Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $502 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
Learn more

Malindi Living Index

Jump to prices

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Malindi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $502 in Malindi.

Austin, TX $2,704
Malindi $502

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $787 in Malindi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Malindi $787

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,072 in Malindi.

Austin, TX $5,562
Malindi $1,072

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 438% more expensive than in Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Malindi is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.06 KES 267

881.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$23.42 KES 3,038

263.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$10.55 KES 1,369

17.06%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$3.58 KES 465

52.79%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.98 KES 128

289.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.42 KES 54.1

495.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.32 KES 301

247.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$3.24 KES 420

177.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.94 KES 122

20.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.53 KES 68.5

613.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.22 KES 158

166.39%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.82 KES 236

127.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$11.22 KES 1,455

16.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.57 KES 723

156.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$5.03 KES 652

217.30%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.18 KES 283

100.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.79 KES 102

83.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.82 KES 236

149.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$0.70 KES 90.7

498.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.66 KES 85.6

298.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.66 KES 85.5

257.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.57 KES 73.5

208.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.43 KES 55.4

402.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$4.71 KES 611

108.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$7.82 KES 1,014

88.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$2.02 KES 262

37.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$2.87 KES 372

21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.09 KES 401

-13.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$1.76 KES 228

-10.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$4.61 KES 598

665.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.38 KES 179

-28.26%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$11.9K KES 1.5M

201.46%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$11.9K KES 1.5M

129.06%

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

$219 $219

$55.5 KES 7,192

295.44%

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

$58.0 $58.0

$12.96 KES 1,681

347.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$30.24 KES 3,922

126.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$38.98 KES 5,055

48.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$10.71 KES 1,389

31.93%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$85.2 KES 11.1K

1670.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$5,401 KES 700.5K

297.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$13.30 KES 1,725

288.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$13.46 KES 1,746

227.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$22.81 KES 2,959

273.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$46.96 KES 6,091

124.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$393 KES 50.9K

834.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

-47.77%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Malindi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Malindi

$172 34.3% 57.3% $231

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Malindi

$115 22.9% 67% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Malindi

$99 19.7% 71.5% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Malindi

$43 8.7% 66.3% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Malindi

$60 12.1% 29.9% $26

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Malindi

$12 * 2.4% 79.2% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $23.00 in Malindi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $172 per month, with Malindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

07:56 7:56 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

117,735

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

KES to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Malindi 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Malindi

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

Austin, TX vs Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malindi wins on cost – living expenses run 438% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Malindi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,055 in Austin, TX and $754 in Malindi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX versus $85.2 in Malindi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Malindi – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $502 in Malindi versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Malindi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Malindi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Malindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 438% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.