Cost of Living in Nairobi for Expats (2026): Housing, Transport, Food and Everything In Between

Furnished rent is the single largest item in most expat budgets. Studios and one-bedrooms in Kilimani, Ngong Road, Ruaka and South B sit in the under-KES 100,000 band. One and two-bedrooms in Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Lavington and Westlands occupy the KES 100,000 to 200,000 band. Premium two and three-bedrooms run KES 200,000 to 350,000, and Gigiri, Runda, Muthaiga and Karen houses sit above that.

Add the service charge, which is quoted separately more often than newcomers expect — Cytonn's research puts the Westlands average near KES 4,658 per square metre monthly, covering generator, borehole, lifts, gym and guarding. Price ranges quoted here come from Knight Frank Kenya, HassConsult's property index, Cytonn real-estate research and verified landlord submissions to this site. Where a figure is an estimate, it is described as approximate.

Electricity runs on prepaid tokens for most apartments, and the bill is driven by water heating more than anything else — which is why solar water heating in newer blocks is worth real money. Water is either metered by Nairobi Water or absorbed into the service charge where the block has a borehole.

Home fibre is a bargain by international standards: entry packages start at a few thousand shillings a month and 100 Mbps-plus tiers are widely available from Safaricom, Zuku and Faiba in the main suburbs. Mobile data is cheap and M-Pesa handles most day-to-day payments.

Matatus are the cheapest way to move and cost a small fraction of a ride-hail trip, but most expats default to Uber, Bolt and Little, where a typical cross-suburb trip costs a few hundred shillings. Running your own car adds fuel, insurance, parking and — increasingly — Nairobi Expressway tolls, which are charged per trip by vehicle class.

The expressway is the single best transport purchase in the city if your commute crosses town: Mlolongo to Westlands drops from a peak crawl to roughly thirty minutes.

Local produce is inexpensive and excellent — the markets and the Carrefour, Naivas and Chandarana chains cover most needs. Imported goods carry a substantial premium, so a shopping basket built around Kenyan produce, meat and dairy costs a fraction of one built around European brands.

Eating out spans the full range: a plate of nyama choma at a local joint is a modest sum, a mid-range Westlands or Kilimani restaurant is comparable to a provincial European city, and the top end in Karen and Gigiri approaches international pricing.

International schooling is the line that breaks budgets. ISK, Brookhouse, Hillcrest and the Lycée charge international-scale fees, and for most families the school allowance in the package matters more than the housing allowance.

Private healthcare is good and well priced by international standards. Nairobi Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, MP Shah and The Karen Hospital are the main private options, and international insurance is widely accepted. Domestic help is common and affordable; Kenyan labour law sets minimum wage requirements and terms should be agreed in writing.

At roughly USD 2,000 a month all-in, a single person lives comfortably: a furnished one-bedroom in Kilimani or Kileleshwa with generator and fibre, ride-hailing rather than a car, local groceries, and eating out regularly.

At roughly USD 4,000 a month, a couple or small family without international school fees can take a premium two or three-bedroom in Westlands, Lavington or Kileleshwa with pool and gym, run a car, employ part-time help, and travel domestically at weekends. Add international schooling and the arithmetic changes entirely — that is the number to negotiate in a package.