Cost of living in Kenya
Summary of cost of living in Kenya
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: Shilling320,508
- Single person estimated monthly costs: Shilling167,739 WARNING! These estimates are based on only a few data points. At the moment, you should treat them only as a best guess.
Food | |||
---|---|---|---|
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | Shilling454 | ||
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | Shilling740 | ||
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | Shilling476 | ||
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | Shilling118 | ||
12 eggs, large | Shilling253 | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | Shilling86 | ||
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | Shilling876 | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | Shilling283 | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | Shilling104 | ||
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | Shilling261 | ||
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | Shilling1,499 | ||
2 liters of coca-cola | Shilling190 | ||
Bread for 2 people for 1 day | Shilling34 | ||
Housing | |||
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | Shilling148,548 | ||
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | Shilling85,581 | ||
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | Shilling7,143 | ||
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | Shilling50,712 | ||
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | Shilling54,012 | ||
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | Shilling4,903 | ||
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | Shilling2,892 | ||
40” flat screen tv | Shilling33,137 | ||
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | Shilling16,194 | ||
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | Shilling1,209 | ||
Hourly rate for cleaning help | Shilling550 | ||
Clothes | |||
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | Shilling6,708 | ||
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | Shilling2,827 | ||
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | Shilling8,950 | ||
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | Shilling7,335 | ||
Transportation | |||
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | Shilling2,811,970 | ||
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | Shilling186 | ||
Monthly ticket public transport | Shilling3,875 | ||
Personal Care | |||
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | Shilling303 | ||
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | Shilling414 | ||
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | Shilling2,204 | ||
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | Shilling1,000 | ||
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | Shilling250 | ||
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | Shilling300 | ||
4 rolls of toilet paper | Shilling201 | ||
Tube of toothpaste | Shilling161 | ||
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | Shilling738 | ||
Entertainment | |||
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | Shilling2,503 | ||
2 tickets to the movies | Shilling1,624 | ||
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | Shilling2,421 | ||
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | Shilling5,179 | ||
1 cocktail drink in downtown club | Shilling678 | ||
Cappuccino in expat area of the city | Shilling319 | ||
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | Shilling351 | ||
Ipad wi-fi 128gb | Shilling80,000 | ||
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | - | ||
1 month of gym membership in business district | Shilling4,894 | ||
1 package of marlboro cigarettes | Shilling296 |
Moving to Kenya with your children?
International Schools in Kenya
Map of Cost of Living in Kenya

This map shows only the top cities in Kenya. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 32% more expensive than in Saint Petersburg
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 49% more expensive than in La Plata
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 38% more expensive than in Kigali
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 23% cheaper than in Lagos
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 7% more expensive than in Accra
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 30% cheaper than in Panama City
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 70% more expensive than in Addis Ababa
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 9% cheaper than in Cape Town
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 50% cheaper than in Nottingham
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 5% cheaper than in Kyiv
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 10% more expensive than in Pattaya
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 14% cheaper than in Trois-Rivières
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 15% more expensive than in Hefei
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 46% cheaper than in Libreville
- Cost of living in Nairobi is about the same as in Jaboatao
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 40% more expensive than in Mwanza
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 58% cheaper than in Orlando, Florida
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 47% cheaper than in Hamilton, Canada
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 25% more expensive than in Sao Joao de Meriti
- Cost of living in Nairobi is 22% cheaper than in Granada, Spain