Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiambu and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiambu: $503 a month against $715 in Mombasa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kiambu
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Kiambu Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Kiambu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$503

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $503 in Kiambu versus $715 in Mombasa.

Kiambu $503
Mombasa $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $823 in Kiambu versus $1,138 in Mombasa.

Kiambu $823
Mombasa $1,138

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,143 in Kiambu versus $1,560 in Mombasa.

Kiambu $1,143
Mombasa $1,560

Living in Kiambu costs roughly 30% less than in Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kiambu 63% lower, Mombasa 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.41 KES 832

$2.63 KES 342

143.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.12 KES 4,429

$24.66 KES 3,201

38.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 KES 847

$10.51 KES 1,364

-37.96%

Cappuccino

$2.60 KES 337

$2.71 KES 351

-4.06%

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

$0.64 KES 83.4

$0.74 KES 95.5

-13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 KES 81.0

$0.48 KES 62.3

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 KES 293

$2.33 KES 303

-3.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 KES 340

$3.26 KES 423

-19.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.54 KES 70.7

$0.92 KES 119

-41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 KES 71.5

$0.50 KES 64.3

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 KES 237

$1.57 KES 204

16.56%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 178

$1.82 KES 236

-24.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 KES 1,390

$13.98 KES 1,814

-23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 KES 866

$4.89 KES 635

36.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 KES 520

$5.25 KES 682

-23.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 KES 455

$2.16 KES 280

62.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 KES 135

$1.14 KES 148

-8.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 KES 97.0

$1.84 KES 239

-59.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 KES 77.0

$0.71 KES 92.4

-16.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.7

$0.69 KES 88.9

4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 KES 92.4

$1.02 KES 132

-30.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 KES 38.51

$0.59 KES 77.0

-49.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.82

$0.42 KES 55.1

-11.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 KES 440

$3.97 KES 515

-14.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 KES 1,492

$9.51 KES 1,234

20.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 KES 295

$1.98 KES 257

14.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 350

$2.94 KES 382

-8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 KES 81.3

$0.81 KES 105

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.41 KES 4,986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 196

$3.16 KES 410

-52.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 KES 47.31

$1.70 KES 221

-78.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 KES 365

$4.61 KES 598

-39.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 208

$1.53 KES 199

4.58%

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

$19.2K KES 2.5M

$12.2K KES 1.6M

57.55%

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

$21.6K KES 2.8M

$11.9K KES 1.5M

82.02%

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

$56.4 KES 7,317

$76.8 KES 9,962

-26.55%

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

$7.86 KES 1,020

$9.07 KES 1,177

-13.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.13 KES 4,560

$34.36 KES 4,460

2.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.66 KES 2,292

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.32 KES 2,508

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 KES 755

$15.26 KES 1,980

-61.86%

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

$280 KES 36.4K

$86.7 KES 11.3K

223.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K KES 1.6M

$5,484 KES 711.9K

128.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.56 KES 3,577

$12.89 KES 1,673

113.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.19 KES 3,789

$13.50 KES 1,752

116.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 KES 9,104

$23.07 KES 2,995

204.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 KES 7,463

$46.74 KES 6,067

23.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.0K

$229 KES 29.7K

-49.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 KES 69.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 KES 47.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,175 KES 152.6K

$5,457 KES 708.4K

-78.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 KES 503.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 KES 16.3K

$317 KES 41.1K

-60.45%

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 Kiambu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kiambu

$180 35.8%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 2.7% $4.8

Eating Out

Kiambu

$124 24.6%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 12.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kiambu

$99 19.7%

Mombasa

$120 16.8% 21% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Kiambu

$83 16.5%

Mombasa

$43 6.1% 47.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Kiambu

$12 * 2.3%

Mombasa

$48 6.7% 314% $37

Getting Around

Kiambu

$5.8 * 1.2%

Mombasa

$53 7.5% 813% $47

Accommodation & Living

Kiambu

- * 0%

Mombasa

$157 22%

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 $116 in Kiambu and $229 in Mombasa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mombasa pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $34 in Kiambu vs $25 in Mombasa. Groceries flip the comparison at $180 vs $185, with Kiambu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kiambu

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

08:13 8:13 AM

Same time as Kiambu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,870

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kiambu Mombasa 450 km

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Kiambu
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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

Kiambu vs Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kiambu is about 30% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Kiambu. 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: $116 in Kiambu versus $229 in Mombasa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $280 in Kiambu versus $87 in Mombasa. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mombasa – a meal for two runs $25 versus $34 in Kiambu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kiambu 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kiambu wins on affordability, Mombasa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.