Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Knysna

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.

195

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,049

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,198

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Knysna

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in London and in Knysna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

London $4,049
Knysna $1,198

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

London $5,827
Knysna $1,788

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

London $7,605
Knysna $2,379

London costs about 238% more than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.09 £20.33

$9.64 R 159

181.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$104 £78.3

$39.13 R 645

166.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.15

$5.73 R 94.5

89.53%

Cappuccino

$5.60 £4.20

$2.11 R 34.70

165.40%

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

$3.05 £2.29

$1.07 R 17.57

185.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 £1.71

$0.72 R 11.84

216.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 £6.92

$2.34 R 38.49

294.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 £5.96

$2.78 R 45.75

185.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.19 R 19.58

53.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 £1.54

$1.07 R 17.57

91.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.86

$1.47 R 24.27

68.03%

Eggs

$5.12 £3.84

$2.81 R 46.24

82.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.89 £9.67

$8.66 R 143

48.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.84 £8.14

$4.90 R 80.8

121.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 £12.78

$8.09 R 133

110.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 £2.30

$1.59 R 26.22

93.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 £1.03

$1.54 R 25.32

-10.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$1.60 R 26.39

86.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.55 R 25.53

118.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.60 R 26.33

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.39 R 22.83

29.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.28 R 21.02

10.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.03 R 17.00

75.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.92 £17.94

$3.24 R 53.5

638.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.54 £10.16

$4.97 R 81.9

172.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.21 R 19.91

166.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 £3.29

$1.54 R 25.44

185.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 £2.94

$1.49 R 24.49

163.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$243 £182

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.58 £4.18

$0.62 R 10.21

800.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.27 £2.46

$0.56 R 9.30

483.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.4 £43.81

$8.34 R 137

600.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.41 R 23.22

47.52%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$23.6K R 388.8K

64.56%

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

$40.6K £30.5K

$27.7K R 455.9K

46.75%

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

$380 £285

$113 R 1,855

237.55%

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

$18.62 £13.97

$33.83 R 557

-44.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.45 £30.35

$44.58 R 735

-9.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.3 £45.95

$48.38 R 797

26.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.41 £16.07

$9.84 R 162

117.58%

Cinema Ticket

$18.09 £13.57

$8.76 R 144

106.51%

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

$2,905 £2,180

$182 R 3,001

1494.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.5K £26.6K

$5,898 R 97.2K

502.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 £87.3

$42.18 R 695

175.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 £40.89

$33.77 R 556

61.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 £95.8

$107 R 1,770

18.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$167 £125

$77.4 R 1,275

115.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,852 £2,140

$514 R 8,462

455.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,269 £1,702

$480 R 7,912

372.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,250 £3,939

$837 R 13.8K

527.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,752 £2,815

$799 R 13.2K

369.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.5K £13.9K

$1,001 R 16.5K

1749.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,100 £6,077

$1,056 R 17.4K

667.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,109 £3,833

$942 R 15.5K

442.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

11.83

-59.93%

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

Last update for London: October 19, 2026

Last update for Knysna: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$2.3K 56%

Knysna

$480 40.1% 78.8% $1.8K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$439 10.9%

Knysna

$191 16% 56.5% $248

Eating Out

London

$400 9.9%

Knysna

$144 12% 64% $256

Groceries & Markets

London

$353 8.7%

Knysna

$190 15.9% 46.3% $164

Getting Around

London

$280 6.9%

Knysna

$9.4 * 0.8% 96.7% $271

Clothing & Footwear

London

$209 5.2%

Knysna

$117 9.8% 44% $92

Sport & Entertainment

London

$97 2.4%

Knysna

$66 5.5% 32.4% $32

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,852 in London versus $514 in Knysna. 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 $104 in London versus $39.00 in Knysna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $353 vs $190 – making Knysna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 London

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

1 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,908,083 Capital

51,078

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

London Knysna 9,780 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

London
Knysna

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

London vs Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 238%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,073 per month in London and $1,797 in Knysna. 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 $4,049 in London and $1,198 in Knysna. That's a gap of about 238%.

Kindergarten costs $2,905 per month in London and $182 in Knysna. 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 London at $4,049. In Knysna it covers expenses comfortably, while in London 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, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.