Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Malindi Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Malindi

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Nairobi is 87% more expensive than Malindi without rent, and 128.5% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Nairobi is 68.6% more expensive than Malindi without rent, and 125.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.35 KESĀ 691
$2.16 KESĀ 279
147.69%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.93 KESĀ 5,026
$31.17 KESĀ 4,025
24.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 KESĀ 890
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.45 KESĀ 316
-
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 KESĀ 98.1
$1.51 KESĀ 195
-49.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 KESĀ 70.2
$0.90 KESĀ 117
-40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 KESĀ 305
$3.46 KESĀ 446
-31.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 KESĀ 385
$3.51 KESĀ 453
-15.10%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 KESĀ 119
$0.96 KESĀ 124
-3.12%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 KESĀ 72.4
-
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 KESĀ 207
$1.21 KESĀ 156
32.23%
Eggs
$1.70 KESĀ 220
$2.99 KESĀ 387
-43.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.42 KESĀ 1,475
$11.65 KESĀ 1,504
-1.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.88 KESĀ 888
$6.28 KESĀ 811
9.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.47 KESĀ 706
$4.94 KESĀ 638
10.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 KESĀ 407
$3.02 KESĀ 389
4.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 KESĀ 135
$0.74 KESĀ 96.1
41.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 KESĀ 272
$2.68 KESĀ 346
-21.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.01 KESĀ 130
$0.71 KESĀ 92.1
42.25%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 KESĀ 134
$0.79 KESĀ 102
30.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 KESĀ 146
$0.70 KESĀ 90.9
61.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 KESĀ 89.1
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 KESĀ 97.0
$0.51 KESĀ 65.9
47.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 KESĀ 390
-
-
Wine (Bottle)
$11.87 KESĀ 1,533
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 KESĀ 295
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 KESĀ 352
-
-
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 KESĀ 102
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.46 KESĀ 4,062
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 KESĀ 381
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.37 KESĀ 177
11.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K KESĀ 2.8M
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K KESĀ 2.6M
-
-
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.71 KESĀ 4,353
$78.5 KESĀ 10.1K
-57.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.03 KESĀ 2,199
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.73 KESĀ 5,000
$30.60 KESĀ 3,951
26.57%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.42 KESĀ 5,477
$38.57 KESĀ 4,980
9.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.09 KESĀ 2,594
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.29 KESĀ 812
-
-
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 KESĀ 25.9K
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,031 KESĀ 1.0M
-
-
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.05 KESĀ 2,331
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.44 KESĀ 3,155
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.4 KESĀ 8,315
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.6 KESĀ 7,308
-
-
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 KESĀ 58.7K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 KESĀ 24.2K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,114 KESĀ 143.8K
$391 KESĀ 50.5K
184.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$427 KESĀ 55.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,605 KESĀ 207.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$906 KESĀ 117.0K
-
-
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Nairobi
Malindi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$396 KESĀ 51.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.84
0
-

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

Last update for Nairobi: March 1, 2026

Last update for Malindi: February 28, 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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