Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $885 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$885

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nairobi and in Mexico City

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 Mexico City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $885 in Nairobi versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Nairobi $885
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,436 in Nairobi versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Nairobi $1,436
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,987 in Nairobi versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Nairobi $1,987
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Nairobi costs roughly 45% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nairobi is 35% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 KES 835

$10.62 MX$198

-39.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.51 KES 4,482

$48.35 MX$901

-28.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 KES 813

$10.35 MX$193

-39.52%

Cappuccino

$2.60 KES 338

$3.69 MX$68.8

-29.54%

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

$0.64 KES 82.9

$1.67 MX$31.07

-61.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 86.8

$1.27 MX$23.59

-47.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 KES 299

$3.19 MX$59.5

-27.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 KES 357

$5.31 MX$98.9

-48.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 KES 123

$1.72 MX$32.15

-44.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 KES 76.2

$3.04 MX$56.7

-80.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 KES 260

$1.94 MX$36.19

3.09%

Eggs

$1.69 KES 220

$2.89 MX$53.8

-41.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 KES 1,430

$10.97 MX$205

0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 KES 832

$9.25 MX$172

-30.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.41 KES 832

$15.13 MX$282

-57.63%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 KES 444

$3.05 MX$56.8

12.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 KES 138

$1.94 MX$36.19

-45.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 KES 263

$2.03 MX$37.75

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 KES 147

$2.31 MX$43.15

-50.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$2.04 MX$37.94

-46.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.80 MX$33.55

-38.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 KES 96.0

$1.48 MX$27.58

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 KES 99.1

$1.27 MX$23.63

-40.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 KES 438

$5.30 MX$98.9

-36.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.65 KES 1,513

$16.10 MX$300

-27.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 KES 293

$1.98 MX$36.97

14.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 KES 356

$4.25 MX$79.3

-35.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 KES 108

$0.31 MX$5.69

167.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.81 KES 6,079

$19.73 MX$368

137.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$1.84 MX$34.25

-17.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 KES 198

$0.53 MX$9.94

186.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 KES 364

$5.30 MX$98.7

-47.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 KES 202

$1.51 MX$28.16

2.65%

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

$19.4K KES 2.5M

$21.8K MX$405.5K

-10.92%

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

$22.2K KES 2.9M

$24.0K MX$447.1K

-7.38%

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

$56.7 KES 7,359

$63.0 MX$1,174

-10.02%

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

$15.25 KES 1,981

$27.39 MX$511

-44.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 KES 4,516

$35.67 MX$665

-2.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 KES 6,705

$58.9 MX$1,099

-12.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.64 KES 2,031

$23.64 MX$441

-33.84%

Cinema Ticket

$7.60 KES 987

$6.40 MX$119

18.75%

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

$277 KES 36.0K

$432 MX$8,045

-35.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$11.4K MX$212.9K

7.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.73 KES 3,601

$68.2 MX$1,272

-59.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 KES 3,812

$53.1 MX$990

-44.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.3 KES 9,000

$108 MX$2,009

-35.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 KES 7,671

$117 MX$2,186

-49.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$441 KES 57.3K

$1,113 MX$20.8K

-60.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.6K

$710 MX$13.2K

-66.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 KES 146.9K

$2,588 MX$48.2K

-56.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 KES 67.8K

$1,406 MX$26.2K

-62.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,234 KES 160.2K

$3,631 MX$67.7K

-66.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$805 KES 104.5K

$2,135 MX$39.8K

-62.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$484 KES 62.9K

$946 MX$17.6K

-48.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

11.35

29.60%

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

Last update for Nairobi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nairobi

$235 26.6%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 202% $475

Groceries & Markets

Nairobi

$209 23.7%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 52.6% $110

Eating Out

Nairobi

$124 14%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 60.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nairobi

$107 12.1%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 18.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Nairobi

$83 9.4%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 86.8% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Nairobi

$67 7.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 7.3% $4.9

Getting Around

Nairobi

$59 6.7%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 57% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $441 in Nairobi and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 95% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $35 in Nairobi vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $320 per month, with Nairobi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

9 h behind Nairobi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,138,295 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

100 MXN = 5.36 USD

100 MXN = 4.82 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nairobi Mexico City 14,820 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Nairobi
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nairobi and Mexico City differ by about 82% in total monthly costs ($885 vs $1,608 including rent). Nairobi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Nairobi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $441 in Nairobi versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 58% less than in Nairobi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $277 in Nairobi versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Nairobi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Nairobi is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

It comes down to priorities – Nairobi wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.