Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Knysna and Ubud, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,198 a month against $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ubud, Bali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index

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Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Knysna and in Ubud, Bali

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

A single person spends $1,198 per month in Knysna vs $1,353 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Knysna $1,198
Ubud, Bali $1,353

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Knysna vs $2,297 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Knysna $1,788
Ubud, Bali $2,297

A family of three spends $2,379 per month in Knysna vs $3,241 in Ubud, Bali, rent included.

Knysna $2,379
Ubud, Bali $3,241

Knysna is about 11% cheaper than Ubud, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Knysna sits 12% below the global median, while Ubud, Bali is 0% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 R 159

$3.23 Rp 58.1K

198.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.13 R 645

$34.88 Rp 627.8K

12.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.5

$5.70 Rp 102.5K

0.53%

Cappuccino

$2.11 R 34.70

$2.62 Rp 47.1K

-19.47%

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

$1.07 R 17.57

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

-37.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.84

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.65 Rp 47.7K

-11.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 45.75

$4.37 Rp 78.6K

-36.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.58

$1.57 Rp 28.3K

-24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.57

$2.19 Rp 39.5K

-51.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.27

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

24.58%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.24

$2.16 Rp 38.8K

30.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.66 R 143

$17.65 Rp 317.7K

-50.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.8

$3.78 Rp 68.0K

29.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$11.95 Rp 215.1K

-32.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.22

$3.60 Rp 64.8K

-55.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

-3.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$2.31 Rp 41.6K

-30.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

-18.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.78 Rp 32.1K

-10.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.83

$2.33 Rp 41.9K

-40.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.02

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.00

$0.53 Rp 9,509

94.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.5

$2.29 Rp 41.1K

41.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 81.9

$22.07 Rp 397.3K

-77.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R 19.91

$2.35 Rp 42.2K

-48.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.44

$2.98 Rp 53.6K

-48.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.49

$0.23 Rp 4,112

547.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.90 Rp 160.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.21

$0.47 Rp 8,466

31.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 R 9.30

$0.43 Rp 7,737

30.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 R 137

$5.47 Rp 98.4K

52.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.22

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

69.88%

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

$23.6K R 388.8K

$23.9K Rp 429.8M

-1.16%

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

$27.7K R 455.9K

$32.8K Rp 590.1M

-15.59%

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

$113 R 1,855

$80.0 Rp 1.4M

40.74%

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

$33.83 R 557

$6.56 Rp 118.1K

415.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.58 R 735

$18.60 Rp 334.8K

139.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.38 R 797

$54.1 Rp 974.1K

-10.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.84 R 162

$18.28 Rp 329.0K

-46.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 R 144

$4.25 Rp 76.5K

106.12%

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

$182 R 3,001

$493 Rp 8.9M

-63.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,898 R 97.2K

$5,597 Rp 100.7M

5.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.18 R 695

$45.58 Rp 820.4K

-7.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.77 R 556

$34.96 Rp 629.4K

-3.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 R 1,770

$77.7 Rp 1.4M

38.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,275

$78.5 Rp 1.4M

-1.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 R 8,462

$1,131 Rp 20.4M

-54.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,912

$673 Rp 12.1M

-28.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$837 R 13.8K

$3,613 Rp 65.0M

-76.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$799 R 13.2K

$1,702 Rp 30.6M

-53.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.5K

$2,717 Rp 48.9M

-63.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,056 R 17.4K

$2,241 Rp 40.3M

-52.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$942 R 15.5K

$166 Rp 3.0M

466.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.83

13.78

-14.15%

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

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Knysna

$480 40.1%

Ubud, Bali

$673 49.7% 40.1% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Knysna

$191 16%

Ubud, Bali

$105 7.8% 44.9% $86

Groceries & Markets

Knysna

$190 15.9%

Ubud, Bali

$287 21.2% 51.3% $97

Eating Out

Knysna

$144 12%

Ubud, Bali

$106 7.9% 26.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Knysna

$117 9.8%

Ubud, Bali

$107 7.9% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Knysna

$66 5.5%

Ubud, Bali

$63 4.6% 5% $3.3

Getting Around

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8%

Ubud, Bali

$12 0.9% 32.4% $3

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 $1,131 in Ubud, Bali. 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 466% 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 $35.00 in Ubud, Bali. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Knysna vs $287 in Ubud, Bali – so Knysna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Knysna

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

6 h ahead of Knysna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

51,078

74,800

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Knysna Ubud, Bali 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Knysna
Ubud, Bali

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 Ubud, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ubud, Bali is pricier by about 13%, 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 $2,030 in Ubud, Bali. 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 $1,353 in Ubud, Bali. That's a gap of about 13%.

Kindergarten costs $182 per month in Knysna and $493 in Ubud, Bali. 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 Ubud, Bali at $1,353. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ubud, Bali 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, Ubud, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.