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

Name: Kenya
Address: KE

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 24.2% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 62.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 22.8% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 44.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 R 145

$3.77 KES 487

134.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.50 R 631

$35.05 KES 4,521

9.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 R 83.2

$6.86 KES 885

-26.09%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R 33.40

$2.25 KES 290

-9.33%

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

$1.04 R 17.02

$0.66 KES 85.3

57.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 R 12.08

$0.54 KES 69.3

37.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 R 37.83

$2.30 KES 296

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 R 40.57

$2.65 KES 342

-6.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R 17.55

$0.81 KES 104

32.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.51

$0.53 KES 68.7

90.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.79

$1.35 KES 174

16.30%

Eggs

$2.33 R 38.26

$1.60 KES 207

45.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 R 126

$10.49 KES 1,353

-26.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 R 73.4

$6.54 KES 843

-31.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 108

$4.95 KES 638

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.55

$2.84 KES 366

-45.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.80

$0.98 KES 127

47.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.79

$1.86 KES 240

-18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.39

$0.83 KES 107

79.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.91

$0.81 KES 104

49.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.80

$1.03 KES 133

29.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.70

$0.69 KES 88.4

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.34

$0.69 KES 89.5

36.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 46.74

$3.04 KES 392

-6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.89 R 80.3

$9.49 KES 1,224

-48.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.64

$2.14 KES 277

-35.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 R 27.65

$2.56 KES 331

-33.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 R 28.33

$0.80 KES 104

116.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.33 R 743

$29.07 KES 3,750

55.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 18.01

$1.59 KES 205

-30.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R 18.03

$1.51 KES 195

-27.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 R 76.9

$3.06 KES 395

53.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.32

$1.54 KES 199

-15.58%

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

$20.6K R 337.3K

$19.1K KES 2.5M

7.91%

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

$24.2K R 396.4K

$17.7K KES 2.3M

36.75%

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

$110 R 1,811

$33.45 KES 4,315

230.19%

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

$32.07 R 526

$14.97 KES 1,931

114.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.81 R 669

$38.63 KES 4,983

5.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 514

$37.38 KES 4,822

-16.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.44 R 155

$19.79 KES 2,553

-52.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 R 113

$6.11 KES 788

12.93%

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

$187 R 3,074

$164 KES 21.1K

14.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,385 R 71.9K

$7,633 KES 984.7K

-42.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 R 815

$14.23 KES 1,835

249.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 R 512

$20.90 KES 2,696

49.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 R 1,526

$49.49 KES 6,384

88.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R 1,307

$45.96 KES 5,928

73.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 R 7,265

$307 KES 39.6K

44.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,048

$149 KES 19.2K

148.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R 14.6K

$860 KES 111.0K

3.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$353 KES 45.5K

105.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,125 R 18.5K

$1,453 KES 187.5K

-22.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 R 13.5K

$949 KES 122.5K

-13.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,486 R 24.4K

$345 KES 44.5K

330.87%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Kenya: January 11, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

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