Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kenya and India

Name: India
Address: IN

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $395 a month against $710 in Kenya, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Kenya
Learn more

Kenya Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in India
Learn more

India Living Index

Jump to prices

🇰🇪 Kenya

$710

/mo nomad

🇮🇳 India

$395

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kenya and in India

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 India actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $710 in Kenya versus $395 in India.

Kenya $710
India $395

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Kenya versus $628 in India.

Kenya $1,170
India $628

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,629 in Kenya versus $861 in India.

Kenya $1,629
India $861

Living in Kenya is roughly 80% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Kenya 48% lower, India 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 KES 508

$2.14 ₹203

83.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.22 KES 3,918

$10.57 ₹1,004

185.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 KES 886

$3.77 ₹358

81.43%

Cappuccino

$2.42 KES 313

$1.76 ₹167

37.50%

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

$0.67 KES 86.5

$0.42 ₹39.67

59.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 KES 75.8

$0.14 ₹13.45

314.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 KES 302

$1.95 ₹186

19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 KES 342

$3.11 ₹295

-15.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 KES 95.5

$0.63 ₹59.6

17.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 70.5

$0.46 ₹43.45

17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 KES 194

$0.68 ₹64.3

120.59%

Eggs

$1.61 KES 208

$0.93 ₹88.4

73.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 KES 1,226

$4.83 ₹458

95.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 KES 770

$2.91 ₹276

104.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.33 KES 691

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 KES 370

$2.00 ₹190

42.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 KES 133

$0.63 ₹59.6

63.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$0.98 ₹92.8

79.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$0.51 ₹48.04

54.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 KES 110

$0.36 ₹34.28

136.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 KES 125

$0.39 ₹36.72

146.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KES 91.5

$0.43 ₹41.31

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 KES 81.1

$0.29 ₹27.53

117.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 KES 442

$5.14 ₹488

-33.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 KES 1,494

$7.33 ₹696

57.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 KES 276

$1.65 ₹157

29.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 KES 347

$2.73 ₹259

-1.83%

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

$5.08 ₹483

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

$0.25 ₹23.70

220.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.91 KES 6,082

$8.49 ₹806

452.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$1.03 ₹97.9

52.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 KES 198

$0.25 ₹23.69

512.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 KES 442

$1.61 ₹153

111.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 KES 200

$1.07 ₹101

43.93%

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

$19.4K KES 2.5M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

71.45%

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

$20.2K KES 2.6M

$20.1K ₹1.9M

0.52%

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

$52.3 KES 6,780

$37.73 ₹3,583

38.59%

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

$12.87 KES 1,668

$3.58 ₹340

259.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.26 KES 4,830

$6.89 ₹655

440.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 KES 4,968

$14.63 ₹1,390

161.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 KES 1,982

$7.25 ₹688

110.90%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 KES 1,008

$3.17 ₹301

145.43%

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

$175 KES 22.7K

$56.5 ₹5,369

209.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,541 KES 1.2M

$1,646 ₹156.3K

479.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.36 KES 2,380

$22.73 ₹2,158

-19.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.85 KES 2,833

$24.04 ₹2,283

-9.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.45 KES 5,634

$41.04 ₹3,898

5.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.40 KES 5,237

$30.60 ₹2,906

32.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 KES 38.1K

$144 ₹13.6K

104.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 KES 19.7K

$91.5 ₹8,691

65.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 KES 98.1K

$324 ₹30.8K

133.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 KES 50.0K

$214 ₹20.3K

80.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,263 KES 163.8K

$1,200 ₹114.0K

5.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$914 KES 118.5K

$619 ₹58.8K

47.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 KES 45.2K

$440 ₹41.8K

-20.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.64

8.92

52.91%

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

Last update for Kenya: October 19, 2026

Last update for India: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kenya

$185 26%

India

$102 25.8% 44.7% $83

Accommodation & Living

Kenya

$152 21.4%

India

$92 23.1% 39.7% $60

Eating Out

Kenya

$103 14.5%

India

$68 17.1% 34.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kenya

$102 14.4%

India

$48 12.2% 52.9% $54

Getting Around

Kenya

$59 8.4%

India

$12 3% 80.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Kenya

$56 7.9%

India

$53 13.5% 4.5% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Kenya

$54 7.6%

India

$21 5.3% 61.1% $33

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $96.0 in Kenya, $119 in India. Capital cities: $447 in Nairobi vs $271 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $330 in Kenya, $413 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 24% higher in India.

Dining out costs 190% more in Kenya.

Salaries are 25% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kenya

🇮🇳 India

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kenya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,468,138

1,326,093,247

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kenya India 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kenya
India

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $395 per month in India and $710 in Kenya, there's a 80% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, India is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

In India, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Kenya 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: India wins on affordability; Kenya may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.