Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nairobi and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $516 a month against $881 in Nairobi, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index

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Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$881

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nairobi and in Thika

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

A single person spends $881 per month in Nairobi vs $516 in Thika, rent included.

Nairobi $881
Thika $516

A couple spends around $1,446 per month in Nairobi vs $880 in Thika, rent included.

Nairobi $1,446
Thika $880

A family of three spends $2,010 per month in Nairobi vs $1,245 in Thika, rent included.

Nairobi $2,010
Thika $1,245

Nairobi costs about 71% more than Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nairobi and Thika are more affordable than the global median – Nairobi 35% lower, Thika 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.70 KES 870

$3.42 KES 444

95.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.91 KES 4,533

$33.96 KES 4,410

2.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 KES 813

Cappuccino

$2.60 KES 337

$1.93 KES 251

34.72%

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

$0.64 KES 83.4

$0.30 KES 38.66

113.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 86.9

$0.63 KES 81.6

6.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 KES 293

$1.96 KES 255

14.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 KES 353

$2.15 KES 279

26.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 KES 121

$0.73 KES 95.3

27.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 KES 75.3

$0.44 KES 57.6

31.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 KES 265

$1.20 KES 155

70.00%

Eggs

$1.74 KES 226

$1.41 KES 183

23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.79 KES 1,401

$10.96 KES 1,423

-1.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.46 KES 839

$6.73 KES 873

-4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.29 KES 817

$3.94 KES 511

59.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 KES 457

$1.58 KES 206

122.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 KES 132

$0.61 KES 79.2

67.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 KES 271

$0.74 KES 96.6

182.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.15 KES 149

-4.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 KES 145

$0.37 KES 47.84

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 KES 139

$0.45 KES 58.4

137.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 96.9

$0.69 KES 89.4

8.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 KES 97.8

$0.39 KES 50.8

92.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 KES 468

$2.79 KES 363

29.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.71 KES 1,521

$5.72 KES 742

104.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 KES 293

$1.78 KES 231

26.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 KES 364

$1.97 KES 256

42.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 KES 107

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.80 KES 5,947

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 KES 199

$1.52 KES 198

0.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 KES 196

$0.96 KES 125

57.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 KES 374

$2.93 KES 380

-1.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 KES 200

$1.41 KES 184

9.22%

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

$19.3K KES 2.5M

-0.20%

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

$21.9K KES 2.8M

$21.5K KES 2.8M

1.85%

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

$56.8 KES 7,375

$34.90 KES 4,532

62.72%

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

$15.49 KES 2,011

$14.86 KES 1,930

4.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.75 KES 4,513

$34.82 KES 4,521

-0.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 KES 6,615

$45.48 KES 5,906

12.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.40 KES 2,000

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 KES 989

$7.47 KES 970

2.01%

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

$280 KES 36.4K

$54.0 KES 7,005

419.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$3,528 KES 458.2K

235.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.39 KES 3,687

$28.24 KES 3,666

0.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.86 KES 3,878

$29.33 KES 3,808

1.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 KES 8,909

$69.2 KES 8,991

-0.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.3 KES 7,568

$19.51 KES 2,533

198.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$452 KES 58.6K

$99.5 KES 12.9K

353.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 KES 30.1K

$56.8 KES 7,380

307.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 KES 144.9K

$270 KES 35.0K

313.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 KES 70.5K

$178 KES 23.1K

204.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,200 KES 155.8K

$611 KES 79.3K

96.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$782 KES 101.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$470 KES 61.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

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

Last update for Nairobi: November 1, 2026

Last update for Thika: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nairobi

$232 26.3%

Thika

$57 11% 75.5% $175

Groceries & Markets

Nairobi

$209 23.8%

Thika

$154 30% 26.2% $55

Eating Out

Nairobi

$126 14.3%

Thika

$87 16.9% 30.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nairobi

$107 12.2%

Thika

$85 16.4% 21% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Nairobi

$83 9.5%

Thika

$66 12.8% 21% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Nairobi

$66 7.5%

Thika

$60 11.7% 8.7% $5.8

Getting Around

Nairobi

$58 6.6%

Thika

$6.3 * 1.2% 89.1% $52

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $452 in Nairobi versus $100 in Thika. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Nairobi versus $34 in Thika. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $209 vs $155 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

Same time as Nairobi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,138,295 Capital

83,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Nairobi Thika 40 km

From you

Nairobi
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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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nairobi costs about 71% more than Thika, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,321 per month in Nairobi and $773 in Thika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $100 there versus $452 in Nairobi.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Nairobi and $34 in Thika. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Nairobi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $881 in Nairobi and $516 in Thika, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Thika – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.