Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Nairobi Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Nairobi

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Mombasa is 16.3% cheaper than Nairobi without rent, and 22.8% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Mombasa is 23.6% cheaper than Nairobi without rent, and 18.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.33 KESĀ 301
$5.35 KESĀ 691
-56.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.40 KESĀ 2,504
$38.93 KESĀ 5,026
-50.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.95 KESĀ 1,155
$6.89 KESĀ 890
29.90%
Cappuccino
$3.29 KESĀ 424
$2.45 KESĀ 316
34.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 KESĀ 67.1
$0.76 KESĀ 98.1
-31.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 KESĀ 56.8
$0.54 KESĀ 70.2
-18.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 KESĀ 251
$2.36 KESĀ 305
-17.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 KESĀ 377
$2.98 KESĀ 385
-2.01%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.88 KESĀ 114
$0.93 KESĀ 119
-5.38%
White Bread (500g)
$0.54 KESĀ 70.4
$0.56 KESĀ 72.4
-3.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 KESĀ 179
$1.60 KESĀ 207
-13.13%
Eggs
$1.73 KESĀ 224
$1.70 KESĀ 220
1.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.04 KESĀ 1,297
$11.42 KESĀ 1,475
-12.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.05 KESĀ 781
$6.88 KESĀ 888
-12.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.32 KESĀ 686
$5.47 KESĀ 706
-2.74%
Apples (1kg)
$1.86 KESĀ 240
$3.15 KESĀ 407
-40.95%
Banana (1kg)
$0.85 KESĀ 109
$1.05 KESĀ 135
-19.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.58 KESĀ 204
$2.11 KESĀ 272
-25.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.81 KESĀ 104
$1.01 KESĀ 130
-19.80%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 KESĀ 91.0
$1.03 KESĀ 134
-31.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 KESĀ 135
$1.13 KESĀ 146
-7.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.61 KESĀ 79.2
$0.69 KESĀ 89.1
-11.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 KESĀ 73.9
$0.75 KESĀ 97.0
-24.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.44 KESĀ 444
$3.02 KESĀ 390
13.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.88 KESĀ 1,018
$11.87 KESĀ 1,533
-33.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 KESĀ 256
$2.28 KESĀ 295
-13.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 KESĀ 359
$2.73 KESĀ 352
1.83%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 KESĀ 102
$0.79 KESĀ 102
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.73 KESĀ 4,484
$31.46 KESĀ 4,062
10.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.07 KESĀ 397
$1.53 KESĀ 198
100.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.89 KESĀ 244
$1.53 KESĀ 198
23.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.74 KESĀ 612
$2.95 KESĀ 381
60.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.66 KESĀ 214
$1.53 KESĀ 198
8.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$12.1K KESĀ 1.6M
$21.9K KESĀ 2.8M
-44.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$12.0K KESĀ 1.5M
$20.4K KESĀ 2.6M
-41.17%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.51 KESĀ 5,747
$33.71 KESĀ 4,353
32.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.90 KESĀ 1,794
$17.03 KESĀ 2,199
-18.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.34 KESĀ 5,724
$38.73 KESĀ 5,000
14.48%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.15 KESĀ 2,343
$42.42 KESĀ 5,477
-57.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.01 KESĀ 2,454
$20.09 KESĀ 2,594
-5.38%
Cinema Ticket
$4.52 KESĀ 583
$6.29 KESĀ 812
-28.14%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$85.6 KESĀ 11.1K
$201 KESĀ 25.9K
-57.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,477 KESĀ 707.2K
$8,031 KESĀ 1.0M
-31.80%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.36 KESĀ 1,725
$18.05 KESĀ 2,331
-25.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$13.70 KESĀ 1,769
$24.44 KESĀ 3,155
-43.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$23.11 KESĀ 2,984
$64.4 KESĀ 8,315
-64.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$46.61 KESĀ 6,018
$56.6 KESĀ 7,308
-17.65%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$181 KESĀ 23.3K
$455 KESĀ 58.7K
-60.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$115 KESĀ 14.8K
$188 KESĀ 24.2K
-38.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$607 KESĀ 78.4K
$1,114 KESĀ 143.8K
-45.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$460 KESĀ 59.4K
$427 KESĀ 55.1K
7.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,536 KESĀ 714.8K
$1,605 KESĀ 207.2K
245.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,956 KESĀ 510.7K
$906 KESĀ 117.0K
336.64%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Mombasa
Nairobi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$321 KESĀ 41.4K
$396 KESĀ 51.1K
-18.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13
14.84
-12.40%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input ā€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mombasa: March 2, 2026

Last update for Nairobi: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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