Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kenya and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in Kenya: $710 a month against $800 in China, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in China outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Kenya
Learn more

Kenya Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇰🇪 Kenya

$710

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kenya and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $710 in Kenya versus $800 in China.

Kenya $710
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Kenya versus $1,266 in China.

Kenya $1,170
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,629 in Kenya versus $1,731 in China.

Kenya $1,629
China $1,731

Living in Kenya costs about 11% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Kenya 48% lower, China 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 KES 508

$2.92 ¥19.50

34.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.22 KES 3,918

$22.45 ¥150

34.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 KES 886

$5.33 ¥35.65

28.33%

Cappuccino

$2.42 KES 313

$3.04 ¥20.34

-20.39%

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

$0.67 KES 86.5

$0.48 ¥3.23

39.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 KES 75.8

$0.30 ¥2.02

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 KES 302

$1.07 ¥7.12

117.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 KES 342

$2.26 ¥15.11

16.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 KES 95.5

$1.75 ¥11.70

-57.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 70.5

$1.62 ¥10.80

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 KES 194

$0.99 ¥6.63

51.52%

Eggs

$1.61 KES 208

$1.56 ¥10.44

3.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 KES 1,226

$13.25 ¥88.6

-28.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 KES 770

$3.37 ¥22.50

76.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.33 KES 691

$11.39 ¥76.2

-53.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 KES 370

$1.82 ¥12.19

56.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 KES 133

$1.25 ¥8.34

-17.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$1.55 ¥10.39

13.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$1.28 ¥8.55

-38.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 KES 110

$0.71 ¥4.72

19.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 KES 125

$0.86 ¥5.75

11.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KES 91.5

$0.65 ¥4.36

9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 KES 81.1

$0.59 ¥3.97

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 KES 442

$3.76 ¥25.14

-9.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 KES 1,494

$11.76 ¥78.6

-2.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 KES 276

$0.91 ¥6.11

134.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 KES 347

$1.62 ¥10.86

65.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

$0.31 ¥2.10

158.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.91 KES 6,082

$22.75 ¥152

106.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$1.52 ¥10.17

3.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 KES 198

$0.37 ¥2.50

313.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 KES 442

$7.28 ¥48.66

-53.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 KES 200

$1.25 ¥8.38

23.20%

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

$19.4K KES 2.5M

$19.4K ¥129.7K

0.16%

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

$20.2K KES 2.6M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

18.24%

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

$52.3 KES 6,780

$55.5 ¥371

-5.77%

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

$12.87 KES 1,668

$8.29 ¥55.4

55.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.26 KES 4,830

$10.97 ¥73.3

239.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 KES 4,968

$40.38 ¥270

-5.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 KES 1,982

$14.76 ¥98.7

3.59%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 KES 1,008

$6.76 ¥45.18

15.09%

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

$175 KES 22.7K

$465 ¥3,108

-62.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,541 KES 1.2M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-51.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.36 KES 2,380

$46.32 ¥310

-60.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.85 KES 2,833

$36.30 ¥243

-39.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.45 KES 5,634

$76.3 ¥510

-43.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.40 KES 5,237

$78.8 ¥527

-48.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 KES 38.1K

$396 ¥2,646

-25.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 KES 19.7K

$240 ¥1,604

-36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 KES 98.1K

$822 ¥5,499

-8.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 KES 50.0K

$466 ¥3,116

-17.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,263 KES 163.8K

$4,544 ¥30.4K

-72.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$914 KES 118.5K

$2,282 ¥15.3K

-59.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 KES 45.2K

$1,075 ¥7,188

-67.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.64

3.46

294.22%

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

Last update for Kenya: October 19, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kenya

$185 26%

China

$209 26.1% 13.1% $24

Accommodation & Living

Kenya

$152 21.4%

China

$240 30% 58.2% $88

Eating Out

Kenya

$103 14.5%

China

$89 11.1% 13.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kenya

$102 14.4%

China

$75 9.3% 27% $28

Getting Around

Kenya

$59 8.4%

China

$27 3.4% 53.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Kenya

$56 7.9%

China

$107 13.4% 91.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Kenya

$54 7.6%

China

$54 6.7% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $96.0 in Kenya, $299 in China. Capital cities: $447 in Nairobi vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $330 in Kenya, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 211% higher in China.

Dining out costs 38% more in Kenya.

Public transport is 143% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 164% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kenya

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

11:13 11:13 AM

5 h ahead of Kenya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,468,138

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kenya China 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kenya
China

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

Kenya vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $800 per month in China and $710 in Kenya, there's a 13% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $299 in China and $96.0 in Kenya. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Kenya, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Kenya wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.