Cost of Living in Nairobi, 🇰🇪 Kenya - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

Researched Updated Oct 25, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing 1 2 3 4 $770 $539 $1,001 $169 $77

Utilities 1 3 — $46 $100 $35 —

Internet & Mobile 7 8 $42 $42 $69 $19 $1

Groceries 12 13 14 15 22 $69 $215 $461 $139 $4

Transportation 9 25 $139 $108 $308 $31 $12

Dining Out 11 16 $370 $169 $346 $69 $62

Leisure Activities 16 17 24 $92 $108 $1,270 $46 $19

Health Insurance 20 $63 $92 $385 $8 —

Visa & Legal Fees 21 23 $100 $115 $192 — $1

Total $1,645 $1,434 $4,132 $516 $176

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 1 2 $538.75 $115 – $770 per month

Coworking Space 5 6 $98.21 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 3 $769.65 $539 – $924 per month

Coliving Space 4 $192.41 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 11 $2.23 per cup

Beer 26 $2.69 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 26 $2.69 per meal

Fast Food Combo 11 $7.31 per meal

Apples — per kg

Bread 13 $0.44 per loaf

Milk 12 $0.94 per liter

Rice 22 $1.42 per kg

Chicken Fillets 15 $5.77 per kg

Beef 14 $4.61 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) — per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 11 $30.79 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 27 $0.62 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 25 $1.92 per trip

Taxi per km 25 $0.54 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 25 $30.79 per month

Gasoline 9 $1.74 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 25 $4.62 per trip

Scooter Rental 25 $115.45 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 7 $7.70 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 8 $33.86 per month

Gym Membership 17 $57.72 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) — per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 7 $3.85 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket 16 $5.39 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans — per pair

Summer Dress — per dress

Running Shoes — per pair

Personal Care

Haircut — per visit

Laundry — per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 18 19 $6.16 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) — per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 25, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 129.93 KES on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Hanoi, Delhi, Chiang Mai, Cape Town

Kilimani 1BR KES 70,000/month unfurnished Oct 2026Listings
Kasarani 1BR KES 13,000/month Oct 2026Listings
Furnished 1BR Kilimani KES 100,000/month Aug 2026Listings
Mosaic coliving from KES 15,000/month ParklandsSecondary
Nairobi Garage Club hot desk KES 11,000+VAT/monthOfficial
Hackhouse hot desk KES 10,000/monthOfficial
Airtel monthly data bundles (8–55GB tiers)Official
Zuku Stream 100 Mbps KES 4,399/monthOfficial
Kenya gasoline KES 225.50/litre 19 Oct 2026Index
UberX Nairobi base KES 100, KES 35/km, KES 3/minSecondary
Java House cappuccino KES 290 May 2026 menuOfficial
Ilara fresh milk 500ml KES 61 at Naivas Oct 2026Secondary
Fresh white bread 400g loaf KES 57 at Naivas Oct 2026Secondary
Naivas beef on bone KES 599/kg Oct 2026Listings
Boneless chicken breast KES 750/kg City MarketListings
Century IMAX weekday ticket KES 700 Oct 2026Secondary
SmartGyms monthly KES 7,500Official
GP consultation KES 500Official
General consultation KES 800Official
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
Kenya eTA official fee schedule USD 30 standardOfficial
Supermarket rice band; staple 1kg ~KES 185 (Carrefour listing blocked)Secondary
Class N permit USD 200 processing + USD 1,000/yearOfficial
Nairobi International School tuition 2026/27Official
Uber/Bolt KES 400–800 per 5 km; matatu KES 50–100 Oct 2026Secondary
Nairobi beer KES 300–500/0.5L bar; local meal KES 300–700 Oct 2026Secondary
Aquaclear mineral water 1.5L KES 75–80 at Naivas online Oct 2026Listings

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 1042.97 769.65
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 424.91 538.75
- Apples 3.24 not set
- Beef 6.57 4.61
- Beer 2.7 2.69
39 more changes
- Bread 0.58 0.44
- Chicken Fillets 8.5 5.77
- Cinema Ticket 6.95 5.39
- Coffee 2.94 2.23
- Coliving Space 579.43 192.41
- Coworking Space 142.93 98.21
- Dining Out local 46.35, nomad 695.31, expat 270.4, family 424.91, tourist 61.81 local 69.27, nomad 369.51, expat 169.32, family 346.34, tourist 61.57
- Doctor Visit (GP) 27.04 6.16
- Fast Food Combo 7.34 7.31
- Groceries local 169.97, nomad 115.89, expat 347.66, family 733.94, tourist 11.59 local 138.54, nomad 69.27, expat 215.48, family 461.48, tourist 3.85
- Gym Membership 50.22 57.72
- Haircut 13.91 not set
- Health Insurance local 11.59, nomad 73.39, expat 92.71, family 270.4, tourist 0 local 7.69, nomad 62.72, expat 92.36, family 384.82, tourist 0
- Housing local 270.4, nomad 1120.23, expat 656.69, family 1236.11, tourist 92.71 local 169.32, nomad 770.41, expat 538.75, family 1000.54, tourist 76.96
- Internet & Mobile local 23.18, nomad 65.67, expat 57.94, family 92.71, tourist 4.64 local 19.23, nomad 42.33, expat 42.33, family 69.27, tourist 0.76
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 44.81 33.86
- Jeans 29.36 not set
- Laundry 9.27 not set
- Leisure Activities local 30.9, nomad 347.66, expat 154.51, family 309.03, tourist 38.63 local 46.18, nomad 92.36, expat 107.75, family 1270.07, tourist 19.23
- Meal (Inexpensive) 5.02 2.69
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 42.49 30.79
- Milk 0.93 0.94
- Mobile Plan 17 7.7
- Monthly Transport Pass 50.22 30.79
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 8.5 not set
- Rice 2.16 1.42
- Ride-hailing (5km) 4.25 4.62
- Running Shoes 73.39 not set
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 7.73 3.85
- Scooter Rental 11.59 115.45
- Summer Dress 32.45 not set
- Taxi Start 1.93 1.92
- Taxi per km 0.5 0.54
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 9.27 not set
- Transportation local 65.67, nomad 270.4, expat 193.14, family 463.54, tourist 34.77 local 30.79, nomad 138.53, expat 107.75, family 307.86, tourist 11.54
- Utilities local 34.77, nomad 0, expat 92.71, family 169.97, tourist 0 local 34.63, nomad 0, expat 46.18, family 100.05, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 50.22, expat 115.89, family 193.14, tourist 1.93 local 0, nomad 100, expat 115.45, family 192.41, tourist 1
- Water (1.5L bottle) 0.93 0.62
- Wine (Mid-range) 12.36 not set
Full refresh vs generated export — Apartment (1 bedroom), Coworking Space, Coffee, Meal (Inexpensive), Bread, Milk, Rice, Chicken Fillets, Beef, Monthly Transport Pass, Mobile Plan, Internet (60 Mbps+), Gym Membership, Cinema Ticket, Housing (all profiles), Utilities, Internet & Mobile, Groceries, Transportation, Dining Out, Leisure Activities, Health Insurance, Visa & Legal Fees, Airbnb (1 month), Coliving Space, Doctor Visit (GP), SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) (listings and operators above)

Nairobi cost of living