Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $874 in Nairobi, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

Jump to prices

Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$874

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nairobi and in Delhi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nairobi and in Delhi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $874 per month in Nairobi vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Nairobi $874
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $1,403 per month in Nairobi vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Nairobi $1,403
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,932 per month in Nairobi vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Nairobi $1,932
Delhi $1,195

Nairobi costs about 68% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nairobi and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Nairobi 35% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.12 KES 794

$3.67 ₹355

66.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.26 KES 4,574

$20.95 ₹2,027

68.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 KES 854

$3.74 ₹362

76.20%

Cappuccino

$2.71 KES 351

$2.33 ₹226

16.31%

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

$0.66 KES 85.4

$0.37 ₹35.82

78.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 KES 73.9

$0.20 ₹18.91

185.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 KES 302

$2.02 ₹195

15.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 KES 357

$3.19 ₹308

-13.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 KES 116

$0.68 ₹65.9

30.88%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 KES 69.9

$0.52 ₹50.2

3.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 KES 252

$0.83 ₹80.0

133.73%

Eggs

$1.71 KES 222

$1.07 ₹104

59.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 KES 1,378

$4.43 ₹428

139.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 KES 824

$3.37 ₹326

88.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.22 KES 807

Apples (1kg)

$3.30 KES 428

$1.99 ₹192

65.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 KES 137

$0.72 ₹70.1

47.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 KES 265

$1.02 ₹98.4

100.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 142

$0.52 ₹50.1

111.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 KES 145

$0.27 ₹25.96

314.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$0.37 ₹35.42

197.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 95.3

$0.43 ₹41.64

69.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 KES 100

$0.31 ₹30.39

148.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 KES 469

$4.92 ₹476

-26.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 KES 1,486

$8.34 ₹808

37.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 KES 296

$1.64 ₹159

39.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 KES 349

$2.70 ₹261

-0.37%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 KES 102

$0.46 ₹44.04

71.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.51 KES 5,902

$15.29 ₹1,480

197.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$1.03 ₹99.8

47.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 KES 205

$0.27 ₹26.38

485.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 KES 364

$1.53 ₹148

83.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 KES 203

$1.05 ₹102

48.57%

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

$21.8K KES 2.8M

$10.5K ₹1.0M

108.12%

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

$19.9K KES 2.6M

$18.4K ₹1.8M

8.59%

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

$56.9 KES 7,375

$42.67 ₹4,129

33.26%

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

$15.35 KES 1,991

$4.04 ₹391

279.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.18 KES 4,563

$6.75 ₹653

421.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.39 KES 6,406

$19.40 ₹1,878

154.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.39 KES 1,996

$8.06 ₹780

90.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.83 KES 1,016

$5.08 ₹492

54.13%

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

$250 KES 32.4K

$100 ₹9,696

149.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K KES 1.6M

$2,268 ₹219.5K

451.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.71 KES 3,594

$24.14 ₹2,336

14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.64 KES 3,714

$28.38 ₹2,747

0.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,911

$53.3 ₹5,160

28.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 KES 7,638

$44.13 ₹4,271

33.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 KES 58.8K

$264 ₹25.5K

71.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 KES 28.2K

$154 ₹14.9K

41.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 KES 143.4K

$736 ₹71.2K

50.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 KES 65.8K

$397 ₹38.5K

27.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,292 KES 167.6K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

-48.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$897 KES 116.3K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

-11.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$481 KES 62.4K

$585 ₹56.7K

-17.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

8.33

76.59%

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

Last update for Nairobi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nairobi

$217 25.3%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 29.1% $63

Groceries & Markets

Nairobi

$205 23.9%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 47.4% $97

Eating Out

Nairobi

$123 14.4%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 29.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nairobi

$107 12.5%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 50.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Nairobi

$83 9.6%

Delhi

$67 13% 18.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Nairobi

$65 7.6%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 54.5% $35

Getting Around

Nairobi

$58 6.8%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 66.4% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $453 in Nairobi versus $264 in Delhi. 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 22% higher in Delhi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35.00 in Nairobi versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Nairobi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,138,295 Capital

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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 = 6.87 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nairobi Delhi 5,440 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Nairobi
Delhi

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

Nairobi vs Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $874 in Nairobi, $520 in Delhi – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,311 per month in Nairobi and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, 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 $35.00 in Nairobi and $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $874 in Nairobi and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 68%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Nairobi at $874. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nairobi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Nairobi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $874 in Nairobi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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