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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 23.1% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 56.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 24.4% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 42.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.70 R 140
$3.94 KES 508
120.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.91 R 626
$35.28 KES 4,552
10.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.17 R 83.3
$6.97 KES 899
-25.82%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R 33.04
$2.29 KES 296
-10.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 R 16.48
$0.66 KES 85.1
54.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 R 12.22
$0.53 KES 68.8
43.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 R 36.34
$2.29 KES 296
-1.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 R 40.80
$2.75 KES 355
-8.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 R 17.78
$0.82 KES 106
34.15%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 R 15.15
$0.53 KES 68.7
77.36%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 R 26.14
$1.35 KES 174
20.00%
Eggs
$2.22 R 35.77
$1.55 KES 200
43.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 R 121
$10.25 KES 1,322
-26.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.48 R 72.1
$6.29 KES 811
-28.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.61 R 106
$4.95 KES 638
33.54%
Apples (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.17
$2.82 KES 364
-46.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 22.87
$1.03 KES 132
37.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 R 23.52
$1.88 KES 242
-22.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.33
$0.90 KES 116
67.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R 20.22
$0.82 KES 106
53.66%
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 R 20.85
$0.96 KES 124
34.38%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 16.56
$0.68 KES 88.2
51.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 15.56
$0.65 KES 84.4
49.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 R 46.21
$3.08 KES 397
-6.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.90 R 78.9
$9.54 KES 1,231
-48.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 21.15
$2.12 KES 274
-38.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 R 27.93
$2.67 KES 345
-35.21%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 R 26.54
$0.80 KES 103
106.25%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.20 R 712
$29.53 KES 3,810
49.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 R 18.35
$1.56 KES 202
-26.92%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 17.56
$1.57 KES 203
-30.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 R 75.8
$3.05 KES 394
54.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R 20.86
$1.53 KES 197
-15.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K R 334.8K
$19.3K KES 2.5M
7.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K R 378.5K
$18.0K KES 2.3M
30.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 R 1,793
$33.13 KES 4,275
236.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.36 R 521
$15.18 KES 1,958
113.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.49 R 652
$38.11 KES 4,917
6.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.96 R 515
$37.69 KES 4,863
-15.20%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.72 R 156
$19.71 KES 2,543
-50.68%
Cinema Ticket
$6.80 R 109
$6.16 KES 795
10.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$189 R 3,035
$163 KES 21.1K
15.54%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,400 R 70.8K
$7,409 KES 955.9K
-40.61%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.2 R 807
$14.08 KES 1,817
256.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.53 R 492
$20.63 KES 2,662
47.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 R 1,522
$49.14 KES 6,339
92.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 R 1,309
$46.63 KES 6,016
74.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,289
$305 KES 39.3K
48.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 R 5,991
$145 KES 18.7K
156.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$906 R 14.6K
$850 KES 109.7K
6.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 R 11.3K
$354 KES 45.7K
98.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,150 R 18.5K
$1,461 KES 188.5K
-21.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$836 R 13.5K
$931 KES 120.1K
-10.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,471 R 23.7K
$346 KES 44.6K
325.58%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Kenya: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

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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