Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakuru and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $645 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $24,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
Learn more

Nakuru Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
Learn more

Austin, TX Living Index

Jump to prices

Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$645

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nakuru and in Austin, TX

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nakuru and in Austin, TX actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $645 in Nakuru versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Nakuru $645
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $998 in Nakuru versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Nakuru $998
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,352 in Nakuru versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Nakuru $1,352
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Nakuru costs roughly 76% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Nakuru is 52% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 KES 498

$20.77 $20.77

-81.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.30 KES 4,577

$84.6 $84.6

-58.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.33 KES 820

$12.32 $12.32

-48.62%

Cappuccino

$1.99 KES 257

$5.63 $5.63

-64.65%

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

$0.40 KES 52.4

$3.72 $3.72

-89.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 KES 28.45

$2.50 $2.50

-91.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 KES 296

$8.05 $8.05

-71.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 KES 341

$9.01 $9.01

-70.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.51 KES 66.6

$1.12 $1.12

-54.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.4

$3.75 $3.75

-87.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 KES 194

$3.26 $3.26

-53.99%

Eggs

$1.53 KES 199

$4.17 $4.17

-63.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.54 KES 1,366

$12.90 $12.90

-18.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 KES 823

$14.16 $14.16

-55.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.34 KES 822

$16.22 $16.22

-60.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 KES 432

$4.33 $4.33

-22.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 KES 140

$1.46 $1.46

-26.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 KES 256

$4.51 $4.51

-56.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 KES 147

$4.34 $4.34

-73.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 KES 139

$2.58 $2.58

-58.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 KES 137

$2.35 $2.35

-54.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 KES 88.6

$1.78 $1.78

-61.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 KES 96.5

$2.22 $2.22

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 KES 462

$9.88 $9.88

-63.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.46 KES 1,485

$15.08 $15.08

-24.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 KES 297

$2.92 $2.92

-21.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 KES 364

$3.46 $3.46

-18.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 195

$2.73 $2.73

-44.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.66 $1.66

-4.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 KES 367

$35.30 $35.30

-91.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 KES 206

$0.95 $0.95

67.37%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$36.0K $36.0K

-39.89%

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

$20.3K KES 2.6M

$27.1K $27.1K

-25.09%

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

$55.1 KES 7,143

$229 $229

-75.94%

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

$15.10 KES 1,957

$59.4 $59.4

-74.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.60 KES 4,615

$69.9 $69.9

-49.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 KES 1,024

$14.28 $14.28

-44.68%

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

$245 KES 31.8K

$1,506 $1,506

-83.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K KES 1.6M

$21.5K $21.5K

-42.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.81 KES 3,605

$52.8 $52.8

-47.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 KES 3,814

$43.82 $43.82

-32.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 KES 9,111

$84.8 $84.8

-17.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.6 KES 7,595

$103 $103

-43.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$221 KES 28.6K

$1,907 $1,907

-88.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$139 KES 18.1K

$1,274 $1,274

-89.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 KES 70.4K

$3,664 $3,664

-85.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 KES 25.2K

$2,538 $2,538

-92.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

6.79

116.64%

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

Last update for Nakuru: October 13, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakuru

$198 30.7%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 104% $206

Accommodation & Living

Nakuru

$139 21.6%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 815% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakuru

$106 16.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 239% $253

Eating Out

Nakuru

$93 14.4%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 282% $261

Clothing & Footwear

Nakuru

$84 13%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 52.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 443% $70

Getting Around

Nakuru

$9.4 * 1.5%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 524% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $221 in Nakuru and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $35.00 in Nakuru vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $198 vs $405 per month, with Nakuru cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

8 h behind Nakuru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,990

974,447

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nakuru Austin, TX 14,110 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Nakuru
Austin, TX

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

Nakuru vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nakuru wins on cost – living expenses run 313% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nakuru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $967 in Nakuru and $3,995 in Austin, TX to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $221 in Nakuru versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $245 in Nakuru versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakuru – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $645 in Nakuru versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nakuru but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Nakuru the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Nakuru gentler on the wallet – expenses run 313% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.