Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $4,049 in London, rent and utilities included – about $34,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Knysna
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,198
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,049
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in London

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $4,049 in London, rent included.

  • Knysna $1,198
  • London $4,049

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $5,827 in London, rent included.

  • Knysna $1,788
  • London $5,827

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $7,605 in London, rent included.

  • Knysna $2,379
  • London $7,605

Knysna is about 70% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Knysna sits 12% below the global median, while London is 199% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Knysna
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.64 R 159
$27.09 £20.33
-64.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.13 R 645
$104 £78.3
-62.50%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.73 R 94.5
$10.86 £8.15
-47.24%
Cappuccino
$2.11 R 34.70
$5.60 £4.20
-62.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 R 17.57
$3.05 £2.29
-64.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 R 11.84
$2.28 £1.71
-68.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.34 R 38.49
$9.23 £6.92
-74.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 R 45.75
$7.95 £5.96
-65.03%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Knysna
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R 19.58
$1.83 £1.37
-34.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 R 17.57
$2.05 £1.54
-47.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.27
$2.47 £1.86
-40.49%
Eggs
$2.81 R 46.24
$5.12 £3.84
-45.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.66 R 143
$12.89 £9.67
-32.82%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.90 R 80.8
$10.84 £8.14
-54.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.09 R 133
$17.03 £12.78
-52.50%
Apples (1kg)
$1.59 R 26.22
$3.07 £2.30
-48.21%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.32
$1.38 £1.03
11.59%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.39
$2.99 £2.24
-46.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 R 25.53
$3.39 £2.54
-54.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.33
$1.60 £1.20
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 22.83
$1.80 £1.35
-22.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 R 21.02
$1.41 £1.06
-9.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 17.00
$1.81 £1.36
-43.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.24 R 53.5
$23.92 £17.94
-86.45%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.97 R 81.9
$13.54 £10.16
-63.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.21 R 19.91
$3.23 £2.42
-62.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 R 25.44
$4.39 £3.29
-64.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Knysna
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.49 R 24.49
$3.92 £2.94
-61.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$243 £182
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.62 R 10.21
$5.58 £4.18
-88.89%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 R 9.30
$3.27 £2.46
-82.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.34 R 137
$58.4 £43.81
-85.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 R 23.22
$2.08 £1.56
-32.21%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K R 388.8K
$38.8K £29.1K
-39.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.7K R 455.9K
$40.6K £30.5K
-31.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Knysna
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 1,855
$380 £285
-70.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.83 R 557
$18.62 £13.97
81.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.58 R 735
$40.45 £30.35
10.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Knysna
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.38 R 797
$61.3 £45.95
-21.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.84 R 162
$21.41 £16.07
-54.04%
Cinema Ticket
$8.76 R 144
$18.09 £13.57
-51.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Knysna
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$182 R 3,001
$2,905 £2,180
-93.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,898 R 97.2K
$35.5K £26.6K
-83.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Knysna
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.18 R 695
$116 £87.3
-63.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.77 R 556
$54.5 £40.89
-38.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 R 1,770
$128 £95.8
-15.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.4 R 1,275
$167 £125
-53.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Knysna
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$514 R 8,462
$2,852 £2,140
-81.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$480 R 7,912
$2,269 £1,702
-78.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$837 R 13.8K
$5,250 £3,939
-84.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$799 R 13.2K
$3,752 £2,815
-78.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,001 R 16.5K
$18.5K £13.9K
-94.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,056 R 17.4K
$8,100 £6,077
-86.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Knysna
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$942 R 15.5K
$5,109 £3,833
-81.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.83
4.74
149.58%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Knysna
$480
London
$2.3K 373% $1.8K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Knysna
$191
London
$439 130% $248
Groceries & Markets
Knysna
$190
London
$353 86.1% $164
Eating Out
Knysna
$144
London
$400 178% $256
Clothing & Footwear
Knysna
$117
London
$209 78.4% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Knysna
$66
London
$97 47.8% $32
Getting Around
Knysna
$9.4 *
London
$280 2886% $271

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 $2,852 in London. 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 442% higher in London, 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 $104 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $353 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Knysna
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
16:43 4:43 PM
15:43 3:43 PM
1 h behind Knysna
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,078
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Knysna London 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Knysna
  • London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is London cheaper than Knysna?
Yes – London is pricier by about 238%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,797 per month in Knysna and $6,073 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
What are total monthly expenses in Knysna and in London?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,198 in Knysna and $4,049 in London. That's a gap of about 238%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Knysna and $2,905 in London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Knysna or in London?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Knysna, where all-in costs run around $1,198, than in London at $4,049. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Knysna or London more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Knysna or London?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Knysna. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Knysna vs other spots: cost of living compared

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