Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malindi and Kisumu

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $517 a month against $644 in Kisumu, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Kisumu
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Kisumu Living Index

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Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Kisumu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malindi and in Kisumu

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

A single person spends $517 per month in Malindi vs $644 in Kisumu, rent included.

Malindi $517
Kisumu $644

A couple spends around $802 per month in Malindi vs $977 in Kisumu, rent included.

Malindi $802
Kisumu $977

A family of three spends $1,088 per month in Malindi vs $1,311 in Kisumu, rent included.

Malindi $1,088
Kisumu $1,311

Malindi is about 20% cheaper than Kisumu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Malindi and Kisumu are more affordable than the global median – Malindi 62% lower, Kisumu 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 KES 282

$4.65 KES 603

-53.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.24 KES 3,272

$25.40 KES 3,293

-0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 KES 1,340

$6.55 KES 849

57.86%

Cappuccino

$2.61 KES 338

$2.57 KES 334

1.56%

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

$0.70 KES 90.4

$0.61 KES 79.3

14.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 KES 62.9

$0.60 KES 78.2

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 296

$1.98 KES 257

15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 KES 435

$2.78 KES 360

20.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 KES 125

$0.52 KES 67.5

84.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 70.6

$0.52 KES 67.4

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 KES 162

$1.96 KES 254

-36.22%

Eggs

$1.76 KES 228

$1.69 KES 219

4.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 KES 1,516

$10.51 KES 1,363

11.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 KES 619

$6.43 KES 834

-25.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.87 KES 631

$5.07 KES 658

-3.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 KES 271

$3.43 KES 444

-39.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 KES 100.0

$0.94 KES 122

-18.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 KES 226

$2.07 KES 268

-15.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.8

$1.13 KES 147

-36.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 KES 88.8

$1.07 KES 138

-35.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 KES 92.0

$0.96 KES 124

-26.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 KES 73.0

$0.74 KES 95.9

-24.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 KES 55.3

$0.73 KES 94.8

-41.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.15 KES 538

$3.14 KES 407

32.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.53 KES 1,236

$7.68 KES 996

24.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 KES 262

$2.27 KES 295

-11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 KES 380

$2.35 KES 305

24.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.09 KES 2,994

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 KES 393

$1.52 KES 197

99.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 KES 219

$1.50 KES 195

12.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.58 KES 594

$2.88 KES 373

59.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 KES 185

$1.61 KES 208

-11.18%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$19.7K KES 2.6M

-37.97%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$21.9K KES 2.8M

-46.07%

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

$78.4 KES 10.2K

$55.8 KES 7,240

40.33%

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

$9.48 KES 1,230

$15.35 KES 1,990

-38.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.52 KES 3,957

$34.77 KES 4,508

-12.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.43 KES 4,982

$23.41 KES 3,036

64.16%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 KES 1,982

$7.91 KES 1,025

93.30%

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

$87.1 KES 11.3K

$115 KES 14.9K

-24.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,490 KES 711.7K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-55.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.12 KES 1,701

$11.77 KES 1,527

11.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.41 KES 1,738

$19.06 KES 2,471

-29.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.01 KES 2,984

$15.63 KES 2,026

47.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.91 KES 5,953

$15.63 KES 2,026

193.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$153 KES 19.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$138 KES 17.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 KES 50.3K

$563 KES 73.0K

-31.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 KES 27.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$756 KES 98.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$758 KES 98.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

-11.62%

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

Last update for Malindi: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kisumu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malindi

$172 33.3%

Kisumu

$189 29.4% 9.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malindi

$118 22.9%

Kisumu

$106 16.5% 10.5% $12

Eating Out

Malindi

$103 19.9%

Kisumu

$108 16.8% 5.3% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Malindi

$69 13.4%

Kisumu

$39 6.1% 43.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Malindi

$43 8.3%

Kisumu

$28 4.3% 34.9% $15

Getting Around

Malindi

$11 * 2.2%

Kisumu

$35 5.5% 208% $24

Accommodation & Living

Malindi

- * 0%

Kisumu

$138 21.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Malindi versus $25.00 in Kisumu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $172 vs $189 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Malindi

🇰🇪 Kisumu

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

Same time as Malindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

1,155,574

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malindi Kisumu 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Malindi
Kisumu

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 Kisumu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kisumu costs about 25% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $775 per month in Malindi and $965 in Kisumu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $517 in Malindi and $644 in Kisumu. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $87.1 per month in Malindi and $115 in Kisumu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $517 in Malindi and $644 in Kisumu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Malindi costs $517 versus $644 in Kisumu. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Malindi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kisumu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.