Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Mombasa

For one person, living costs are similar in Chengdu and in Mombasa: $741 and $719 a month, rent and utilities included.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
Learn more

Mombasa Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Mombasa

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

A single person spends $741 per month in Chengdu vs $719 in Mombasa, rent included.

Chengdu $741
Mombasa $719

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Chengdu vs $1,147 in Mombasa, rent included.

Chengdu $1,204
Mombasa $1,147

A family of three spends $1,667 per month in Chengdu vs $1,575 in Mombasa, rent included.

Chengdu $1,667
Mombasa $1,575

Chengdu costs about 3% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chengdu and Mombasa are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Mombasa 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.69

$2.66 KES 345

5.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.37 ¥149

$25.34 KES 3,285

-11.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.81

$10.48 KES 1,359

-53.15%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ¥19.26

$2.74 KES 355

5.11%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.68 KES 88.0

-26.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.52 KES 67.7

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$2.34 KES 303

-34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.59

$3.30 KES 428

-33.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.71

$1.00 KES 130

90.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.01

$0.51 KES 65.6

194.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$1.55 KES 201

-36.13%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.40

$1.82 KES 236

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.1

$13.91 KES 1,803

4.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.45

$5.00 KES 648

-26.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.7

$5.25 KES 681

113.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$2.10 KES 272

-11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.18

$1.16 KES 150

18.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.76 KES 228

-38.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.73

$0.70 KES 90.9

65.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.72 KES 93.8

-2.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$1.01 KES 130

-28.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.60 KES 78.4

3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.43 KES 55.6

25.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.86

$4.00 KES 518

-7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ¥30.57

$9.56 KES 1,239

-52.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$1.99 KES 258

-58.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$2.82 KES 365

-47.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.80 KES 104

-46.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 ¥164

$38.84 KES 5,035

-36.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$3.16 KES 410

-58.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.75 KES 227

-83.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ¥29.81

$4.65 KES 603

-4.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.56 KES 202

-15.38%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

62.17%

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

$17.4K ¥115.9K

$11.8K KES 1.5M

46.83%

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

$47.19 ¥315

$76.9 KES 9,975

-38.67%

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

$9.21 ¥61.5

$9.14 KES 1,184

0.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.45 ¥83.1

$34.48 KES 4,470

-63.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 ¥179

$18.18 KES 2,357

47.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 ¥76.1

$18.93 KES 2,454

-39.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.57

$15.63 KES 2,027

-61.10%

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

$379 ¥2,531

$86.4 KES 11.2K

338.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.9K

$5,415 KES 702.1K

173.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.28 ¥169

$13.05 KES 1,692

93.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 ¥185

$13.77 KES 1,785

101.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 ¥380

$23.30 KES 3,021

144.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥351

$46.20 KES 5,990

13.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ¥3,099

$227 KES 29.5K

104.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ¥1,657

$157 KES 20.4K

57.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 ¥5,429

$540 KES 70.0K

50.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,560

$372 KES 48.3K

43.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 ¥25.1K

$5,411 KES 701.6K

-30.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ¥12.7K

$3,884 KES 503.6K

-51.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$313 KES 40.5K

300.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

-74.00%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$248 33.5%

Mombasa

$157 21.9% 36.7% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$196 26.5%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 5.5% $11

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 11.7%

Mombasa

$109 15.1% 25.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.9%

Mombasa

$43 6% 40.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.3%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 75.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.3%

Mombasa

$49 6.9% 27% $11

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Mombasa

$54 7.5% 86.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chengdu versus $227 in Mombasa. 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 300% higher in Chengdu, 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 $22.00 in Chengdu versus $25.00 in Mombasa. Groceries tell a different story – $196 in Chengdu vs $185 in Mombasa – so Mombasa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

19:47 7:47 PM

14:47 2:47 PM

5 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Chengdu Mombasa 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Mombasa

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

Chengdu vs Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $741 in Chengdu, $719 in Mombasa – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Chengdu and $1,078 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu and $25.00 in Mombasa. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $741 in Chengdu and $719 in Mombasa. That's a gap of about 3%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $741 in Chengdu and $719 in Mombasa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mombasa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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