Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Kenya Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Kenya

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 21.8% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 57.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 18.6% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 45.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$3.86 KES 499
134.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$34.45 KES 4,452
12.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$6.92 KES 894
-29.19%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$2.21 KES 285
-10.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$0.67 KES 86.3
43.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$0.5 KES 64.7
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$2.39 KES 308
-8.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$2.77 KES 358
-8.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$0.82 KES 106
34.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$0.5 KES 64.7
106.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$1.36 KES 176
14.71%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$1.6 KES 207
40.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$10.18 KES 1,316
-24.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$6.27 KES 811
-26.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$5.2 KES 672
31.92%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$2.78 KES 359
-43.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$0.97 KES 125
46.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$1.8 KES 233
-20.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$0.88 KES 114
69.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$0.86 KES 111
45.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$0.95 KES 122
41.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$0.68 KES 88.5
60.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$0.69 KES 89.8
39.13%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$3.13 KES 405
-7.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$11.34 KES 1,466
-55.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$2.15 KES 278
-35.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$2.58 KES 333
-34.88%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$0.75 KES 96.7
128.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$29.74 KES 3,844
51.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$1.52 KES 197
-27.63%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$1.56 KES 201
-30.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$3.18 KES 411
50.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.48 KES 191
-11.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$18.7K KES 2.4M
12.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$17.9K KES 2.3M
32.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$32.69 KES 4,225
245.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$15.07 KES 1,948
119.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$38.25 KES 4,944
8.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$37.13 KES 4,799
-14.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$19.55 KES 2,526
-51.66%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$6.26 KES 809
7.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$164 KES 21.1K
13.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$7,586 KES 980.4K
-42.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$14.19 KES 1,834
242.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$20.99 KES 2,713
46.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$49.48 KES 6,395
85.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$45.68 KES 5,904
74.19%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$310 KES 40.1K
42.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$147 KES 19K
152.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$875 KES 113.1K
0.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$358 KES 46.3K
101.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$1,434 KES 185.3K
-28.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$1,290 KES 166.7K
-37.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$353 KES 45.7K
297.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
13.57
-14.89%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for Kenya: October 27, 2025

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