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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 20.6% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 61% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 21.2% more expensive than Kenya without rent, and 43.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 R 142
$3.97 KES 513
119.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.43 R 643
$35.26 KES 4,554
11.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 84.1
$6.79 KES 876
-24.01%
Cappuccino
$2.03 R 33.09
$2.28 KES 294
-10.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.83
$0.72 KES 92.9
43.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 12.83
$0.51 KES 65.6
54.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 R 37.53
$2.26 KES 292
1.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 41.59
$2.63 KES 340
-3.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.16
$0.75 KES 97.1
48.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 16.92
$0.50 KES 64.5
108.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.17
$1.35 KES 174
14.07%
Eggs
$2.24 R 36.56
$1.53 KES 198
46.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 R 128
$10.56 KES 1,364
-25.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 R 77.2
$6.62 KES 855
-28.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.65 R 108
$5.24 KES 677
26.91%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.66
$2.84 KES 367
-46.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 22.93
$1.03 KES 133
36.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.31
$1.88 KES 243
-20.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.47
$0.90 KES 116
73.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 R 19.47
$0.87 KES 113
36.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R 21.13
$0.95 KES 123
36.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 16.99
$0.68 KES 87.4
52.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$0.70 KES 90.8
37.14%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 R 47.67
$3.07 KES 397
-4.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.80 R 78.3
$9.91 KES 1,280
-51.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.75
$2.04 KES 264
-34.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 R 28.08
$2.66 KES 343
-35.34%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 27.72
$0.79 KES 103
115.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.20 R 737
$29.86 KES 3,856
51.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.81
$1.51 KES 195
-27.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 R 17.13
$1.51 KES 195
-30.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 R 77.1
$3.02 KES 390
56.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 21.10
$1.48 KES 191
-12.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 343.2K
$19.2K KES 2.5M
9.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K R 384.2K
$18.0K KES 2.3M
31.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 R 1,818
$33.01 KES 4,263
237.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.97 R 521
$14.90 KES 1,924
114.56%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 R 659
$38.55 KES 4,979
4.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.85 R 519
$37.86 KES 4,889
-15.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.68 R 158
$20.16 KES 2,603
-51.98%
Cinema Ticket
$6.64 R 108
$6.30 KES 814
5.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 R 3,100
$161 KES 20.8K
18.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,317 R 70.4K
$7,594 KES 980.7K
-43.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.50 R 791
$14.05 KES 1,815
245.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.47 R 497
$21.20 KES 2,738
43.73%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,536
$49.42 KES 6,382
90.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.4 R 1,327
$47.02 KES 6,072
73.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,380
$307 KES 39.7K
47.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,047
$148 KES 19.1K
150.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 R 14.4K
$845 KES 109.1K
4.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 11.5K
$352 KES 45.4K
100.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,147 R 18.7K
$1,402 KES 181.0K
-18.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$818 R 13.3K
$922 KES 119.0K
-11.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Kenya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.1K
$342 KES 44.2K
331.84%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Kenya: April 12, 2026

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

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