Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Nairobi Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Nairobi

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Cape Town is 20.7% more expensive than Nairobi without rent, and 64% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Cape Town is 17.9% more expensive than Nairobi without rent, and 48.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.12 RĀ 183
$5.35 KESĀ 691
107.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 RĀ 739
$38.93 KESĀ 5,026
15.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.00 RĀ 82.4
$6.89 KESĀ 890
-27.43%
Cappuccino
$2.05 RĀ 33.83
$2.45 KESĀ 316
-16.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 RĀ 18.44
$0.76 KESĀ 98.1
47.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 RĀ 13.36
$0.54 KESĀ 70.2
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.85 RĀ 47.00
$2.36 KESĀ 305
20.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 RĀ 42.44
$2.98 KESĀ 385
-13.42%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 RĀ 19.01
$0.93 KESĀ 119
23.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 RĀ 17.17
$0.56 KESĀ 72.4
85.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 RĀ 30.42
$1.60 KESĀ 207
15.63%
Eggs
$2.43 RĀ 39.98
$1.70 KESĀ 220
42.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.49 RĀ 140
$11.42 KESĀ 1,475
-25.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.17 RĀ 85.2
$6.88 KESĀ 888
-24.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.49 RĀ 123
$5.47 KESĀ 706
36.93%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 RĀ 24.96
$3.15 KESĀ 407
-52.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 RĀ 23.73
$1.05 KESĀ 135
37.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 RĀ 23.91
$2.11 KESĀ 272
-31.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 RĀ 26.03
$1.01 KESĀ 130
56.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 RĀ 18.38
$1.03 KESĀ 134
8.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 RĀ 20.20
$1.13 KESĀ 146
8.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 RĀ 17.88
$0.69 KESĀ 89.1
56.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 RĀ 16.46
$0.75 KESĀ 97.0
33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.10 RĀ 51.1
$3.02 KESĀ 390
2.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.46 RĀ 107
$11.87 KESĀ 1,533
-45.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 RĀ 22.94
$2.28 KESĀ 295
-39.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 RĀ 28.60
$2.73 KESĀ 352
-36.26%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 RĀ 15.36
$0.79 KESĀ 102
17.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.00 RĀ 775
$31.46 KESĀ 4,062
49.40%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.43 RĀ 23.49
$1.53 KESĀ 198
-6.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 RĀ 16.21
$1.53 KESĀ 198
-35.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.35 RĀ 71.7
$2.95 KESĀ 381
47.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 RĀ 20.60
$1.53 KESĀ 198
-18.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K RĀ 354.7K
$21.9K KESĀ 2.8M
-1.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K RĀ 395.3K
$20.4K KESĀ 2.6M
17.71%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 RĀ 1,658
$33.71 KESĀ 4,353
198.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.78 RĀ 540
$17.03 KESĀ 2,199
92.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.87 RĀ 690
$38.73 KESĀ 5,000
8.11%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 RĀ 676
$42.42 KESĀ 5,477
-3.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.21 RĀ 135
$20.09 KESĀ 2,594
-59.13%
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 RĀ 114
$6.29 KESĀ 812
9.86%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$213 RĀ 3,518
$201 KESĀ 25.9K
6.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,248 RĀ 86.5K
$8,031 KESĀ 1.0M
-34.65%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.6 RĀ 900
$18.05 KESĀ 2,331
202.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.30 RĀ 549
$24.44 KESĀ 3,155
36.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 RĀ 1,834
$64.4 KESĀ 8,315
72.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.4 RĀ 1,374
$56.6 KESĀ 7,308
47.28%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$749 RĀ 12.3K
$455 KESĀ 58.7K
64.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$517 RĀ 8,514
$188 KESĀ 24.2K
175.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 RĀ 24.1K
$1,114 KESĀ 143.8K
31.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 RĀ 16.6K
$427 KESĀ 55.1K
136.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,156 RĀ 35.5K
$1,605 KESĀ 207.2K
34.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,484 RĀ 24.5K
$906 KESĀ 117.0K
63.84%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Nairobi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,625 RĀ 26.8K
$396 KESĀ 51.1K
310.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.77
14.84
-20.69%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cape Town: March 2, 2026

Last update for Nairobi: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter ā€“ low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.
Cost of Living Index Most Popular Cities Affordable Cities by Size