Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Thika Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Thika

šŸ˜ Solo nomad: Nairobi is 15.2% more expensive than Thika without rent, and 65.5% more expensive with rent.
šŸ˜ Family of 3: Nairobi is 22.8% more expensive than Thika without rent, and 62.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
šŸ½ Eating Out
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.35 KESĀ 691
$5.44 KESĀ 702
-1.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.93 KESĀ 5,030
$38.74 KESĀ 5,006
0.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 KESĀ 891
$7.00 KESĀ 905
-1.57%
Cappuccino
$2.45 KESĀ 317
$2.44 KESĀ 315
0.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 KESĀ 98.2
$0.77 KESĀ 98.9
-1.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 KESĀ 70.3
$0.54 KESĀ 69.7
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 KESĀ 305
$1.73 KESĀ 223
36.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.98 KESĀ 386
$1.90 KESĀ 246
56.84%
šŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.93 KESĀ 120
$0.87 KESĀ 112
6.90%
White Bread (500g)
$0.56 KESĀ 72.5
$0.48 KESĀ 61.8
16.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.60 KESĀ 207
$1.39 KESĀ 179
15.11%
Eggs
$1.70 KESĀ 220
$1.40 KESĀ 181
21.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.42 KESĀ 1,476
$11.83 KESĀ 1,529
-3.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.88 KESĀ 889
$6.59 KESĀ 851
4.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.47 KESĀ 707
$1.97 KESĀ 254
177.66%
Apples (1kg)
$3.15 KESĀ 407
$3.15 KESĀ 407
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 KESĀ 135
$1.05 KESĀ 136
-
Oranges (1kg)
$2.11 KESĀ 272
$2.17 KESĀ 280
-2.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.01 KESĀ 130
$1.05 KESĀ 135
-3.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 KESĀ 134
$1.03 KESĀ 133
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 KESĀ 146
$1.11 KESĀ 144
1.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 KESĀ 89.2
$0.70 KESĀ 90.8
-1.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 KESĀ 97.1
$0.74 KESĀ 96.2
1.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 KESĀ 391
$2.27 KESĀ 293
33.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.87 KESĀ 1,534
$5.72 KESĀ 739
107.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.28 KESĀ 295
$1.73 KESĀ 224
31.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.73 KESĀ 352
$1.96 KESĀ 253
39.29%
šŸšŒ Getting Around
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.79 KESĀ 102
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$31.46 KESĀ 4,066
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.52 KESĀ 197
0.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.55 KESĀ 201
-1.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.95 KESĀ 381
$2.84 KESĀ 367
3.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.53 KESĀ 198
$1.07 KESĀ 138
42.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K KESĀ 2.8M
$21.8K KESĀ 2.8M
0.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.4K KESĀ 2.6M
$20.3K KESĀ 2.6M
0.27%
šŸ§¾ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.71 KESĀ 4,356
$34.27 KESĀ 4,428
-1.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.03 KESĀ 2,201
$16.77 KESĀ 2,166
1.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.73 KESĀ 5,004
$39.16 KESĀ 5,060
-1.10%
šŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.42 KESĀ 5,482
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.09 KESĀ 2,596
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.29 KESĀ 812
$6.12 KESĀ 791
2.78%
šŸ§ø Childcare & Education
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 KESĀ 26.0K
$205 KESĀ 26.4K
-1.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,031 KESĀ 1.0M
$8,056 KESĀ 1.0M
-0.31%
šŸ‘•šŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.05 KESĀ 2,333
$18.28 KESĀ 2,363
-1.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.44 KESĀ 3,158
$23.56 KESĀ 3,044
3.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.4 KESĀ 8,322
$66.7 KESĀ 8,614
-3.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.6 KESĀ 7,314
$57.1 KESĀ 7,374
-0.82%
šŸ  Accommodation & Living
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 KESĀ 58.8K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$188 KESĀ 24.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,114 KESĀ 144.0K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$427 KESĀ 55.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,605 KESĀ 207.4K
$616 KESĀ 79.6K
160.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$906 KESĀ 117.1K
-
-
šŸ’µ Salaries & Financials
Nairobi
Thika
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$396 KESĀ 51.1K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.84
11.5
29.04%

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

Last update for Nairobi: March 1, 2026

Last update for Thika: 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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