Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Phuket

For one person, living costs are similar in Knysna and in Phuket: $1,198 and $1,208 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Phuket

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $1,208 in Phuket, rent included.

Knysna $1,198
Phuket $1,208

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $2,027 in Phuket, rent included.

Knysna $1,788
Phuket $2,027

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $2,845 in Phuket, rent included.

Knysna $2,379
Phuket $2,845

Knysna is about 1% cheaper than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Knysna and Phuket are more affordable than the global median – Knysna 12% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$4.40 ฿147

119.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$32.26 ฿1,078

21.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$8.76 ฿293

-34.59%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$2.83 ฿94.5

-25.44%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$0.90 ฿30.14

18.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$0.47 ฿15.56

53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.55 ฿85.2

-8.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$3.83 ฿128

-27.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.73 ฿57.7

-31.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.47 ฿49.11

-27.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$1.51 ฿50.6

-2.65%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$2.17 ฿72.7

29.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$19.70 ฿658

-56.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$3.34 ฿112

46.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$11.16 ฿373

-27.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$2.85 ฿95.1

-44.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.70 ฿56.9

-9.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$2.19 ฿73.3

-26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$2.05 ฿68.4

-24.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.45 ฿48.57

10.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$1.38 ฿46.16

0.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.07 ฿35.69

19.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$0.51 ฿16.91

101.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$4.26 ฿142

-23.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$18.58 ฿621

-73.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.78 ฿59.7

-32.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.85 ฿95.2

-45.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$2.26 ฿75.6

-34.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$3.01 ฿101

-79.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$1.06 ฿35.34

-47.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$3.86 ฿129

116.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$1.45 ฿48.45

-2.76%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-10.37%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

2.71%

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

$113 R 1,855

$96.4 ฿3,221

16.81%

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

$33.83 R 557

$11.04 ฿369

206.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$17.14 ฿573

160.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$52.2 ฿1,744

-7.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$11.16 ฿373

-11.83%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$7.81 ฿261

12.16%

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

$182 R 3,001

$556 ฿18.6K

-67.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

-49.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$64.2 ฿2,146

-34.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$28.69 ฿959

17.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$95.4 ฿3,187

12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$88.0 ฿2,940

-12.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$737 ฿24.6K

-30.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$462 ฿15.5K

3.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$2,095 ฿70.0K

-60.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$1,201 ฿40.1K

-33.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-71.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-58.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$501 ฿16.7K

88.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

5.57

112.39%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Phuket

$462 38.3% 3.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 34.8% $66

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 41.5% $79

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Phuket

$121 10% 15.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 5.9% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 2.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 320% $30

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 $737 in Phuket. 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 88% higher in Knysna, 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 $32.00 in Phuket. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Knysna vs $269 in Phuket – so Knysna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

5 h ahead of Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

79,308

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Knysna Phuket 9,170 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,797 per month in Knysna and $1,813 in Phuket. 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 $1,208 in Phuket. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Knysna and $556 in Phuket. 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 Phuket at $1,208. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket 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, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.