Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machakos and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $516 a month against $557 in Bangalore, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bangalore outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$516

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Machakos and in Bangalore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $516 in Machakos versus $557 in Bangalore.

Machakos $516
Bangalore $557

Estimated couple costs with rent: $797 in Machakos versus $941 in Bangalore.

Machakos $797
Bangalore $941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,078 in Machakos versus $1,324 in Bangalore.

Machakos $1,078
Bangalore $1,324

Living in Machakos costs roughly 7% less than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Machakos 62% lower, Bangalore 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.15 KES 408

$3.13 ₹297

0.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.98 KES 2,461

$17.66 ₹1,677

7.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.19 KES 803

$4.66 ₹443

32.83%

Cappuccino

$1.98 KES 257

$2.28 ₹217

-13.16%

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

$0.64 KES 83.0

$0.40 ₹37.91

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 KES 69.8

$0.14 ₹13.62

285.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 KES 273

$2.27 ₹216

-7.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 KES 352

$3.60 ₹342

-24.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.37 KES 48.53

$0.66 ₹62.4

-43.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 KES 56.9

$0.59 ₹55.8

-25.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.4

$0.81 ₹76.5

-8.64%

Eggs

$1.36 KES 177

$1.14 ₹109

19.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 KES 1,391

$6.19 ₹588

73.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.29 KES 815

$3.75 ₹356

67.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.55 KES 589

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$2.86 ₹272

-44.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 KES 95.2

$0.73 ₹69.3

Oranges (1kg)

$0.40 KES 52.4

$1.20 ₹114

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 KES 53.1

$0.42 ₹39.54

-2.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.39 ₹36.59

105.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 KES 104

$0.40 ₹37.84

102.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 KES 88.4

$0.40 ₹37.56

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 KES 49.11

$0.30 ₹28.09

26.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 KES 455

$4.66 ₹442

-24.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 KES 1,483

$9.48 ₹900

20.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 KES 247

$1.97 ₹187

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 KES 363

$2.98 ₹283

-6.04%

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

$6.59 ₹626

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ₹48.66

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.69 ₹1,490

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 KES 103

$1.06 ₹101

-25.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 KES 101

$0.30 ₹28.52

160.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 KES 368

$2.16 ₹205

31.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 KES 193

$1.15 ₹109

29.57%

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

$19.2K KES 2.5M

$11.3K ₹1.1M

69.54%

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

$21.5K KES 2.8M

$18.8K ₹1.8M

14.10%

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

$56.1 KES 7,279

$30.35 ₹2,882

84.98%

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

$7.82 KES 1,014

$4.11 ₹390

90.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.48 KES 1,488

$10.45 ₹992

9.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.18 KES 4,950

$18.89 ₹1,794

102.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.10 ₹579

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 KES 987

$4.86 ₹461

56.79%

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

$45.44 KES 5,892

$102 ₹9,687

-55.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$2,978 ₹282.8K

312.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.34 KES 1,470

$33.83 ₹3,212

-66.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 KES 3,719

$30.70 ₹2,915

-6.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.4 KES 8,991

$56.3 ₹5,343

23.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.50 KES 4,992

$40.05 ₹3,803

-3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.9 KES 12.2K

$309 ₹29.4K

-69.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.7 KES 8,905

$179 ₹17.0K

-61.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$154 KES 20.0K

$799 ₹75.9K

-80.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 KES 15.0K

$481 ₹45.6K

-75.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,928 ₹183.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,076 ₹102.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$383 KES 49.6K

$943 ₹89.6K

-59.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

8.47

73.67%

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

Last update for Machakos: October 17, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machakos

$159 30.8%

Bangalore

$125 22.4% 21.4% $34

Eating Out

Machakos

$88 17.1%

Bangalore

$87 15.6% 1.3% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machakos

$75 14.6%

Bangalore

$45 8.1% 40.5% $31

Accommodation & Living

Machakos

$69 13.3%

Bangalore

$179 32.1% 160% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Machakos

$67 12.9%

Bangalore

$72 13% 8.8% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Machakos

$53 10.4%

Bangalore

$29 5.1% 46.5% $25

Getting Around

Machakos

$4.7 * 0.9%

Bangalore

$20 3.6% 332% $16

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 $93.9 in Machakos and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 146% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Machakos vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $159 vs $125 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Machakos

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

14:59 2:59 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Machakos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,109

8,495,492

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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

Machakos Bangalore 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Machakos
Bangalore

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

Machakos vs Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Machakos wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Bangalore. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Machakos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 146% lower in Bangalore. 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: $93.9 in Machakos versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Bangalore pay roughly 27% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $516 per month in Machakos versus $557 in Bangalore – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Machakos gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Machakos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $516 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Machakos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Machakos and Bangalore are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Machakos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Bangalore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.