Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

For one person, living costs are similar in Mombasa and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: $719 and $707 a month, rent and utilities included.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
Learn more

Mombasa Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu
Learn more

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu Living Index

Jump to prices

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$719

/mo nomad

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🇨🇳 China

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mombasa and in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $719 per month in Mombasa vs $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Mombasa $719
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $707

A couple spends around $1,147 per month in Mombasa vs $1,185 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Mombasa $1,147
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,185

A family of three spends $1,575 per month in Mombasa vs $1,663 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, rent included.

Mombasa $1,575
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu $1,663

Mombasa costs about 2% more than Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Mombasa and Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu are more affordable than the global median – Mombasa 47% lower, Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 KES 345

$3.83 ¥25.60

-30.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.34 KES 3,285

$26.02 ¥174

-2.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 KES 1,359

$4.57 ¥30.53

129.32%

Cappuccino

$2.74 KES 355

$3.17 ¥21.17

-13.56%

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

$0.68 KES 88.0

$0.48 ¥3.22

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.7

$0.31 ¥2.04

67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 303

$0.93 ¥6.21

151.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 KES 428

$1.47 ¥9.79

124.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 KES 130

$1.79 ¥11.96

-44.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 KES 65.6

$1.18 ¥7.89

-56.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 KES 201

$0.87 ¥5.84

78.16%

Eggs

$1.82 KES 236

$2.07 ¥13.83

-12.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 KES 1,803

$19.53 ¥130

-28.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 KES 648

$3.69 ¥24.66

35.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.25 KES 681

$6.16 ¥41.10

-14.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 KES 272

$2.33 ¥15.54

-9.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 KES 150

$1.38 ¥9.23

-15.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$1.47 ¥9.80

19.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 KES 90.9

$1.31 ¥8.73

-46.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.8

$0.87 ¥5.78

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 KES 130

$0.86 ¥5.76

17.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.4

$0.62 ¥4.17

-3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 KES 55.6

$0.54 ¥3.59

-20.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 KES 518

$3.57 ¥23.86

12.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 KES 1,239

$13.36 ¥89.2

-28.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 KES 258

$0.75 ¥5.00

165.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 KES 365

$1.45 ¥9.67

94.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.31 ¥2.08

158.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.84 KES 5,035

$19.88 ¥133

95.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 KES 410

$1.97 ¥13.18

60.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 KES 227

$0.38 ¥2.54

360.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 KES 603

$7.03 ¥46.92

-33.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 KES 202

$1.21 ¥8.11

28.93%

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

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$18.1K ¥121.0K

-33.41%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$17.9K ¥119.5K

-33.96%

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

$76.9 KES 9,975

$18.76 ¥125

310.13%

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

$9.14 KES 1,184

$10.11 ¥67.5

-9.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,470

$11.07 ¥73.9

211.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.18 KES 2,357

$60.8 ¥406

-70.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 KES 2,454

$16.34 ¥109

15.85%

Cinema Ticket

$15.63 KES 2,027

$7.45 ¥49.72

109.80%

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

$86.4 KES 11.2K

$301 ¥2,012

-71.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,415 KES 702.1K

$17.8K ¥118.6K

-69.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.05 KES 1,692

$45.01 ¥300

-71.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.77 KES 1,785

$41.36 ¥276

-66.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.30 KES 3,021

$60.5 ¥404

-61.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.20 KES 5,990

$58.6 ¥391

-21.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$227 KES 29.5K

$256 ¥1,712

-11.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.4K

$165 ¥1,103

-4.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 KES 70.0K

$631 ¥4,210

-14.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 KES 48.3K

$379 ¥2,531

-1.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,411 KES 701.6K

$2,912 ¥19.4K

85.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,884 KES 503.6K

$1,953 ¥13.0K

98.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

271.43%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$185 25.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$216 30.5% 16.5% $31

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$157 21.9%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$165 23.4% 5.1% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$121 16.8%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$40 5.7% 66.9% $81

Eating Out

Mombasa

$109 15.1%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$93 13.2% 14.3% $16

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.5%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$25 3.5% 53.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$49 6.9%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$76 10.7% 53.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

$92 13.1% 113% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $227 in Mombasa versus $256 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Mombasa versus $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $216 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇨🇳 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

5 h ahead of Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

831,113

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu

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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $719 in Mombasa, $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,078 per month in Mombasa and $1,061 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 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 $26.00 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. 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 $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. That's a gap of about 2%.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $719 in Mombasa and $707 in Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu – 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 Taicang, Suzhou, Jiangsu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mombasa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.