Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Bangalore

For one person, living is cheaper in Bangalore: $535 a month against $726 in Mombasa, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Bangalore
Learn more

Bangalore Living Index

Jump to prices

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Bangalore

🇮🇳 India

$535

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mombasa and in Bangalore

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $726 in Mombasa versus $535 in Bangalore.

Mombasa $726
Bangalore $535

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,140 in Mombasa versus $927 in Bangalore.

Mombasa $1,140
Bangalore $927

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,553 in Mombasa versus $1,318 in Bangalore.

Mombasa $1,553
Bangalore $1,318

Living in Mombasa is roughly 36% more expensive than in Bangalore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mombasa 46% lower, Bangalore 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 KES 343

$3.04 ₹294

-12.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.75 KES 3,210

$17.83 ₹1,725

38.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 KES 1,343

$4.78 ₹463

116.74%

Cappuccino

$2.75 KES 357

$2.24 ₹217

22.77%

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

$0.68 KES 88.1

$0.39 ₹37.49

74.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.1

$0.14 ₹13.64

271.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

$2.34 ₹226

-2.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 KES 432

$3.91 ₹379

-14.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KES 128

$0.61 ₹58.6

62.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 KES 69.3

$0.57 ₹55.2

-7.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 KES 197

$0.81 ₹77.9

87.65%

Eggs

$1.75 KES 227

$1.12 ₹109

56.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 KES 1,802

$5.93 ₹574

134.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 KES 639

$3.85 ₹373

27.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.42 KES 703

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 KES 282

$2.78 ₹269

-21.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$0.75 ₹72.2

53.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 KES 230

$1.22 ₹118

45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 KES 91.6

$0.40 ₹39.19

77.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.8

$0.38 ₹36.40

94.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 KES 136

$0.36 ₹34.72

191.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.0

$0.42 ₹40.31

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 KES 59.4

$0.32 ₹31.21

43.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 KES 517

$4.61 ₹446

-13.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 KES 1,259

$9.01 ₹872

7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 KES 250

$1.86 ₹180

3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 KES 377

$2.92 ₹283

-0.68%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.35 ₹614

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

$0.51 ₹48.89

56.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.24 KES 5,089

$15.71 ₹1,520

149.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 411

$1.01 ₹97.8

213.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 KES 229

$0.30 ₹29.43

486.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 KES 583

$2.10 ₹203

113.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 KES 206

$1.08 ₹104

47.22%

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

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$12.6K ₹1.2M

-3.60%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$19.1K ₹1.8M

-36.20%

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

$76.8 KES 9,958

$30.32 ₹2,934

153.23%

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

$9.20 KES 1,194

$4.11 ₹398

123.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.52 KES 4,478

$10.23 ₹990

237.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.03 KES 2,339

$18.61 ₹1,801

-3.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 KES 2,515

$5.95 ₹576

225.88%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 KES 1,974

$4.60 ₹446

230.87%

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

$85.5 KES 11.1K

$104 ₹10.1K

-17.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,377 KES 697.4K

$3,176 ₹307.3K

69.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.31 KES 1,727

$32.29 ₹3,125

-58.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.57 KES 1,760

$29.85 ₹2,889

-54.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.10 KES 2,996

$53.3 ₹5,160

-56.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 KES 5,969

$39.66 ₹3,838

16.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 KES 30.0K

$309 ₹29.9K

-25.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.3K

$175 ₹16.9K

-10.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 KES 69.8K

$788 ₹76.3K

-31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 KES 48.5K

$481 ₹46.6K

-22.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,456 KES 707.6K

$1,889 ₹182.8K

188.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,836 KES 497.6K

$1,067 ₹103.3K

259.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$318 KES 41.3K

$919 ₹89.0K

-65.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

52.94%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bangalore: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$186 26%

Bangalore

$122 22.4% 34.3% $64

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$157 21.8%

Bangalore

$175 32% 11.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$121 16.8%

Bangalore

$45 8.2% 62.9% $76

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15.1%

Bangalore

$87 15.9% 19.4% $21

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.6%

Bangalore

$20 3.7% 62.8% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.8%

Bangalore

$28 5.1% 42.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Bangalore

$70 12.8% 61.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $231 in Mombasa and $309 in Bangalore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangalore pays 189% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $25.00 in Mombasa vs $18.00 in Bangalore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $122 per month, with Bangalore cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇮🇳 Bangalore

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

8,495,492

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Bangalore 4,600 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
Bangalore

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 Bangalore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangalore wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Mombasa. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bangalore the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 189% lower in Bangalore. 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: $231 in Mombasa versus $309 in Bangalore. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bangalore runs roughly 150% less than in Mombasa. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $85.5 in Mombasa versus $104 in Bangalore. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bangalore gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bangalore delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $535 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bangalore hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Bangalore gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Mombasa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.