Cost of Living Comparison Between Kenya and India Cost of Living Comparison Between Kenya and India

Name: India
Address: IN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $444 in Kenya versus $388 in India.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $740 in Kenya versus $617 in India.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,036 in Kenya versus $846 in India.

Living in Kenya is roughly 14% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Kenya 67% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 KES 493

$2.53 ₹244

50.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.22 KES 4,552

$13.73 ₹1,324

156.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.76 KES 873

$4.00 ₹386

69.00%

Cappuccino

$2.29 KES 295

$1.91 ₹185

19.90%

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

$0.67 KES 86.8

$0.43 ₹41.92

55.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 KES 69.8

$0.17 ₹16.14

217.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 KES 304

$1.93 ₹186

21.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 KES 347

$3.54 ₹341

-24.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 KES 100

$0.73 ₹70.0

5.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 69.5

$0.52 ₹50.2

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 KES 175

$0.73 ₹70.0

84.93%

Eggs

$1.60 KES 207

$0.95 ₹91.5

68.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.31 KES 1,333

$5.32 ₹513

93.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 KES 845

$3.10 ₹299

110.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.05 KES 653

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 KES 366

$2.16 ₹208

31.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 KES 133

$0.70 ₹67.8

47.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 KES 244

$1.05 ₹101

80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 KES 115

$0.53 ₹50.9

67.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 KES 106

$0.39 ₹37.72

110.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 KES 123

$0.48 ₹46.71

97.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 KES 81.7

$0.52 ₹49.86

21.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 KES 84.9

$0.36 ₹34.38

83.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 KES 406

$4.02 ₹388

-21.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.46 KES 1,223

$7.28 ₹702

29.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 KES 272

$1.90 ₹184

10.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 KES 341

$3.03 ₹293

-12.87%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.84 ₹563

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 KES 97.8

$0.36 ₹34.72

111.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 KES 3,828

$9.84 ₹949

201.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 196

$0.95 ₹92.0

58.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 KES 193

$0.30 ₹29.08

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 410

$1.79 ₹172

77.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 KES 192

$1.21 ₹117

23.14%

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

$18.7K KES 2.4M

$13.9K ₹1.3M

34.67%

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

$17.8K KES 2.3M

$22.4K ₹2.2M

-20.53%

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

$32.91 KES 4,252

$40.16 ₹3,873

-18.05%

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

$15.18 KES 1,962

$3.76 ₹363

303.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 KES 5,033

$8.04 ₹776

384.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.36 KES 4,828

$16.25 ₹1,567

129.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 KES 2,578

$7.56 ₹729

163.89%

Cinema Ticket

$6.22 KES 804

$3.43 ₹330

81.34%

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

$162 KES 20.9K

$69.7 ₹6,724

132.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,355 KES 950.5K

$1,852 ₹178.6K

297.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.03 KES 1,813

$25.59 ₹2,467

-45.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.82 KES 2,691

$26.30 ₹2,536

-20.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.77 KES 6,302

$44.89 ₹4,328

8.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.84 KES 6,053

$33.20 ₹3,202

41.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 KES 38.6K

$174 ₹16.8K

71.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 KES 19.0K

$112 ₹10.8K

30.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 KES 112.1K

$405 ₹39.0K

114.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 KES 45.3K

$258 ₹24.8K

36.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,408 KES 181.9K

$1,263 ₹121.8K

11.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$937 KES 121.1K

$653 ₹62.9K

43.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$338 KES 43.7K

$424 ₹40.9K

-20.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.57

9.02

50.44%

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

Last update for Kenya: July 11, 2026

Last update for India: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $82.0 in Kenya, $127 in India. Capital cities: $438 in Nairobi vs $242 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $329 in Kenya, $398 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 55% higher in India.

Dining out costs 155% more in Kenya.

Public transport is 29% more expensive in India.

Salaries are 21% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $589 per month in India and $383 in Kenya, there's a 54% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Kenya: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in India is consistently higher than in Kenya across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Kenya, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in India 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; India may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.