Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Kenya

Name: Kenya
Address: KE

For one person, living is cheaper in Kenya: $710 a month against $2,478 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Kenya
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Kenya Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,478

/mo nomad

🇰🇪 Kenya

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Kenya

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

A single person spends $2,478 per month in the United Kingdom vs $710 in Kenya, rent included.

United Kingdom $2,478
Kenya $710

A couple spends around $3,608 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,170 in Kenya, rent included.

United Kingdom $3,608
Kenya $1,170

A family of three spends $4,739 per month in the United Kingdom vs $1,629 in Kenya, rent included.

United Kingdom $4,739
Kenya $1,629

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is about 249% higher than in Kenya on average.

The United Kingdom sits 83% above the global median, while Kenya is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.61 £16.21

$3.92 KES 508

451.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.7 £65.8

$30.22 KES 3,918

190.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.82 £8.12

$6.84 KES 886

58.19%

Cappuccino

$4.77 £3.58

$2.42 KES 313

97.11%

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

$2.64 £1.98

$0.67 KES 86.5

294.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.58 KES 75.8

224.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 £4.94

$2.33 KES 302

182.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.56 £4.92

$2.64 KES 342

148.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$0.74 KES 95.5

121.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.65 £1.23

$0.54 KES 70.5

205.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 £1.68

$1.50 KES 194

48.67%

Eggs

$4.06 £3.05

$1.61 KES 208

152.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$9.45 KES 1,226

2.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 £6.86

$5.94 KES 770

53.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.08

$5.33 KES 691

177.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$2.85 KES 370

2.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 £1.24

$1.03 KES 133

60.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 £2.10

$1.76 KES 228

59.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$0.79 KES 103

320.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$0.85 KES 110

112.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 £1.17

$0.96 KES 125

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$0.71 KES 91.5

74.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$0.63 KES 81.1

163.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$3.41 KES 442

597.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.46 £7.85

$11.52 KES 1,494

-9.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.94 £2.21

$2.13 KES 276

38.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.54

$2.68 KES 347

26.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 £2.63

$0.80 KES 103

338.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.3

$46.91 KES 6,082

122.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 £4.06

$1.57 KES 204

245.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.40 £1.80

$1.53 KES 198

56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.06 £20.30

$3.41 KES 442

693.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.54 KES 200

27.27%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$19.4K KES 2.5M

99.16%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$20.2K KES 2.6M

103.80%

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

$323 £242

$52.3 KES 6,780

517.73%

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

$18.55 £13.92

$12.87 KES 1,668

44.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.14 £31.61

$37.26 KES 4,830

13.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 £35.08

$38.32 KES 4,968

22.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.95 £13.47

$15.29 KES 1,982

17.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.39

$7.78 KES 1,008

78.02%

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

$1,725 £1,294

$175 KES 22.7K

886.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$9,541 KES 1.2M

136.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.8 £69.6

$18.36 KES 2,380

405.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.58 £34.94

$21.85 KES 2,833

113.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.5

$43.45 KES 5,634

134.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.6

$40.40 KES 5,237

152.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 £1,011

$294 KES 38.1K

358.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 £824

$152 KES 19.7K

623.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,160 £1,620

$757 KES 98.1K

185.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,745 £1,309

$386 KES 50.0K

352.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,578 £4,184

$1,263 KES 163.8K

341.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 £3,315

$914 KES 118.5K

383.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,358 £2,519

$349 KES 45.2K

862.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

13.64

-61.00%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kenya: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 44.3%

Kenya

$152 21.4% 86.2% $946

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$384 15.5%

Kenya

$102 14.4% 73.3% $281

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$327 13.2%

Kenya

$103 14.5% 68.5% $224

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$305 12.3%

Kenya

$185 26% 39.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$155 6.2%

Kenya

$56 7.9% 63.9% $99

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$136 5.5%

Kenya

$59 8.4% 56.3% $76

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$74 3%

Kenya

$54 7.6% 27.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,265 in the United Kingdom vs $96.0 in Kenya. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,852 in London and $447 in Nairobi.

Average salary: $3,250 in the United Kingdom vs $330 in Kenya. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1218% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 186% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 1157% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are 885% higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇰🇪 Kenya

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

06:50 6:50 AM

3 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

48,468,138

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Kenya 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Kenya

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

United Kingdom vs Kenya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kenya is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 249% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,265 versus $96.0 in Kenya.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Kenya, adding to the overall 249% price gap.

$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Kenya, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Kenya is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.