Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Nairobi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $858 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Nairobi

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $858 in Nairobi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Nairobi $858

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,405 in Nairobi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Nairobi $1,405

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,952 in Nairobi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Nairobi $1,952

Cape Town costs about 85% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Nairobi is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$6.34 KES 822

91.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$34.07 KES 4,417

33.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.41 KES 831

-8.27%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.65 KES 344

-5.66%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.63 KES 81.3

101.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.60 KES 78.3

63.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.27 KES 295

31.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.78 KES 361

33.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.89 KES 116

46.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.56 KES 73.0

123.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.90 KES 247

17.37%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.72 KES 223

80.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.83 KES 1,404

-16.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.52 KES 846

6.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$6.38 KES 827

45.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.32 KES 431

-44.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.10 KES 143

78.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.04 KES 265

-18.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.10 KES 142

97.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.06 KES 137

48.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.05 KES 136

40.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.74 KES 95.8

75.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.79 KES 102

43.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.48 KES 451

3.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$11.64 KES 1,510

-47.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.21 KES 286

-37.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.84 KES 368

-24.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.77 KES 100

94.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$46.01 KES 5,965

32.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.56 KES 202

-62.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.52 KES 198

-1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.96 KES 383

72.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.55 KES 201

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$21.9K KES 2.8M

65.27%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.3K KES 2.6M

54.10%

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

$114 R 1,883

$55.1 KES 7,145

107.44%

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

$28.91 R 476

$15.13 KES 1,962

91.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$34.54 KES 4,478

15.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$50.1 KES 6,500

-2.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$15.50 KES 2,010

-29.10%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.57 KES 982

20.87%

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

$259 R 4,264

$251 KES 32.5K

3.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$12.4K KES 1.6M

-45.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$27.61 KES 3,580

103.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$29.05 KES 3,766

11.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$71.0 KES 9,205

69.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$59.2 KES 7,679

82.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$440 KES 57.0K

132.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$214 KES 27.8K

234.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,111 KES 144.1K

64.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$499 KES 64.7K

165.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,324 KES 171.7K

80.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$912 KES 118.3K

69.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$480 KES 62.2K

241.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

14.71

-25.42%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Nairobi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Nairobi

$214 25% 70.1% $503

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Nairobi

$208 24.2% 7.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Nairobi

$105 12.2% 42.7% $78

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Nairobi

$124 14.4% 29.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Nairobi

$84 9.8% 41.1% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Nairobi

$58 6.8% 22.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Nairobi

$65 7.6% 3% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $440 in Nairobi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 242% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $34.00 in Nairobi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $208 – making Nairobi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🕒 Local time

14:40 2:40 PM

15:40 3:40 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

3,138,295 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Nairobi 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Nairobi

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

Cape Town vs Nairobi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 85% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,287 in Nairobi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nairobi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $858 in Nairobi. That's a gap of about 85%.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Nairobi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nairobi, where all-in costs run around $858, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Nairobi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nairobi costs $858 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Nairobi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.