Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malindi and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $502 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$502

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malindi and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $502 in Malindi versus $2,704 in Austin, TX.

Malindi $502
Austin, TX $2,704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $787 in Malindi versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Malindi $787
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,072 in Malindi versus $5,562 in Austin, TX.

Malindi $1,072
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Malindi costs roughly 81% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Malindi is 63% below, Austin, TX is 102% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 KES 267

$20.22 $20.22

-89.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.42 KES 3,038

$85.0 $85.0

-72.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 KES 1,369

$12.35 $12.35

-14.57%

Cappuccino

$3.58 KES 465

$5.47 $5.47

-34.55%

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

$0.98 KES 128

$3.82 $3.82

-74.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 KES 54.1

$2.50 $2.50

-83.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 KES 301

$8.06 $8.06

-71.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 KES 420

$8.99 $8.99

-63.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 KES 122

$1.13 $1.13

-16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 KES 68.5

$3.78 $3.78

-85.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 KES 158

$3.25 $3.25

-62.46%

Eggs

$1.82 KES 236

$4.14 $4.14

-56.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.22 KES 1,455

$13.08 $13.08

-14.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.57 KES 723

$14.31 $14.31

-61.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.03 KES 652

$15.96 $15.96

-68.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 KES 283

$4.38 $4.38

-50.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 KES 102

$1.45 $1.45

-45.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 KES 236

$4.54 $4.54

-59.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 KES 90.7

$4.19 $4.19

-83.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 KES 85.6

$2.63 $2.63

-74.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 KES 85.5

$2.36 $2.36

-72.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 KES 73.5

$1.76 $1.76

-67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 KES 55.4

$2.16 $2.16

-80.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.71 KES 611

$9.81 $9.81

-51.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.82 KES 1,014

$14.72 $14.72

-46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 KES 262

$2.78 $2.78

-27.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 KES 372

$3.48 $3.48

-17.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 KES 401

$2.67 $2.67

15.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 KES 228

$1.58 $1.58

11.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.61 KES 598

$35.29 $35.29

-86.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 KES 179

$0.99 $0.99

39.39%

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

$11.9K KES 1.5M

$35.8K $35.8K

-66.83%

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

$11.9K KES 1.5M

$27.2K $27.2K

-56.34%

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

$55.5 KES 7,192

$219 $219

-74.71%

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

$12.96 KES 1,681

$58.0 $58.0

-77.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.24 KES 3,922

$68.4 $68.4

-55.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 KES 5,055

$57.9 $57.9

-32.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

Cinema Ticket

$10.71 KES 1,389

$14.13 $14.13

-24.20%

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

$85.2 KES 11.1K

$1,509 $1,509

-94.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,401 KES 700.5K

$21.5K $21.5K

-74.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.30 KES 1,725

$51.7 $51.7

-74.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.46 KES 1,746

$44.05 $44.05

-69.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.81 KES 2,959

$85.1 $85.1

-73.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.96 KES 6,091

$105 $105

-55.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 KES 50.9K

$3,670 $3,670

-89.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

91.46%

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

Last update for Malindi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malindi

$172 34.3%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 134% $231

Eating Out

Malindi

$115 22.9%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 203% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malindi

$99 19.7%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 250% $247

Sport & Entertainment

Malindi

$60 12.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 42.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Malindi

$43 8.7%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 196% $85

Getting Around

Malindi

$12 * 2.4%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 380% $45

Accommodation & Living

Malindi

- * 0%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $23.00 in Malindi vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $172 vs $403 per month, with Malindi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Malindi

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

22:23 10:23 PM

8 h behind Malindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

974,447

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malindi Austin, TX 14,670 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Malindi
Austin, TX

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

Malindi vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malindi wins on cost – living expenses run 438% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Malindi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $754 in Malindi and $4,055 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $85.2 in Malindi versus $1,509 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Malindi – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $502 in Malindi versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Malindi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Malindi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Malindi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 438% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.