Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
Learn more

Mombasa Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mombasa and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $726 per month in Mombasa vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mombasa $726
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,140 per month in Mombasa vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mombasa $1,140
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,553 per month in Mombasa vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Mombasa $1,553
Cape Town $3,307

Mombasa is about 54% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Mombasa sits 46% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.65 KES 343

$11.78 R 194

-77.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.75 KES 3,210

$46.55 R 768

-46.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 KES 1,343

$5.96 R 98.4

73.83%

Cappuccino

$2.75 KES 357

$2.47 R 40.80

11.34%

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

$0.68 KES 88.1

$1.33 R 21.91

-48.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.1

$1.03 R 16.99

-49.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 KES 296

$3.01 R 49.72

-24.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 KES 432

$3.66 R 60.4

-9.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 KES 128

$1.39 R 22.96

-28.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 KES 69.3

$1.19 R 19.60

-55.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 KES 197

$2.11 R 34.84

-27.96%

Eggs

$1.75 KES 227

$3.01 R 49.58

-41.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.89 KES 1,802

$8.96 R 148

55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 KES 639

$6.65 R 110

-26.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.42 KES 703

$9.29 R 153

-41.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 KES 282

$1.83 R 30.13

18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.90 R 31.31

-39.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 KES 230

$1.75 R 28.83

1.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.71 KES 91.6

$2.09 R 34.41

-66.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.8

$1.55 R 25.64

-52.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 KES 136

$1.49 R 24.53

-29.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.0

$1.30 R 21.41

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 KES 59.4

$1.16 R 19.19

-60.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 KES 517

$3.71 R 61.2

7.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.71 KES 1,259

$6.06 R 100

60.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 KES 250

$1.39 R 22.85

38.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 KES 377

$2.20 R 36.32

31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

$1.51 R 24.98

-47.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.24 KES 5,089

$61.0 R 1,006

-35.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 411

$0.63 R 10.33

403.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 KES 229

$1.53 R 25.29

15.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.49 KES 583

$4.81 R 79.4

-6.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 KES 206

$1.58 R 26.08

0.63%

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

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-65.86%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-61.71%

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

$76.8 KES 9,958

$116 R 1,920

-34.03%

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

$9.20 KES 1,194

$28.37 R 468

-67.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.52 KES 4,478

$40.69 R 671

-15.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.03 KES 2,339

$48.85 R 806

-63.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.39 KES 2,515

$11.13 R 184

74.21%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 KES 1,974

$8.83 R 146

72.37%

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

$85.5 KES 11.1K

$261 R 4,314

-67.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,377 KES 697.4K

$6,702 R 110.6K

-19.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.31 KES 1,727

$55.4 R 914

-75.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.57 KES 1,760

$32.27 R 532

-57.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.10 KES 2,996

$118 R 1,939

-80.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.02 KES 5,969

$107 R 1,766

-57.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 KES 30.0K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-77.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.3K

$715 R 11.8K

-78.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 KES 69.8K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-70.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 KES 48.5K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-71.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,456 KES 707.6K

$2,331 R 38.5K

134.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,836 KES 497.6K

$1,513 R 25.0K

153.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$318 KES 41.3K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-80.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

18.51%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$186 26%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 19.4% $36

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$157 21.8%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 356% $559

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$121 16.8%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 53.9% $65

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15.1%

Cape Town

$174 11% 60.6% $66

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 38.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 37.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 225% $97

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $231 in Mombasa versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 414% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Mombasa versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $222 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

12:22 12:22 PM

1 h behind Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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 = 6.88 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Cape Town 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 116% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,089 per month in Mombasa and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $726 in Mombasa and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 116%.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Mombasa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mombasa costs $726 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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