A budget knife in CS2 currently costs around $40 to $50: that covers the Navaja Knife | Ultraviolet, Paracord Knife | Boreal Forest, Huntsman Knife | Rust Coat and two Gut Knives, Bright Water and Freehand. All figures below are starting prices for the cheapest wear; low-float copies cost noticeably more. Each of these knives has a recognizable design, and their prices barely depend on the pattern, which is what keeps them in the budget tier.
Knives remain among the rarest items in CS2, and copies where the pattern index strongly changes the artwork are especially expensive. Besides cases, since October 2025 a knife can also be obtained through a trade-up contract of 5 Covert skins, covered in detail in our guide to crafting knives and gloves. Still, buying an inexpensive knife outright is usually simpler and cheaper, and here are the options that stay affordable. For the full list of models with prices, see all CS2 knives.
★ Navaja Knife | Ultraviolet
The Navaja Knife | Ultraviolet is a minimalist skin in just two colors. Black paint covers the blade and the part of the handle it attaches to, while the rear of the handle is solid purple. At higher floats you get not only scuffs on the body but also a strip of worn paint along the cutting edge, which makes those copies distinctive in their own way. It costs from $40 in Field-Tested and about $50 in Minimal Wear.
★ Gut Knife | Freehand
If you are after a budget knife in CS2, the Freehand finish is worth a look, for example the Gut Knife | Freehand. The whole blade is covered in white drawings on a dark purple background, from symbols and arrows to geometric shapes, and their placement depends on the pattern index. Such detailed artwork suffers at heavy wear, but the skin only goes up to a 0.48 float, so affordable copies in decent condition are easy to find: from $50 in Field-Tested and about $65 in Factory New.
★ Gut Knife | Bright Water
Bright Water knives are arguably the most colorful of the inexpensive ones. On the Gut Knife | Bright Water, both the blade and the handle carry a camouflage pattern in various shades of blue and light blue. The placement of the spots depends on the pattern index, but the variations do not differ in any meaningful way. It costs from $45 in Field-Tested and about $55 in Factory New.
★ Huntsman Knife | Rust Coat
Rust Coat exists only in Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred, and many players actually prefer the latter. The rust layer that defines these knives covers more of the surface at higher wear and looks more vivid, turning the blade orange-brown. If you like skins that look as if the weapon has a history, the Huntsman Knife | Rust Coat fits: about $45 in Battle-Scarred and about $60 in Well-Worn. Other knives that look good with heavy wear are collected in our list of knives with a high float.
★ Paracord Knife | Boreal Forest
A budget list would not be complete without a camo skin. There are two popular options here: the darker Forest DDPAT (a pixelated forest camo) and the higher-contrast Boreal Forest. The wide, straight blade of the Paracord Knife | Boreal Forest pairs especially well with the latter. The placement of the spots changes with the pattern index. It costs from $40 in the worn grades, while a rare Factory New copy is about $110.
If you want gloves to match a budget knife, see our top 5 budget knife and glove combos, and for more low-cost models check 10 affordable knives in CS2. Every knife in this article is available on LIS-SKINS.
