Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kenya and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Kenya: $710 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Kenya
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Kenya Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇰🇪 Kenya

$710

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kenya and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $710 in Kenya versus $1,825 in Italy.

Kenya $710
Italy $1,825

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,170 in Kenya versus $2,790 in Italy.

Kenya $1,170
Italy $2,790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,629 in Kenya versus $3,756 in Italy.

Kenya $1,629
Italy $3,756

Living in Kenya costs about 61% less than in Italy on average.

Kenya (48% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 KES 508

$19.90 €17.70

-80.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.22 KES 3,918

$77.1 €68.6

-60.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 KES 886

$11.41 €10.15

-40.05%

Cappuccino

$2.42 KES 313

$2.01 €1.78

20.40%

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

$0.67 KES 86.5

$3.13 €2.78

-78.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 KES 75.8

$1.40 €1.24

-58.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 KES 302

$5.76 €5.12

-59.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 KES 342

$5.73 €5.10

-53.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 KES 95.5

$1.62 €1.44

-54.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 70.5

$2.38 €2.12

-77.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 KES 194

$2.92 €2.60

-48.63%

Eggs

$1.61 KES 208

$4.17 €3.70

-61.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.45 KES 1,226

$17.28 €15.37

-45.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.94 KES 770

$12.73 €11.32

-53.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.33 KES 691

$20.39 €18.13

-73.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 KES 370

$2.61 €2.32

9.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 KES 133

$2.12 €1.88

-51.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$2.63 €2.34

-33.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$3.34 €2.97

-76.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 KES 110

$2.02 €1.79

-57.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 KES 125

$1.89 €1.69

-49.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KES 91.5

$1.56 €1.39

-54.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 KES 81.1

$0.55 €0.49

14.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 KES 442

$6.84 €6.08

-50.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 KES 1,494

$7.64 €6.80

50.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.13 KES 276

$1.80 €1.61

18.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 KES 347

$2.40 €2.14

11.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

$1.86 €1.65

-56.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.91 KES 6,082

$43.27 €38.49

8.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$5.64 €5.01

-72.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 KES 198

$1.71 €1.52

-10.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 KES 442

$33.04 €29.39

-89.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 KES 200

$2.11 €1.87

-27.01%

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

$19.4K KES 2.5M

$35.8K €31.8K

-45.67%

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

$20.2K KES 2.6M

$37.4K €33.3K

-45.87%

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

$52.3 KES 6,780

$230 €204

-77.23%

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

$12.87 KES 1,668

$11.60 €10.32

10.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.26 KES 4,830

$30.40 €27.04

22.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.32 KES 4,968

$53.9 €47.96

-28.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.29 KES 1,982

$24.24 €21.56

-36.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 KES 1,008

$10.58 €9.41

-26.47%

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

$175 KES 22.7K

$545 €485

-67.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,541 KES 1.2M

$11.5K €10.3K

-17.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.36 KES 2,380

$88.4 €78.7

-79.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.85 KES 2,833

$39.60 €35.22

-44.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.45 KES 5,634

$101 €89.8

-56.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.40 KES 5,237

$133 €118

-69.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 KES 38.1K

$799 €711

-63.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$152 KES 19.7K

$624 €555

-75.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$757 KES 98.1K

$1,423 €1,266

-46.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 KES 50.0K

$1,030 €916

-62.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,263 KES 163.8K

$3,601 €3,203

-64.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$914 KES 118.5K

$2,270 €2,019

-59.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$349 KES 45.2K

$1,893 €1,684

-81.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.64

3.56

283.15%

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

Last update for Kenya: October 19, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kenya

$185 26%

Italy

$350 19.2% 89.6% $165

Accommodation & Living

Kenya

$152 21.4%

Italy

$624 34.2% 312% $473

Eating Out

Kenya

$103 14.5%

Italy

$276 15.1% 168% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kenya

$102 14.4%

Italy

$272 14.9% 165% $169

Getting Around

Kenya

$59 8.4%

Italy

$65 3.6% 9.4% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kenya

$56 7.9%

Italy

$163 8.9% 192% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Kenya

$54 7.6%

Italy

$75 4.1% 39.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $96.0 in Kenya, $724 in Italy. Capital cities: $447 in Nairobi vs $1,191 in Rome.

National salary averages: $330 in Kenya, $1,892 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 654% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 152% more in Italy.

Public transport is 486% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 473% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kenya

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

2 h behind Kenya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,468,138

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kenya Italy 5,390 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kenya
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,825 per month in Italy and $710 in Kenya, there's a 157% 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 cheaper in Kenya: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $724 in Italy 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 Italy 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; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.