Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Embu and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Embu: $517 a month against $719 in Mombasa, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Embu
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Embu Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Embu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $517 in Embu versus $719 in Mombasa.

Embu $517
Mombasa $719

Estimated couple costs with rent: $822 in Embu versus $1,147 in Mombasa.

Embu $822
Mombasa $1,147

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,127 in Embu versus $1,575 in Mombasa.

Embu $1,127
Mombasa $1,575

Living in Embu costs roughly 28% less than in Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Embu 62% lower, Mombasa 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.24 KES 809

$2.66 KES 345

134.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.87 KES 4,002

$25.34 KES 3,285

21.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.42 KES 702

$10.48 KES 1,359

-48.28%

Cappuccino

$2.35 KES 305

$2.74 KES 355

-14.23%

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

$0.36 KES 46.68

$0.68 KES 88.0

-47.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 KES 31.13

$0.52 KES 67.7

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

$2.34 KES 303

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 KES 341

$3.30 KES 428

-20.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 KES 72.9

$1.00 KES 130

-44.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 KES 66.8

$0.51 KES 65.6

1.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 KES 124

$1.55 KES 201

-38.06%

Eggs

$1.71 KES 222

$1.82 KES 236

-6.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.89 KES 504

$13.91 KES 1,803

-72.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 KES 416

$5.00 KES 648

-35.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.20 KES 544

$5.25 KES 681

-20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 KES 433

$2.10 KES 272

59.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 KES 136

$1.16 KES 150

-9.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 KES 267

$1.76 KES 228

17.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 KES 53.0

$0.70 KES 90.9

-41.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 KES 81.5

$0.72 KES 93.8

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 KES 118

$1.01 KES 130

-9.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 KES 95.8

$0.60 KES 78.4

23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 KES 71.9

$0.43 KES 55.6

27.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 KES 473

$4.00 KES 518

-8.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.48 KES 1,489

$9.56 KES 1,239

20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 KES 289

$1.99 KES 258

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 350

$2.82 KES 365

-4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.14 KES 148

$0.80 KES 104

42.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.84 KES 5,035

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 196

$3.16 KES 410

-52.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.75 KES 227

-9.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 382

$4.65 KES 603

-36.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 207

$1.56 KES 202

2.56%

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

$21.2K KES 2.7M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

75.53%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$11.8K KES 1.5M

2.82%

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

$57.1 KES 7,400

$76.9 KES 9,975

-25.81%

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

$15.06 KES 1,952

$9.14 KES 1,184

64.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,470

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.41 KES 2,257

$18.18 KES 2,357

-4.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 KES 2,454

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 KES 555

$15.63 KES 2,027

-72.62%

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

$251 KES 32.5K

$86.4 KES 11.2K

190.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K KES 1.6M

$5,415 KES 702.1K

132.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.22 KES 1,196

$13.05 KES 1,692

-29.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.38 KES 3,809

$13.77 KES 1,785

113.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 KES 9,113

$23.30 KES 3,021

201.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.37 KES 1,993

$46.20 KES 5,990

-66.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$76.2 KES 9,876

$227 KES 29.5K

-66.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.1 KES 6,886

$157 KES 20.4K

-66.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 KES 70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$91.6 KES 11.9K

$372 KES 48.3K

-75.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,411 KES 701.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,884 KES 503.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$272 KES 35.3K

$313 KES 40.5K

-13.00%

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 Embu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Embu

$148 28.6%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 25.4% $38

Eating Out

Embu

$113 22%

Mombasa

$109 15.1% 4.2% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Embu

$107 20.6%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 13.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Embu

$56 10.8%

Mombasa

$43 6% 22.5% $13

Accommodation & Living

Embu

$53 10.3%

Mombasa

$157 21.9% 196% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Embu

$26 5%

Mombasa

$49 6.9% 90.4% $23

Getting Around

Embu

$14 * 2.7%

Mombasa

$54 7.5% 286% $40

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 $76.2 in Embu and $227 in Mombasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mombasa pays 15% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $31.00 in Embu vs $25.00 in Mombasa. Groceries flip the comparison at $148 vs $185, with Embu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Embu

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

Same time as Embu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,092

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

On the map

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Between locations

Embu Mombasa 460 km

From you

Embu
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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

Embu vs Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Embu and Mombasa differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($517 vs $719 including rent). Embu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Mombasa. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $76.2 in Embu versus $227 in Mombasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $251 in Embu versus $86.4 in Mombasa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Embu – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $25.00 in Mombasa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Embu 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 Embu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Mombasa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.