Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eldoret and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Eldoret: $505 a month against $719 in Mombasa, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Eldoret
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Eldoret Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Eldoret

🇰🇪 Kenya

$505

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Eldoret 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 Eldoret and in Mombasa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $505 in Eldoret versus $719 in Mombasa.

Eldoret $505
Mombasa $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $869 in Eldoret versus $1,147 in Mombasa.

Eldoret $869
Mombasa $1,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,233 in Eldoret versus $1,575 in Mombasa.

Eldoret $1,233
Mombasa $1,575

Living in Eldoret costs roughly 30% less than in Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Eldoret 63% lower, Mombasa 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.52 KES 198

$2.66 KES 345

-42.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.76 KES 4,507

$25.34 KES 3,285

37.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.21 KES 805

$10.48 KES 1,359

-40.74%

Cappuccino

$2.59 KES 336

$2.74 KES 355

-5.47%

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

$0.30 KES 38.85

$0.68 KES 88.0

-55.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KES 52.6

$0.52 KES 67.7

-21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

$2.34 KES 303

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 KES 348

$3.30 KES 428

-18.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 KES 93.4

$1.00 KES 130

-28.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 KES 63.9

$0.51 KES 65.6

-3.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 KES 203

$1.55 KES 201

0.65%

Eggs

$1.56 KES 203

$1.82 KES 236

-14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.79 KES 491

$13.91 KES 1,803

-72.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 KES 539

$5.00 KES 648

-16.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.34 KES 563

$5.25 KES 681

-17.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 KES 295

$2.10 KES 272

8.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.16 KES 150

-5.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.6

$1.76 KES 228

-59.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 KES 119

$0.70 KES 90.9

31.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 KES 72.9

$0.72 KES 93.8

-22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 KES 58.0

$1.01 KES 130

-55.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 KES 89.7

$0.60 KES 78.4

15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 KES 81.6

$0.43 KES 55.6

46.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 KES 447

$4.00 KES 518

-14.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 KES 739

$9.56 KES 1,239

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 KES 271

$1.99 KES 258

5.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 KES 198

$2.82 KES 365

-45.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 KES 183

$0.80 KES 104

76.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.84 KES 5,035

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.58 KES 204

$3.16 KES 410

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 KES 198

$1.75 KES 227

-13.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.97 KES 385

$4.65 KES 603

-36.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 KES 199

$1.56 KES 202

-1.28%

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

$21.8K KES 2.8M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

80.27%

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

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$11.8K KES 1.5M

68.89%

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

$39.37 KES 5,105

$76.9 KES 9,975

-48.83%

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

$15.13 KES 1,962

$9.14 KES 1,184

65.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.19 KES 4,562

$34.48 KES 4,470

2.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.92 KES 5,045

$18.18 KES 2,357

114.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 KES 2,454

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 KES 978

$15.63 KES 2,027

-51.76%

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

$63.5 KES 8,232

$86.4 KES 11.2K

-26.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$5,415 KES 702.1K

126.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.52 KES 1,494

$13.05 KES 1,692

-11.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 KES 3,754

$13.77 KES 1,785

110.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.43 KES 2,519

$23.30 KES 3,021

-16.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.06 KES 4,545

$46.20 KES 5,990

-24.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.2 KES 12.1K

$227 KES 29.5K

-58.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.1 KES 11.5K

$157 KES 20.4K

-43.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 KES 70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 KES 34.8K

$372 KES 48.3K

-27.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$609 KES 78.9K

$5,411 KES 701.6K

-88.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,884 KES 503.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

13.15%

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

Last update for Eldoret: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Eldoret

$133 26.4%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 39.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eldoret

$90 17.8%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 34.4% $31

Accommodation & Living

Eldoret

$89 17.6%

Mombasa

$157 21.9% 76.4% $68

Eating Out

Eldoret

$81 16.1%

Mombasa

$109 15.1% 33.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Eldoret

$54 10.7%

Mombasa

$49 6.9% 8.4% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Eldoret

$43 8.5%

Mombasa

$43 6% 1.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Eldoret

$15 * 2.9%

Mombasa

$54 7.5% 264% $39

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 $93.2 in Eldoret and $227 in Mombasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Eldoret vs $25.00 in Mombasa. Groceries flip the comparison at $133 vs $185, with Eldoret cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Eldoret

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

09:48 9:48 AM

Same time as Eldoret

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,830

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Eldoret Mombasa 700 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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

Eldoret vs Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Eldoret wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Mombasa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Eldoret the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $757 in Eldoret and $1,078 in Mombasa 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: $93.2 in Eldoret versus $227 in Mombasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Mombasa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $505 per month in Eldoret versus $719 in Mombasa – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Eldoret gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Eldoret gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Mombasa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.