Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Cape Town Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Cape Town

šŸ™‚ Solo nomad: Nairobi is 17.1% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 39% cheaper with rent.
šŸ™‚ Family of 3: Nairobi is 15.2% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 32.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.35 KESĀ 691
$11.12 RĀ 183
-51.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.93 KESĀ 5,026
$44.86 RĀ 739
-13.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 KESĀ 890
$5.00 RĀ 82.4
37.80%
Cappuccino
$2.45 KESĀ 316
$2.05 RĀ 33.83
19.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 KESĀ 98.1
$1.12 RĀ 18.44
-32.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 KESĀ 70.2
$0.81 RĀ 13.36
-33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 KESĀ 305
$2.85 RĀ 47.00
-17.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 KESĀ 385
$2.58 RĀ 42.44
15.50%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 KESĀ 119
$1.15 RĀ 19.01
-19.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 KESĀ 72.4
$1.04 RĀ 17.17
-46.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 KESĀ 207
$1.85 RĀ 30.42
-13.51%
Eggs
$1.70 KESĀ 220
$2.43 RĀ 39.98
-30.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.42 KESĀ 1,475
$8.49 RĀ 140
34.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.88 KESĀ 888
$5.17 RĀ 85.2
33.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.47 KESĀ 706
$7.49 RĀ 123
-26.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 KESĀ 407
$1.51 RĀ 24.96
108.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 KESĀ 135
$1.44 RĀ 23.73
-27.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 KESĀ 272
$1.45 RĀ 23.91
45.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.01 KESĀ 130
$1.58 RĀ 26.03
-36.08%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 KESĀ 134
$1.12 RĀ 18.38
-8.04%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 KESĀ 146
$1.23 RĀ 20.20
-8.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 KESĀ 89.1
$1.08 RĀ 17.88
-36.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 KESĀ 97.0
$1.00 RĀ 16.46
-25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 KESĀ 390
$3.10 RĀ 51.1
-2.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.87 KESĀ 1,533
$6.46 RĀ 107
83.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 KESĀ 295
$1.39 RĀ 22.94
64.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 KESĀ 352
$1.74 RĀ 28.60
56.90%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 KESĀ 102
$0.93 RĀ 15.36
-15.05%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.46 KESĀ 4,062
$47.00 RĀ 775
-33.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.43 RĀ 23.49
6.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$0.98 RĀ 16.21
56.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 KESĀ 381
$4.35 RĀ 71.7
-32.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.25 RĀ 20.60
22.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K KESĀ 2.8M
$21.5K RĀ 354.7K
1.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K KESĀ 2.6M
$24.0K RĀ 395.3K
-15.05%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.71 KESĀ 4,353
$101 RĀ 1,658
-66.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.03 KESĀ 2,199
$32.78 RĀ 540
-48.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.73 KESĀ 5,000
$41.87 RĀ 690
-7.50%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.42 KESĀ 5,477
$41.03 RĀ 676
3.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.09 KESĀ 2,594
$8.21 RĀ 135
144.70%
Cinema Ticket
$6.29 KESĀ 812
$6.91 RĀ 114
-8.97%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 KESĀ 25.9K
$213 RĀ 3,518
-5.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,031 KESĀ 1.0M
$5,248 RĀ 86.5K
53.02%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.05 KESĀ 2,331
$54.6 RĀ 900
-66.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.44 KESĀ 3,155
$33.30 RĀ 549
-26.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.4 KESĀ 8,315
$111 RĀ 1,834
-42.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.6 KESĀ 7,308
$83.4 RĀ 1,374
-32.10%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 KESĀ 58.7K
$749 RĀ 12.3K
-39.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 KESĀ 24.2K
$517 RĀ 8,514
-63.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,114 KESĀ 143.8K
$1,460 RĀ 24.1K
-23.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$427 KESĀ 55.1K
$1,008 RĀ 16.6K
-57.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,605 KESĀ 207.2K
$2,156 RĀ 35.5K
-25.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$906 KESĀ 117.0K
$1,484 RĀ 24.5K
-38.96%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Nairobi
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$396 KESĀ 51.1K
$1,625 RĀ 26.8K
-75.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.84
11.77
26.08%

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

Last update for Nairobi: March 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: March 2, 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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