Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
Learn more

Knysna Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

Jump to prices

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Lisbon

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Knysna $1,198
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Knysna $1,788
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Knysna $2,379
Lisbon $4,346

Knysna is about 46% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Knysna sits 12% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$17.04 €15.15

-43.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$62.3 €55.4

-37.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$11.02 €9.80

-48.00%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$3.12 €2.78

-32.37%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$2.27 €2.02

-52.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$1.74 €1.55

-58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$3.42 €3.04

-31.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$3.74 €3.33

-25.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.17 €1.04

1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.86 €1.66

-42.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$1.54 €1.37

-4.55%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$4.06 €3.61

-30.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$12.91 €11.49

-32.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$7.90 €7.03

-37.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$17.64 €15.69

-54.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$2.26 €2.01

-29.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.75 €1.55

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.89 €1.68

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.56 €2.27

-39.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.85 €1.64

-13.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$1.97 €1.75

-29.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.45 €1.29

-11.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$0.77 €0.69

33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$6.71 €5.97

-51.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$5.67 €5.04

-12.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.37 €1.22

-11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.11 €1.88

-27.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$2.32 €2.07

-35.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$3.95 €3.51

-84.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$1.05 €0.93

-46.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$17.15 €15.26

-51.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$2.19 €1.95

-35.62%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$33.8K €30.0K

-30.14%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$38.3K €34.0K

-27.68%

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

$113 R 1,855

$164 €146

-31.27%

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

$33.83 R 557

$18.48 €16.43

83.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$32.96 €29.32

35.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$45.87 €40.80

5.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$18.68 €16.61

-47.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$9.75 €8.67

-10.15%

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

$182 R 3,001

$684 €608

-73.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$17.6K €15.7K

-66.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$104 €92.3

-59.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$46.20 €41.09

-26.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$99.7 €88.7

7.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$125 €111

-37.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$1,589 €1,414

-67.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$1,169 €1,040

-58.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$2,851 €2,536

-70.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$1,993 €1,773

-59.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$7,793 €6,932

-87.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$4,418 €3,930

-76.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$1,600 €1,423

-41.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

3.85

207.27%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 143% $689

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 12.7% $24

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 43.8% $83

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 71.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 43.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 0.8% $0.5

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 570% $54

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 $1,589 in Lisbon. 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 70% higher in Lisbon, 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 $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $273 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

1 h behind Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

545,923 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Knysna Lisbon 8,740 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 84%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,797 per month in Knysna and $3,302 in Lisbon. 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 $2,202 in Lisbon. That's a gap of about 84%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Knysna and $684 in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon at $2,202. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Knysna – 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 Knysna. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.