Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Chengdu

For one person, living costs are similar in Mombasa and in Chengdu: $719 and $741 a month, rent and utilities included.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index

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Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$719

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mombasa and in Chengdu

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Mombasa vs $741 in Chengdu, rent included.

Mombasa $719
Chengdu $741

A couple spends around $1,147 per month in Mombasa vs $1,204 in Chengdu, rent included.

Mombasa $1,147
Chengdu $1,204

A family of three spends $1,575 per month in Mombasa vs $1,667 in Chengdu, rent included.

Mombasa $1,575
Chengdu $1,667

Mombasa is about 3% cheaper than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Mombasa and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Mombasa 47% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 KES 345

$2.80 ¥18.69

-5.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.34 KES 3,285

$22.37 ¥149

13.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 KES 1,359

$4.91 ¥32.81

113.44%

Cappuccino

$2.74 KES 355

$2.88 ¥19.26

-4.86%

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

$0.68 KES 88.0

$0.50 ¥3.37

36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.7

$0.28 ¥1.88

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 303

$1.53 ¥10.19

52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 KES 428

$2.19 ¥14.59

50.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 KES 130

$1.90 ¥12.71

-47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 KES 65.6

$1.50 ¥10.01

-66.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 KES 201

$0.99 ¥6.61

56.57%

Eggs

$1.82 KES 236

$1.56 ¥10.40

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 KES 1,803

$14.54 ¥97.1

-4.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 KES 648

$3.66 ¥24.45

36.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.25 KES 681

$11.19 ¥74.7

-53.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 KES 272

$1.85 ¥12.38

13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 KES 150

$1.37 ¥9.18

-15.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$1.09 ¥7.27

61.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 KES 90.9

$1.16 ¥7.73

-39.66%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.8

$0.70 ¥4.70

2.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 KES 130

$0.72 ¥4.83

40.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.4

$0.62 ¥4.16

-3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 KES 55.6

$0.54 ¥3.63

-20.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 KES 518

$3.72 ¥24.86

7.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 KES 1,239

$4.58 ¥30.57

108.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 KES 258

$0.82 ¥5.48

142.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 KES 365

$1.48 ¥9.85

90.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.43 ¥2.87

86.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.84 KES 5,035

$24.50 ¥164

58.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 KES 410

$1.30 ¥8.69

143.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 KES 227

$0.29 ¥1.94

503.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 KES 603

$4.46 ¥29.81

4.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 KES 202

$1.32 ¥8.80

18.18%

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

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$19.6K ¥130.7K

-38.34%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$17.4K ¥115.9K

-31.89%

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

$76.9 KES 9,975

$47.19 ¥315

63.04%

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

$9.14 KES 1,184

$9.21 ¥61.5

-0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,470

$12.45 ¥83.1

176.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.18 KES 2,357

$26.80 ¥179

-32.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 KES 2,454

$11.39 ¥76.1

66.20%

Cinema Ticket

$15.63 KES 2,027

$6.08 ¥40.57

157.07%

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

$86.4 KES 11.2K

$379 ¥2,531

-77.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,415 KES 702.1K

$14.8K ¥98.9K

-63.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.05 KES 1,692

$25.28 ¥169

-48.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.77 KES 1,785

$27.77 ¥185

-50.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.30 KES 3,021

$56.9 ¥380

-59.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.20 KES 5,990

$52.6 ¥351

-12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$227 KES 29.5K

$464 ¥3,099

-51.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.4K

$248 ¥1,657

-36.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 KES 70.0K

$813 ¥5,429

-33.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 KES 48.3K

$533 ¥3,560

-30.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,411 KES 701.6K

$3,762 ¥25.1K

43.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,884 KES 503.6K

$1,902 ¥12.7K

104.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.5K

$1,252 ¥8,356

-75.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

284.62%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$185 25.8%

Chengdu

$196 26.5% 5.8% $11

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$157 21.9%

Chengdu

$248 33.5% 58% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$121 16.8%

Chengdu

$69 9.3% 42.9% $52

Eating Out

Mombasa

$109 15.1%

Chengdu

$87 11.7% 20.1% $22

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.5%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 46.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$49 6.9%

Chengdu

$39 5.3% 21.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Chengdu

$73 9.9% 68.8% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $227 in Mombasa versus $464 in Chengdu. 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 300% higher in Chengdu, 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 $22.00 in Chengdu. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in Mombasa vs $196 in Chengdu – so Mombasa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

5 h ahead of Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mombasa Chengdu 7,830 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
Chengdu

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 Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $719 in Mombasa, $741 in Chengdu – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,078 per month in Mombasa and $1,112 in Chengdu. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Mombasa and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $719 in Mombasa and $741 in Chengdu. That's a gap of about 3%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $719 in Mombasa and $741 in Chengdu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mombasa – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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