Kenya vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Kenya South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$586
$815
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1611
$1899
🏠 One person rent
$217
$407
🏘️ Family rent
$520
$697
🍽️ Food expenses
$217
$237
🚐 Transport expenses
$106
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$390
$1312
💸 GDP per capita
$2099
$6766
😃 Human freedom index
6.57
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
61.4
62.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
31
41
🌐 English speaking %
18.8%
31%
🎓 Higher education
70
83
😀 Quality of life
38
41
🏙️ Population
48.5M
60.1M

The average cost of living in Kenya ($586) is 28% less expensive than in South Africa ($815). Kenya ranked 158th vs 107th for South Africa in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.7 months in Kenya compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 126th and 121st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Kenya vs South Africa infographic

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Prices in Kenya vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Kenya and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 10 and 36 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Kenya South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.42
$6.88
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$22.1
$31.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.97
$4.04
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.85
$1.92
 Cappuccino
$2.12
$1.71
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.51
$0.9
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$260
$394
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$136
$283
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$782
$620
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$372
$543
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$25.5
$63.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$39.1
$97.9
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$34.1
$38.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
12.93%
11.09%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1586
$790
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1112
$670
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.72
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$29.3
$46.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.28
$9.2
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.32
$1.17
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.78
$1.01
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.46
$0.85
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$1.21
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.6
$2.02
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.16
$7.09
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.23
$4.29
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.02
$6.07
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.93
$1.37
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.88
$1.33
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.52
$1.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.73
$1.37
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.76
$1.17
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.81
$1.28
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.39
$0.56
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.23
$1.21
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$9.54
$5.02
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.62
$1.13
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.37
$2.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$3.26
$3.84
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.13
$3.16
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.01
$1.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.93
$0.99
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$32.6
$25.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.2
$5.61
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$17.4
$25
💇 Haircut, simple
$3.74
$5.4
👖 Brand Jeans
$16
$43
👟 Brand Sneakers
$43.8
$78.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$119
$188
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$6399
$3937

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Kenya vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Kenya

City Cost of living Population
Nairobi
$646
5.55M
Kisumu
$441
410K
Mombasa
$493
1.2M
Eldoret
$405
289K
Thika
$530
279K
Nakuru
$439
308K
Mumias
$424
100K
Machakos
$524
114K
Malindi
$452
120K
Meru
$486
42.7K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$908
4.43M
Soweto
$875
1.27M
Pretoria
$783
742K
Rustenburg
$845
550K
Cape Town
$881
434K
Randburg
$776
337K
Durban
$780
595K
Centurion
$755
237K
Sandton
$889
222K
Pietermaritzburg
$609
619K
East London
$683
267K
Port Elizabeth
$866
312K
Kimberley
$753
225K
Kroonstad
$701
169K
Benoni
$741
159K
Klerksdorp
$621
187K
Bloemfontein
$601
256K
Springs
$631
122K
Vereeniging
$637
99K
Paarl
$773
112K
Worcester
$632
97.1K
Potchefstroom
$625
149K
Vanderbijlpark
$698
95.8K
Uitenhage
$805
104K
George
$684
157K
Mthatha
$689
96.1K
Upington
$643
121K
Middelburg
$866
87.3K
Bethal
$746
60.8K
Brits
$751
53.5K