Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nanyuki and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $606 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Nanyuki
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Nanyuki Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Nanyuki

🇰🇪 Kenya

$606

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nanyuki and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $606 per month in Nanyuki vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nanyuki $606
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,014 per month in Nanyuki vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nanyuki $1,014
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,422 per month in Nanyuki vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Nanyuki $1,422
Cape Town $3,263

Nanyuki is about 62% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Nanyuki sits 55% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 KES 838

$12.14 R 200

-46.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.36 KES 4,455

$45.34 R 747

-24.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 KES 838

$5.88 R 96.9

9.86%

Cappuccino

$2.65 KES 343

$2.50 R 41.18

6.00%

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

$0.67 KES 86.3

$1.27 R 20.94

-47.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 KES 73.5

$0.98 R 16.14

-41.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 KES 291

$2.99 R 49.33

-24.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 KES 342

$3.72 R 61.4

-29.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 KES 119

$1.30 R 21.40

-29.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 KES 72.9

$1.25 R 20.68

-55.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 KES 147

$2.23 R 36.76

-49.33%

Eggs

$1.70 KES 221

$3.11 R 51.2

-45.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.69 KES 1,386

$9.06 R 149

17.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.40 KES 830

$6.92 R 114

-7.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.17 KES 800

$9.30 R 153

-33.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 KES 423

$1.84 R 30.25

77.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 KES 141

$1.96 R 32.29

-44.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 KES 253

$1.67 R 27.45

16.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 KES 143

$2.17 R 35.70

-48.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 KES 145

$1.57 R 25.81

-28.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 KES 135

$1.48 R 24.45

-29.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 KES 95.4

$1.30 R 21.41

-43.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 KES 96.8

$1.13 R 18.60

-33.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 KES 455

$3.60 R 59.3

-2.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.59 KES 1,502

$6.15 R 101

88.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 KES 288

$1.38 R 22.66

60.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 KES 365

$2.14 R 35.20

31.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$0.59 R 9.71

166.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 KES 204

$1.50 R 24.65

4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 KES 386

$5.11 R 84.2

-41.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 KES 206

$1.55 R 25.50

2.58%

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

$21.9K KES 2.8M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-39.59%

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

$20.5K KES 2.7M

$31.2K R 514.8K

-34.41%

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

$56.2 KES 7,288

$114 R 1,883

-50.83%

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

$14.87 KES 1,927

$28.91 R 476

-48.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.63 KES 4,489

$39.73 R 654

-12.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 KES 977

$9.15 R 151

-17.60%

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

$253 KES 32.8K

$259 R 4,264

-2.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$6,794 R 111.9K

78.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.78 KES 3,601

$56.2 R 926

-50.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.61 KES 3,838

$32.41 R 534

-8.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 KES 9,186

$121 R 1,987

-41.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 KES 7,630

$108 R 1,781

-45.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$78.2 KES 10.1K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-92.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$64.9 KES 8,408

$717 R 11.8K

-90.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 KES 30.2K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-87.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 KES 24.9K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-85.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$116 KES 15.1K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-92.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

10.97

34.09%

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

Last update for Nanyuki: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nanyuki

$202 33.4%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 11.2% $23

Eating Out

Nanyuki

$124 20.5%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 41.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nanyuki

$106 17.5%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 73.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Nanyuki

$84 13.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 69.6% $59

Accommodation & Living

Nanyuki

$65 10.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 1006% $652

Sport & Entertainment

Nanyuki

$15 * 2.5%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 347% $52

Getting Around

Nanyuki

$9.4 * 1.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 693% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $78.2 in Nanyuki versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1308% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Nanyuki versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $225 – making Nanyuki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nanyuki

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

12:39 12:39 PM

1 h behind Nanyuki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nanyuki Cape Town 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Nanyuki
Cape Town

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

Nanyuki vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 162% more than Nanyuki, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $909 per month in Nanyuki and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanyuki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $606 in Nanyuki and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 162%.

Kindergarten costs $253 per month in Nanyuki and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nanyuki, where all-in costs run around $606, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Nanyuki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nanyuki costs $606 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Nanyuki. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.