How much does it cost to live in Nairobi?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$1,656 (KES 214,495)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: kenyapropertycentre.com, buyrentkenya.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $524 (KES 67,895)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $3,186 (KES 412,724)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $1,158 (KES 150,000)
Kilimani
Good to know
Good to Know
- Furnished, serviced apartments in Kilimani and Westlands often bundle WiFi, water, electricity, and housekeeping into the monthly rent — cheaper than piecing together utilities separately, but always confirm what's included before booking.
- Listing prices vary hugely by building amenities: a basic furnished 1BR can run KES 60,000–75,000/month while a similar-sized unit with pool, gym, and backup generator can be double that — compare several listings rather than anchoring on one.
- Grocery costs swing a lot depending on where you shop: sticking to local markets and staple foods keeps costs low, while relying on premium supermarkets for imported goods can more than double your monthly grocery bill.
- Short-term furnished listings (Flatio, Airbnb monthly, direct property-management sites) tend to be more realistic for a 1+ month nomad stay than long-term unfurnished lease prices quoted on generic cost-of-living sites.
- There's no unified public-transport pass in Nairobi — matatus (shared minibuses) are run by many independent SACCOs, so fares vary by route, time of day, and fuel prices, and can spike suddenly (fares jumped 25% in one 2025 fuel-price hike).
- Kenya no longer offers visa-on-arrival or a visa-free tourist route for most passports (including US/UK/EU) — you must get the USD 30 eTA online before you fly, valid for a single 90-day entry.
- Nairobi's coworking scene is concentrated in Westlands, Kilimani, Kileleshwa and Upper Hill, with Westlands/Upper Hill running noticeably pricier than Kilimani/Kileleshwa for similar space.
- Traffic in Nairobi is heavy and unpredictable — factor real commute time, not just distance, when picking a coworking space or apartment relative to where you'll actually work.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- KES 214,495
Includes 7 estimated components
- Lean month
- KES 67,895
Includes 5 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- KES 412,724
Includes 8 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- Nairobi's digital-nomad and expat population is concentrated in Westlands, Kilimani, and Kileleshwa — neighborhoods with the highest density of serviced/furnished apartment listings, coworking spaces, and international-standard supermarkets. All housing figures below are grounded in live Westlands and Kilimani listings; groceries and dining figures reflect general Nairobi mid-range/central pricing given the lack of neighborhood-specific pricing data for those categories.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- KES 150,000
Local listing
Kenya Property Centre listing: fully furnished 1-bedroom apartment in Kilimani, higher floor with balcony, washing machine, gym/pool/rooftop lounge access, KSh 150,000 per month.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- KES 75,000
Local listing
Kenya Property Centre listing: fully furnished and serviced 1-bedroom apartment in Kilimani, WiFi/housekeeping/water/electricity included, KSh 75,000 per month.
- Premium apartment
- KES 330,000
Local listing
Kenya Property Centre listing: fully furnished 3-bedroom + DSQ penthouse in Westlands with pool, gym, private terrace and 24/7 security, monthly rent KSh 330,000.
- Private room in a shared home
- KES 30,000
Estimated
No dedicated shared-housing/room-rental portal for Nairobi was found at the time of research; figure is an estimate based on typical fractional cost of a budget furnished 1BR in Kilimani/Westlands.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- KES 27,500
Estimated
Midpoint of the KES 20,000–35,000 range that a Nairobi cost-of-living guide describes as typical for a single person who cooks regularly and buys some imported/convenience items, shopping near Westlands/Kilimani.
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- KES 130
Estimated
Estimated typical Nairobi supermarket price; not confirmed at the time of research.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- KES 480
Estimated
Estimated typical Nairobi supermarket price; not confirmed at the time of research.
1kg Rice
- 1kg Rice
- KES 180
Estimated
Estimated typical Nairobi supermarket price; not confirmed at the time of research.
1kg Chicken Breast
- 1kg Chicken Breast
- KES 550
Estimated
Estimated typical Nairobi supermarket price; not confirmed at the time of research.
1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- KES 100
Estimated
Estimated typical Nairobi supermarket store price (not restaurant price); not confirmed at the time of research.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- KES 450
Estimated
Estimated single-person cost at a casual local eatery or fast-food outlet; a general cost-of-living source quoted a similar range in GBP which could not be used directly under local/USD-only currency rules. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 600 KES reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- KES 4,000
Estimated
Estimated single-person cost at an upscale restaurant in Westlands/Kilimani; not confirmed at the time of research.
- Mid-range meal
- KES 1,350
Estimated
Estimated single-person cost at a mid-range sit-down restaurant in Westlands/Kilimani; no single-person figure was retrieved at the time of research. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 1800 KES reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Venue
- iHub, Nairobi
- Day pass
- KES 2,000
Operator's own price
iHub's own pricing page lists a Day Pass at KES 2,000/day (excluding VAT).
- Monthly hot desk
- KES 12,500
Estimated
Midpoint of a blog-reported city-wide hot-desk range of KSh 5,000–20,000/month; we did not find one operator's single published monthly hot-desk price, so this is a blended estimate, not a quoted figure.
- Venue Estimated From
- General Nairobi coworking market (Kilimani/Westlands clusters)
Transport
- How to get there
- matatu (shared minibus)
- About monthly passes
- No citywide monthly transit pass exists — Nairobi's matatu (minibus) network is run by many private SACCOs with per-ride cash/mobile-money fares that vary by route, time of day and fuel prices; there is no unified fare card comparable to a metro pass.
- Single ride
- KES 100
Estimated
Reported flat rush-hour matatu fares on a common route (Thika Road) were around KSh100 before a 2025 fuel-driven fare hike; used as a representative in-city matatu fare since fares vary by route and time of day, not a single fixed tariff.
Mobile & data
- Carrier
- Safaricom
- Monthly plan
- KES 1,500
Estimated
Estimated cost of a mid-tier monthly data bundle (~15-20GB) from Kenya's dominant carrier Safaricom; we could not confirm one current published bundle price at the time of research.
- Data allowance
- approx. 15-20GB/month (estimated tier)
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Nairobi exhibits meaningful seasonal accommodation pricing swings driven by international safari tourism (July-October), European/American summer holidays, diaspora returns and year-end events (November-December), and low-season periods during long rains (April-June). Mid-range nightly rates typically rise 25-60% during peak months versus low season.
Low season
- Budget
- KES 7,800
2-star hotels and basic Airbnb; KAYAK accommodation data shows prices 20-30% lower in March-May and November per multiple sources
- Luxury
- KES 23,500
5-star hotels; MyKenyaStay reports low-season 5-star lows around $73-194/night; KAYAK luxury data shows cheapest recorded at $140-174 in off-peak windows
- Premium
- KES 16,600
4-star hotels; 30-40% discount from high-season per luxury travel guides noting 20-40% savings in March-May and Nov-Dec shoulder periods
- Standard
- KES 11,700
3-star hotels; KAYAK shows $53 low-season average for 3-star, confirmed by BudgetYourTrip showing low-season general rates around $76 average
High season
- Budget
- KES 12,500
2-star hotels and basic Airbnb; KAYAK and budget hotel aggregator data indicating $60-80/night low-end for high season (July-February)
- Luxury
- KES 40,000
5-star hotels; KAYAK reports $187/night average for 5-star with high-season rates reaching $229/night (February peak); Trip.com shows $366 weekday, $356 weekend for 5-stars; using established luxury range
- Premium
- KES 27,000
4-star hotels; momondo and KAYAK report $109-148/night average, with momondo noting $148/night for 4-star; high-season multiplier applied
- Standard
- KES 19,500
3-star hotels; momondo and KAYAK show 3-star average $109-148/night during high season months
Low-season months
- March
- April
- May
- June
High-season months
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December
- January
- February
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Nairobi
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.