Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $717 in Mombasa, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thika and in Mombasa

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Thika vs $717 in Mombasa, rent included.

Thika $518
Mombasa $717

A couple spends around $883 per month in Thika vs $1,144 in Mombasa, rent included.

Thika $883
Mombasa $1,144

A family of three spends $1,249 per month in Thika vs $1,571 in Mombasa, rent included.

Thika $1,249
Mombasa $1,571

Thika is about 28% cheaper than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Thika and Mombasa are more affordable than the global median – Thika 62% lower, Mombasa 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 KES 457

$2.75 KES 356

28.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.21 KES 4,435

$24.98 KES 3,239

36.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.43 KES 834

$10.39 KES 1,347

-38.11%

Cappuccino

$1.95 KES 253

$2.70 KES 350

-27.78%

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

$0.33 KES 42.15

$0.74 KES 96.1

-55.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 KES 78.8

$0.52 KES 67.8

17.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.87 KES 243

$2.30 KES 298

-18.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 KES 267

$3.33 KES 432

-38.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 KES 95.1

$0.98 KES 127

-25.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$0.50 KES 64.2

-12.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 KES 150

$1.50 KES 195

-22.67%

Eggs

$1.35 KES 175

$1.82 KES 236

-25.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 KES 1,402

$14.11 KES 1,830

-23.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 KES 853

$4.93 KES 639

33.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.12 KES 534

$5.48 KES 711

-24.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 KES 204

$2.09 KES 271

-24.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 KES 82.5

$1.16 KES 150

-44.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.78 KES 231

-55.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$0.68 KES 87.6

61.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 KES 52.9

$0.69 KES 89.3

-40.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$1.01 KES 131

-56.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 KES 89.5

$0.61 KES 78.6

13.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 48.31

$0.43 KES 55.4

-13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 KES 352

$4.15 KES 537

-34.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.71 KES 740

$9.70 KES 1,257

-41.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 KES 230

$1.93 KES 250

-7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 KES 246

$2.92 KES 379

-34.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 103

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.38 KES 4,976

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 KES 202

$3.06 KES 397

-49.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 KES 125

$1.76 KES 228

-45.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 KES 366

$4.60 KES 597

-38.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 KES 183

$1.55 KES 202

-9.03%

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

$21.7K KES 2.8M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

78.79%

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

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$12.1K KES 1.6M

65.46%

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

$34.37 KES 4,456

$77.6 KES 10.1K

-55.73%

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

$14.94 KES 1,936

$9.35 KES 1,213

59.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.20 KES 4,564

$34.13 KES 4,426

3.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.96 KES 6,088

$18.15 KES 2,354

158.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.59 KES 2,540

Cinema Ticket

$7.63 KES 990

$15.29 KES 1,982

-50.10%

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

$53.7 KES 6,956

$88.2 KES 11.4K

-39.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,537 KES 458.6K

$5,301 KES 687.3K

-33.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.81 KES 3,605

$13.08 KES 1,696

112.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.36 KES 3,806

$13.44 KES 1,743

118.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.9 KES 9,061

$23.46 KES 3,041

197.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.37 KES 2,512

$45.81 KES 5,939

-57.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$98.7 KES 12.8K

$227 KES 29.5K

-56.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$57.5 KES 7,450

$156 KES 20.3K

-63.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 KES 35.3K

$532 KES 68.9K

-48.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 KES 23.0K

$370 KES 48.0K

-52.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$610 KES 79.1K

$5,417 KES 702.3K

-88.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,805 KES 493.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$324 KES 42.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

13.15%

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

Last update for Thika: October 19, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thika

$153 29.6%

Mombasa

$186 25.9% 21.3% $33

Eating Out

Thika

$88 17%

Mombasa

$109 15.2% 23.4% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$85 16.3%

Mombasa

$121 16.9% 43.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.7%

Mombasa

$43 6% 34.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$62 12%

Mombasa

$49 6.8% 21.7% $14

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11.1%

Mombasa

$156 21.8% 172% $99

Getting Around

Thika

$6.4 * 1.2%

Mombasa

$53 7.4% 739% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $98.7 in Thika versus $227 in Mombasa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Thika versus $25.00 in Mombasa. Groceries tell a different story – $153 in Thika vs $186 in Mombasa – so Thika wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

05:41 5:41 AM

Same time as Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Thika Mombasa 440 km

From you

Thika
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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

Thika vs Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $518 in Thika, $717 in Mombasa – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $777 per month in Thika and $1,076 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, 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 $518 in Thika and $717 in Mombasa. That's a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $53.7 per month in Thika and $88.2 in Mombasa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $518 in Thika and $717 in Mombasa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Thika – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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