Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Nakuru

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $645 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
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Nakuru Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Nakuru actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $645 in Nakuru.

Austin, TX $2,663
Nakuru $645

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $998 in Nakuru.

Austin, TX $4,133
Nakuru $998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,352 in Nakuru.

Austin, TX $5,603
Nakuru $1,352

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 313% more expensive than in Nakuru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Nakuru is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.84 KES 498

440.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$35.30 KES 4,577

139.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$6.33 KES 820

94.63%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.99 KES 257

182.91%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.40 KES 52.4

830.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.22 KES 28.45

1036.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$2.29 KES 296

251.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$2.63 KES 341

242.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.51 KES 66.6

119.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.48 KES 62.4

681.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.50 KES 194

117.33%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.53 KES 199

172.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$10.54 KES 1,366

22.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.35 KES 823

122.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$6.34 KES 822

155.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$3.34 KES 432

29.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.08 KES 140

35.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.98 KES 256

127.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.13 KES 147

284.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.07 KES 139

141.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.06 KES 137

121.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.68 KES 88.6

161.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.74 KES 96.5

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.56 KES 462

177.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$11.46 KES 1,485

31.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.29 KES 297

27.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.81 KES 364

23.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.51 KES 195

80.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.58 KES 205

5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.83 KES 367

1147.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.59 KES 206

-40.25%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.7K KES 2.8M

66.37%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$20.3K KES 2.6M

33.49%

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

$229 $229

$55.1 KES 7,143

315.59%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$15.10 KES 1,957

293.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$35.60 KES 4,615

96.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.90 KES 1,024

80.76%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$245 KES 31.8K

513.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$12.4K KES 1.6M

73.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$27.81 KES 3,605

89.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$29.41 KES 3,814

49.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$70.3 KES 9,111

20.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$58.6 KES 7,595

75.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$221 KES 28.6K

764.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$139 KES 18.1K

814.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$543 KES 70.4K

574.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$194 KES 25.2K

1206.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

14.71

-53.84%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nakuru: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Nakuru

$139 21.6% 89.1% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Nakuru

$198 30.7% 51% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Nakuru

$106 16.4% 70.5% $253

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Nakuru

$93 14.4% 73.8% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Nakuru

$84 13% 34.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5% 81.6% $70

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Nakuru

$9.4 * 1.5% 84% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $221 in Nakuru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $35.00 in Nakuru for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $198 per month, with Nakuru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🕒 Local time

03:35 3:35 AM

11:35 11:35 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

307,990

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 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 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

KES to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Nakuru 14,110 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Nakuru

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 Nakuru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nakuru wins on cost – living expenses run 313% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nakuru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $967 in Nakuru 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $221 in Nakuru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $245 in Nakuru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakuru – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $645 in Nakuru versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nakuru but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nakuru 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 Nakuru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 313% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.