Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Knysna

For one person, living is cheaper in Knysna: $1,193 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Knysna
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Knysna Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Knysna

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria 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 Pretoria and in Knysna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,193 in Knysna, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Knysna $1,193

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,775 in Knysna, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Knysna $1,775

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,357 in Knysna, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Knysna $2,357

Pretoria costs about 7% more than Knysna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Knysna are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, Knysna 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 148

$9.44 R 157

-5.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 615

$39.22 R 654

-5.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 88.2

$5.80 R 96.6

-8.62%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 38.20

$2.09 R 34.77

9.57%

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

$1.06 R 17.68

$1.04 R 17.36

1.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.26

$0.74 R 12.31

16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.97

$2.36 R 39.28

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 57.0

$2.72 R 45.37

25.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.89

$1.16 R 19.41

-2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.96

$1.00 R 16.63

14.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.51

$1.49 R 24.84

22.82%

Eggs

$2.41 R 40.23

$2.70 R 45.04

-10.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 141

$8.56 R 143

-1.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 83.4

$4.87 R 81.2

2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 123

$8.10 R 135

-8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.88

$1.63 R 27.22

9.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 28.02

$1.46 R 24.28

15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.64

$1.56 R 26.03

14.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.34

$1.52 R 25.30

3.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.97

$1.66 R 27.68

-34.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.68

$1.43 R 23.91

-17.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.62

$1.22 R 20.27

-3.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.43

$1.02 R 17.06

26.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 54.5

$3.19 R 53.1

2.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 86.2

$4.72 R 78.7

9.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.86

$1.19 R 19.79

30.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 31.31

$1.46 R 24.28

28.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 76.5

$1.79 R 29.81

156.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 3,021

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.18

$0.83 R 13.80

-62.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.18

$0.52 R 8.64

51.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 245

$8.29 R 138

77.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.49

$1.47 R 24.53

4.08%

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

$35.7K R 595.4K

$23.4K R 389.8K

52.76%

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

$35.1K R 584.9K

$28.2K R 470.6K

24.29%

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

$150 R 2,498

$110 R 1,838

35.89%

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

$36.66 R 611

$32.86 R 548

11.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 612

$43.51 R 725

-15.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 533

$47.47 R 791

-32.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 172

$10.83 R 181

-4.99%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 118

$8.55 R 142

-17.31%

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

$261 R 4,348

$176 R 2,938

48.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 249.6K

$5,855 R 97.6K

155.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 876

$41.94 R 699

25.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 544

$33.00 R 550

-1.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,534

$107 R 1,789

-14.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,384

$75.9 R 1,264

9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,507

$505 R 8,409

-10.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,882

$486 R 8,105

-27.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 17.1K

$808 R 13.5K

26.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$794 R 13.2K

-8.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.6K

$755 R 12.6K

15.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.9K

$1,011 R 16.8K

-35.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 23.3K

$940 R 15.7K

48.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.83

-4.14%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Knysna: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Knysna

$486 40.8% 37.8% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Knysna

$187 15.6% 16.4% $37

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Knysna

$11 * 0.9% 94.8% $193

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Knysna

$187 15.7% 3.7% $7.1

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Knysna

$142 11.9% 1.1% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Knysna

$116 9.7% 0.8% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Knysna

$65 5.4% 40% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $451 in Pretoria versus $505 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 49% higher in Pretoria. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Pretoria versus $39 in Knysna. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Pretoria vs $187 in Knysna – so Knysna wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Knysna

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

51,078

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Pretoria Knysna 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
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

Pretoria vs Knysna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Pretoria and $1,790 in Knysna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $451 there versus $505 in Knysna.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,193 in Knysna. That makes Knysna about 7% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $176 in Knysna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,193 in Knysna, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Knysna has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,193 in Knysna to $1,278 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Knysna. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pretoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.