Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $721 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$721

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mombasa and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $721 in Mombasa versus $1,779 in Athens.

Mombasa $721
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,150 in Mombasa versus $2,721 in Athens.

Mombasa $1,150
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,578 in Mombasa versus $3,663 in Athens.

Mombasa $1,578
Athens $3,663

Living in Mombasa costs roughly 59% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mombasa is 47% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 KES 357

$16.83 €14.99

-83.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.43 KES 3,302

$66.0 €58.8

-61.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 KES 1,335

$11.21 €9.99

-8.30%

Cappuccino

$2.68 KES 348

$4.08 €3.64

-34.31%

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

$0.69 KES 89.5

$2.77 €2.47

-75.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.4

$0.54 €0.48

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 304

$5.70 €5.08

-58.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 KES 430

$6.26 €5.58

-47.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 KES 127

$1.84 €1.64

-46.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.7

$1.43 €1.27

-65.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 KES 198

$2.67 €2.38

-42.70%

Eggs

$1.76 KES 228

$4.95 €4.41

-64.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 KES 1,808

$15.09 €13.45

-7.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 KES 642

$10.99 €9.79

-54.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.41 KES 702

$19.77 €17.61

-72.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 KES 271

$2.12 €1.89

-1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 KES 154

$1.98 €1.76

-39.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 KES 237

$1.33 €1.19

37.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.1

$2.16 €1.92

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.8

$1.06 €0.94

-32.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 KES 137

$1.15 €1.02

-7.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.1

$1.08 €0.97

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 KES 54.6

$0.85 €0.75

-50.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 KES 532

$5.46 €4.86

-24.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 KES 1,241

$10.03 €8.93

-4.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 KES 250

$2.04 €1.82

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 KES 371

$2.38 €2.12

19.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.35 €1.20

-40.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.88 KES 5,048

$30.52 €27.19

27.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 411

$3.81 €3.39

-16.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 KES 227

$1.03 €0.92

69.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 KES 611

$16.49 €14.68

-71.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 208

$2.34 €2.09

-31.62%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$27.8K €24.7K

-57.48%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$26.6K €23.7K

-54.28%

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

$79.4 KES 10.3K

$202 €180

-60.72%

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

$9.00 KES 1,168

$26.81 €23.88

-66.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 KES 4,582

$30.49 €27.16

15.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.93 KES 2,328

$54.1 €48.17

-66.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.22 KES 2,496

$27.40 €24.41

-29.85%

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 KES 1,980

$10.44 €9.30

46.07%

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

$87.3 KES 11.3K

$568 €506

-84.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,448 KES 707.4K

$15.2K €13.5K

-64.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.90 KES 1,674

$90.7 €80.8

-85.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.67 KES 1,775

$39.32 €35.03

-65.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.36 KES 3,032

$105 €93.7

-77.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.73 KES 6,067

$129 €115

-63.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 KES 29.7K

$742 €661

-69.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 KES 20.5K

$648 €578

-75.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 KES 69.2K

$1,271 €1,132

-58.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 KES 48.4K

$1,122 €999

-66.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,392 KES 700.0K

$3,999 €3,562

34.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 KES 497.8K

$3,281 €2,923

16.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.7K

$1,245 €1,109

-74.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

192.79%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$185 25.7%

Athens

$316 17.8% 70.6% $131

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$158 21.9%

Athens

$648 36.4% 310% $490

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$124 17.2%

Athens

$260 14.6% 110% $136

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15%

Athens

$272 15.3% 151% $163

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.5%

Athens

$45 2.5% 16.9% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.7%

Athens

$75 4.2% 54.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Athens

$164 9.2% 277% $120

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $229 in Mombasa and $742 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Mombasa vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $185 vs $316 per month, with Mombasa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

02:15 2:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

1 h behind Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mombasa Athens 4,950 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
Athens

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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mombasa wins on cost – living expenses run 59% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Mombasa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 75% 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 $742 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Mombasa – a meal for two runs $25 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $721 per month in Mombasa versus $1,779 in Athens – Mombasa is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $721 in Mombasa versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Mombasa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Mombasa 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.

It comes down to priorities – Mombasa wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.