Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malindi and Machakos

For one person, living costs are similar in Malindi and in Machakos: $517 and $520 a month, rent and utilities included.

25

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index

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Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$517

/mo nomad

Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Malindi and in Machakos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $517 in Malindi versus $520 in Machakos.

Malindi $517
Machakos $520

Estimated couple costs with rent: $803 in Malindi versus $802 in Machakos.

Malindi $803
Machakos $802

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,090 in Malindi versus $1,084 in Machakos.

Malindi $1,090
Machakos $1,084

Monthly costs are close between Malindi and Machakos; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 KES 277

$2.99 KES 389

-28.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.30 KES 3,284

$19.26 KES 2,500

31.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 KES 1,355

$6.26 KES 812

66.77%

Cappuccino

$2.70 KES 351

$1.97 KES 255

37.06%

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

$0.68 KES 88.5

$0.66 KES 85.4

3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.1

$0.54 KES 69.6

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 298

$2.16 KES 281

6.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 KES 419

$2.67 KES 346

20.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 KES 117

$0.39 KES 50.9

130.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.3

$0.48 KES 62.7

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 KES 162

$0.80 KES 104

56.25%

Eggs

$1.83 KES 237

$1.36 KES 177

34.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.40 KES 1,480

$10.89 KES 1,413

4.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 KES 647

$6.36 KES 826

-21.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.89 KES 635

$4.71 KES 612

3.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 KES 269

$1.50 KES 195

38.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 KES 101

$0.81 KES 105

-3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$0.37 KES 47.49

375.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 KES 91.7

$0.40 KES 51.6

77.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.7

$0.79 KES 102

-8.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 KES 84.0

$0.76 KES 98.6

-14.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 KES 77.1

$0.75 KES 97.6

-21.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 KES 58.8

$0.39 KES 51.1

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.16 KES 540

$3.51 KES 455

18.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.83 KES 1,276

$11.31 KES 1,468

-13.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 KES 261

$1.91 KES 248

5.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 KES 384

$2.70 KES 351

9.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.14 KES 408

$0.74 KES 96.4

324.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 KES 231

$0.75 KES 97.8

137.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 KES 596

$2.86 KES 371

60.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 KES 178

$1.50 KES 195

-8.67%

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

$12.0K KES 1.6M

$19.1K KES 2.5M

-36.99%

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

$12.0K KES 1.6M

$21.7K KES 2.8M

-44.75%

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

$76.0 KES 9,870

$57.0 KES 7,396

33.45%

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

$8.99 KES 1,166

$7.83 KES 1,017

14.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.23 KES 3,924

$11.58 KES 1,503

161.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.62 KES 5,013

$38.98 KES 5,060

-0.92%

Cinema Ticket

$15.42 KES 2,002

$7.66 KES 994

101.31%

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

$85.5 KES 11.1K

$45.51 KES 5,907

87.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,381 KES 698.4K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

-56.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.28 KES 1,723

$11.62 KES 1,509

14.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.38 KES 1,737

$28.49 KES 3,698

-53.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.49 KES 3,049

$68.8 KES 8,923

-65.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.81 KES 6,076

$38.19 KES 4,956

22.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$94.2 KES 12.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.4 KES 9,132

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$379 KES 49.2K

$155 KES 20.1K

144.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 KES 50.0K

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 25, 2026

Last update for Machakos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Malindi

$173 33.4%

Machakos

$161 31% 6.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malindi

$115 22.3%

Machakos

$76 14.7% 33.7% $39

Eating Out

Malindi

$104 20.1%

Machakos

$87 16.8% 15.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Malindi

$69 13.5%

Machakos

$54 10.4% 21.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Malindi

$44 8.5%

Machakos

$66 12.7% 51.7% $23

Getting Around

Malindi

$12 * 2.3%

Machakos

$4.5 * 0.9% 62.5% $7.5

Accommodation & Living

Malindi

- * 0%

Machakos

$70 13.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $25 in Malindi vs $19 in Machakos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $161 per month, with Machakos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Malindi

🇰🇪 Machakos

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

Same time as Malindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

114,109

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Malindi Machakos 370 km

From you

Malindi
Machakos

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 Machakos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $775 in Malindi and $780 in Machakos 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.

Shoppers in Machakos pay roughly 7% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Machakos – a meal for two runs $19 versus $25 in Malindi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Malindi 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.