Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Aracaju

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracaju: $659 a month against $721 in Mombasa, rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Aracaju
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Aracaju Living Index

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Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$721

/mo nomad

Aracaju

🇧🇷 Brazil

$659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mombasa and in Aracaju

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $721 in Mombasa versus $659 in Aracaju.

Mombasa $721
Aracaju $659

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,150 in Mombasa versus $1,043 in Aracaju.

Mombasa $1,150
Aracaju $1,043

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,578 in Mombasa versus $1,427 in Aracaju.

Mombasa $1,578
Aracaju $1,427

Living in Mombasa is roughly 9% more expensive than in Aracaju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mombasa 47% lower, Aracaju 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 KES 357

$4.63 R$25.28

-40.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.43 KES 3,304

$21.63 R$118

17.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 KES 1,336

$5.42 R$29.61

89.67%

Cappuccino

$2.68 KES 348

$1.92 R$10.48

39.58%

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

$0.69 KES 89.6

$1.07 R$5.85

-35.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.5

$0.55 R$3.02

-5.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 304

$1.88 R$10.25

24.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 KES 430

$2.90 R$15.85

14.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 KES 128

$1.03 R$5.61

-4.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.8

$1.40 R$7.65

-64.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 KES 199

$1.09 R$5.94

40.37%

Eggs

$1.76 KES 228

$1.59 R$8.66

10.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 KES 1,809

$6.99 R$38.20

99.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 KES 643

$3.60 R$19.63

37.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.41 KES 703

$6.82 R$37.24

-20.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 KES 271

$1.94 R$10.57

7.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 KES 155

$1.23 R$6.74

-3.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 KES 237

$0.66 R$3.59

177.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.2

$0.82 R$4.49

-12.20%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.9

$1.03 R$5.61

-30.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 KES 138

$0.90 R$4.90

17.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.2

$0.51 R$2.79

17.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 KES 54.6

$0.70 R$3.83

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 KES 533

$2.25 R$12.30

82.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 KES 1,242

$5.58 R$30.48

71.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 KES 250

$1.14 R$6.22

68.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 KES 371

$1.85 R$10.13

54.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.85 R$4.65

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.88 KES 5,051

$38.97 R$213

-0.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 412

$1.16 R$6.33

173.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 KES 227

$0.61 R$3.33

186.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 KES 611

$6.05 R$33.05

-22.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 208

$1.19 R$6.50

34.45%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$21.4K R$116.7K

-44.73%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$31.0K R$169.1K

-60.73%

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

$79.4 KES 10.3K

$58.7 R$320

35.36%

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

$9.00 KES 1,169

$9.26 R$50.6

-2.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 KES 4,584

$15.77 R$86.1

123.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.93 KES 2,330

$21.03 R$115

-14.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.22 KES 2,497

$25.96 R$142

-25.96%

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 KES 1,981

$5.85 R$31.92

160.68%

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

$87.3 KES 11.3K

$277 R$1,513

-68.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,448 KES 707.7K

$5,017 R$27.4K

8.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.90 KES 1,675

$53.1 R$290

-75.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.67 KES 1,776

$32.44 R$177

-57.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.36 KES 3,034

$81.1 R$443

-71.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.73 KES 6,070

$75.3 R$411

-37.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 KES 29.7K

$280 R$1,530

-18.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 KES 20.5K

$135 R$736

17.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 KES 69.2K

$590 R$3,224

-9.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 KES 48.5K

$250 R$1,366

49.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,392 KES 700.4K

$1,204 R$6,573

347.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 KES 498.1K

$849 R$4,636

351.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.7K

$422 R$2,302

-25.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

30.00%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Aracaju: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$185 25.7%

Aracaju

$154 23.4% 16.9% $31

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$158 21.9%

Aracaju

$135 20.5% 14.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$124 17.2%

Aracaju

$84 12.7% 32.3% $40

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15%

Aracaju

$98 14.9% 9.4% $10

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.5%

Aracaju

$47 7.1% 13.8% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.7%

Aracaju

$33 5% 32.4% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Aracaju

$109 16.5% 150% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $229 in Mombasa and $280 in Aracaju. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aracaju pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25 in Mombasa vs $22 in Aracaju for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $154 per month, with Aracaju cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇧🇷 Aracaju

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

20:09 8:09 PM

6 h behind Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

602,757

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Aracaju 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
Aracaju

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

Mombasa vs Aracaju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $721 in Mombasa and $659 in Aracaju, so Aracaju is about 9% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Mombasa. 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: $229 in Mombasa versus $280 in Aracaju. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $87 in Mombasa versus $277 in Aracaju. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Aracaju – a meal for two runs $22 versus $25 in Mombasa. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Aracaju 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.