3,743

-50.44%

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

$33.83 R 557

$39.37 R 649

-14.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$37.62 R 620

18.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$37.85 R 624

27.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$17.16 R 283

-42.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$8.43 R 139

3.91%

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

$182 R 3,001

$248 R 4,089

-26.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$5,491 R 90.5K

7.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$60.2 R 991

-29.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$45.06 R 742

-25.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$112 R 1,846

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$112 R 1,849

-31.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$519 R 8,550

-1.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$416 R 6,861

15.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$1,068 R 17.6K

-21.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$903 R 14.9K

-11.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$1,038 R 17.1K

-3.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$763 R 12.6K

38.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$1,716 R 28.3K

-45.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

10.91

8.43%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Johannesburg

$416 29.2% 13.3% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Johannesburg

$304 21.3% 59.3% $113

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Johannesburg

$223 15.6% 17.3% $33

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Johannesburg

$177 12.4% 22.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Johannesburg

$148 10.4% 26.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Johannesburg

$55 3.8% 17% $11

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Johannesburg

$105 7.4% 1019% $96

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 $519 in Johannesburg. 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 82% higher in Johannesburg, 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 $46.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $223 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

Same time as Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

4,434,827

💱 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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Between locations

Knysna Johannesburg 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
Johannesburg

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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 19% 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 $2,142 in Johannesburg. 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 $1,428 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Knysna and $248 in Johannesburg. 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 Johannesburg at $1,428. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Knysna costs $1,198 versus $1,428 in Johannesburg. 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, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.