Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Mombasa Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Mombasa

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Nairobi is 19.5% more expensive than Mombasa without rent, and 29.5% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Nairobi is 30.9% more expensive than Mombasa without rent, and 22.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.35 KESĀ 691
$2.33 KESĀ 302
129.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.93 KESĀ 5,030
$19.40 KESĀ 2,507
100.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 KESĀ 891
$8.95 KESĀ 1,156
-23.02%
Cappuccino
$2.45 KESĀ 317
$3.29 KESĀ 425
-25.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 KESĀ 98.2
$0.52 KESĀ 67.1
46.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 KESĀ 70.3
$0.44 KESĀ 56.9
22.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 KESĀ 305
$1.94 KESĀ 251
21.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 KESĀ 386
$2.92 KESĀ 377
2.05%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 KESĀ 120
$0.88 KESĀ 114
5.68%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 KESĀ 72.5
$0.54 KESĀ 70.4
3.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 KESĀ 207
$1.39 KESĀ 180
15.11%
Eggs
$1.70 KESĀ 220
$1.73 KESĀ 224
-1.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.42 KESĀ 1,476
$10.04 KESĀ 1,298
13.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.88 KESĀ 889
$6.05 KESĀ 782
13.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.47 KESĀ 707
$5.32 KESĀ 687
2.82%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 KESĀ 407
$1.86 KESĀ 240
69.35%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 KESĀ 135
$0.85 KESĀ 109
23.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 KESĀ 272
$1.58 KESĀ 204
33.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.01 KESĀ 130
$0.81 KESĀ 104
24.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 KESĀ 134
$0.71 KESĀ 91.1
45.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 KESĀ 146
$1.04 KESĀ 135
8.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 KESĀ 89.2
$0.61 KESĀ 79.3
13.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 KESĀ 97.1
$0.57 KESĀ 73.9
31.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 KESĀ 391
$3.44 KESĀ 445
-12.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.87 KESĀ 1,534
$7.88 KESĀ 1,019
50.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 KESĀ 295
$1.98 KESĀ 256
15.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 KESĀ 352
$2.78 KESĀ 359
-1.80%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 KESĀ 102
$0.79 KESĀ 102
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.46 KESĀ 4,066
$34.73 KESĀ 4,488
-9.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$3.07 KESĀ 397
-50.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.89 KESĀ 245
-19.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 KESĀ 381
$4.74 KESĀ 612
-37.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.66 KESĀ 214
-7.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K KESĀ 2.8M
$12.1K KESĀ 1.6M
81.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K KESĀ 2.6M
$12.0K KESĀ 1.5M
69.98%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.71 KESĀ 4,356
$44.51 KESĀ 5,752
-24.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.03 KESĀ 2,201
$13.90 KESĀ 1,796
22.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.73 KESĀ 5,004
$44.34 KESĀ 5,729
-12.65%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.42 KESĀ 5,482
$18.15 KESĀ 2,345
133.72%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.09 KESĀ 2,596
$19.01 KESĀ 2,456
5.68%
Cinema Ticket
$6.29 KESĀ 812
$4.52 KESĀ 584
39.16%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 KESĀ 26.0K
$85.6 KESĀ 11.1K
134.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,031 KESĀ 1.0M
$5,477 KESĀ 707.8K
46.62%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.05 KESĀ 2,333
$13.36 KESĀ 1,727
35.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.44 KESĀ 3,158
$13.70 KESĀ 1,770
78.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.4 KESĀ 8,322
$23.11 KESĀ 2,986
178.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.6 KESĀ 7,314
$46.61 KESĀ 6,023
21.43%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 KESĀ 58.8K
$181 KESĀ 23.4K
151.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 KESĀ 24.3K
$115 KESĀ 14.8K
63.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,114 KESĀ 144.0K
$607 KESĀ 78.5K
83.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$427 KESĀ 55.2K
$460 KESĀ 59.4K
-7.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,605 KESĀ 207.4K
$5,536 KESĀ 715.4K
-71.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$906 KESĀ 117.1K
$3,956 KESĀ 511.2K
-77.10%
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Nairobi
Mombasa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$396 KESĀ 51.1K
$321 KESĀ 41.5K
23.23%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.84
13
14.15%

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

Last update for Nairobi: March 1, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: 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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