Not every CS2 knife costs thousands. Some finishes on smaller knife models go for well under $100 — roughly the same price as many Covert skins. If you've always wanted a knife in your inventory but don't want to spend a fortune, this is where to look.
We pulled every knife (no gloves — those are a separate category) from all 42 weapon cases and sorted them by current market price. These are the 10 cheapest knives you can actually get from a case opening, plus a full top-20 table below for quick reference.
The Navaja Knife Rust Coat is consistently the cheapest knife in all of CS2. At just $50.00, it's actually cheaper than plenty of Classified and even some Restricted skins. The Navaja is the smallest knife model in the game — a compact folding design inspired by traditional Spanish pocket knives. The Rust Coat finish adds a raw, weathered look that some players genuinely prefer over flashier options.
You can get it from the Prisma Case or Prisma 2 Case, both of which sit under $3 on the market. It won't turn heads in a lobby, but it's a real knife that equips and animates just like a Karambit Fade — it just costs about 200 times less.
Almost identical in price to the Rust Coat above. Safari Mesh is one of those finishes that shows up on every knife model in the game — it's the "default budget" pattern. On the Navaja, it looks like a simple olive-green camo. Drops from the Danger Zone Case and Horizon Case.
The Shadow Daggers are a dual-wield knife — you pull out two blades instead of one. That unique draw animation alone makes them worth considering over a Navaja. The Forest DDPAT is a classic woodland camo that's been in CS since the original game, and on the daggers it looks surprisingly clean. Only drops from the Shadow Case.
Two more Navaja finishes sitting right around $60.00. The Navaja dominates the bottom of the knife price chart because it's a smaller, newer model without the nostalgia premium that Karambits or M9 Bayonets carry. Both drop from the Danger Zone and Horizon Cases — the same pair of budget cases that introduced the Navaja, Stiletto, Talon, and Ursus knife families back in 2018.
More Shadow Daggers in the budget zone. The Boreal Forest is a dark, muted green camo and the Safari Mesh is lighter. Both exclusively drop from the Shadow Case — one of the cheapest cases at around $3.28. If you like the dual-wield animation, any of these three Shadow Daggers finishes gets you there for under $65.
Once you get past the Navajas and Shadow Daggers, prices start to climb — but only gradually. The Paracord Knife Safari Mesh ($62.99), Survival Knife Boreal Forest ($63.71), and Gut Knife Safari Mesh ($65.67) are all under $70. The Gut Knife is a classic CS model that drops from nearly a dozen cases, while the Paracord and Survival Knife come exclusively from Fracture and Shattered Web.
The Gut Knife gets memed a lot in the CS community, but it's actually a solid budget pick. It has a unique inspection animation and it drops from so many cases that you have tons of options for which case to open. If you just want a knife and don't care about flex factor, the Gut Knife in Safari Mesh or Scorched is hard to beat.
Top 20 Cheapest CS2 Knives
| # | Knife | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Navaja Knife | Rust Coat Navaja Knife | $50.00 |
| 2 | Navaja Knife | Safari Mesh Navaja Knife | $55.28 |
| 3 | Shadow Daggers | Forest DDPAT Shadow Daggers | $57.50 |
| 4 |  Navaja Knife | Forest DDPAT Navaja Knife | $59.83 |
| 5 |  Navaja Knife | Night Stripe Navaja Knife | $59.89 |
| 6 |  Navaja Knife | Boreal Forest Navaja Knife | $60.00 |
| 7 |  Shadow Daggers | Boreal Forest Shadow Daggers | $61.78 |
| 8 |  Navaja Knife | Stained Navaja Knife | $61.86 |
| 9 |  Shadow Daggers | Safari Mesh Shadow Daggers | $62.19 |
| 10 |  Navaja Knife | Urban Masked Navaja Knife | $62.58 |
| 11 |  Paracord Knife | Safari Mesh Paracord Knife | $62.99 |
| 12 |  Shadow Daggers | Bright Water Shadow Daggers | $63.31 |
| 13 |  Shadow Daggers | Black Laminate Shadow Daggers | $63.37 |
| 14 |  Navaja Knife | Scorched Navaja Knife | $63.48 |
| 15 |  Survival Knife | Boreal Forest Survival Knife | $63.71 |
| 16 |  Shadow Daggers | Rust Coat Shadow Daggers | $63.71 |
| 17 |  Paracord Knife | Rust Coat Paracord Knife | $65.01 |
| 18 |  Survival Knife | Safari Mesh Survival Knife | $65.49 |
| 19 |  Gut Knife | Safari Mesh Gut Knife | $65.67 |
| 20 |  Shadow Daggers | Urban Masked Shadow Daggers | $67.05 |
What Makes a Knife Cheap?
Three things determine how much a CS2 knife costs. The model matters most — Karambits, Butterfly Knives, and M9 Bayonets command a massive premium regardless of finish. Every Karambit in the game starts above $200, while Navajas and Gut Knives can dip below $70. The finish is the second factor. Budget finishes like Safari Mesh, Boreal Forest, Rust Coat, and Scorched are always the cheapest versions of any model. And wear plays a role too — Battle-Scarred and Well-Worn conditions are cheaper than Factory New or Minimal Wear.
If you just want a knife in your inventory and don't care about the specific model, the Navaja Knife in any budget finish is the way to go. If you want something more visually interesting, the Shadow Daggers or Gut Knife are the next tier up — still under $70 in their cheapest finishes.
FAQ
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Further Reading
- →Cheapest CS2 Cases — the 10 cheapest weapon cases ranked by market price.
- →Best Cases by ROI — cases ranked by expected return, not just price.
- →Case Opening Simulator — open any case for free with real Valve drop rates.