Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Nanyuki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $606 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Nanyuki
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Nanyuki Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Nanyuki

🇰🇪 Kenya

$606

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $606 in Nanyuki, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Nanyuki $606

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,014 in Nanyuki, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Nanyuki $1,014

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,422 in Nanyuki, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Nanyuki $1,422

Cape Town costs about 162% more than Nanyuki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Nanyuki is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$6.47 KES 838

87.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$34.36 KES 4,455

31.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.46 KES 838

-8.98%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.65 KES 343

-5.66%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.67 KES 86.3

89.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.57 KES 73.5

71.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.25 KES 291

32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.64 KES 342

40.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.92 KES 119

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.56 KES 72.9

123.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.13 KES 147

97.35%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.70 KES 221

82.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.69 KES 1,386

-15.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.40 KES 830

8.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$6.17 KES 800

50.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.27 KES 423

-43.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.09 KES 141

79.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.95 KES 253

-14.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.11 KES 143

95.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.12 KES 145

40.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.04 KES 135

42.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.74 KES 95.4

75.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.75 KES 96.8

50.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.51 KES 455

2.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$11.59 KES 1,502

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.22 KES 288

-37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.81 KES 365

-23.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.57 KES 204

-62.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.57 KES 204

-4.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.98 KES 386

71.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.59 KES 206

-2.52%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$21.9K KES 2.8M

65.54%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.5K KES 2.7M

52.45%

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

$114 R 1,883

$56.2 KES 7,288

103.38%

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

$28.91 R 476

$14.87 KES 1,927

94.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$34.63 KES 4,489

14.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.54 KES 977

21.35%

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

$259 R 4,264

$253 KES 32.8K

2.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

-43.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$27.78 KES 3,601

102.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$29.61 KES 3,838

9.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$70.9 KES 9,186

70.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$58.9 KES 7,630

83.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$78.2 KES 10.1K

1206.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$64.9 KES 8,408

1005.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$233 KES 30.2K

683.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$192 KES 24.9K

591.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$116 KES 15.1K

1308.40%

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 Nanyuki: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Nanyuki

$65 10.7% 91% $652

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Nanyuki

$202 33.4% 10.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Nanyuki

$106 17.5% 42.2% $77

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Nanyuki

$124 20.5% 29.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Nanyuki

$84 13.9% 41% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Nanyuki

$9.4 * 1.6% 87.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Nanyuki

$15 * 2.5% 77.6% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $78.2 in Nanyuki. 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 1308% 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 Nanyuki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $202 – making Nanyuki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇪 Nanyuki

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

32,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Nanyuki 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Nanyuki

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 Nanyuki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 162% more than Nanyuki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $909 in Nanyuki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanyuki, 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 $606 in Nanyuki. That's a gap of about 162%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $253 in Nanyuki. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanyuki, where all-in costs run around $606, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Nanyuki 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. Nanyuki costs $606 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 Nanyuki. 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.