Cost of living comparison

 Colombo, Sri Lanka
compared to
 Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi vs. Colombo Cost of Living Summary

Nairobi is 2.6 times more expensive than Colombo.

Restaurants
pay 5.5% more in Nairobi
Groceries
pay 20.6% less in Nairobi
Transportation
pay 2.7 times more in Nairobi
Housing
pay 31.9% more in Nairobi
Childcare
pay 9.7 times more in Nairobi
Entertainment and Sports
pay 46.4% more in Nairobi
Clothing
pay 2.6% less in Nairobi

The cost of childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, housing, and restaurants in Nairobi are more expensive than in Colombo. Expenses including groceries and clothing are lower in Nairobi. Notably, childcare and transportation are significantly more expensive in Nairobi.

Nairobi vs. Colombo Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Nairobi instead of Colombo, you would:

pay 5.5% more for restaurants

 
Colombo
Nairobi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $3.40
LKR995.10
$3.85
KES498.05
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.48
LKR2,189.22
$6.17
KES796.87
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.74
LKR216.43
$0.66
KES85.65

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pay 20.6% less for groceries

 
Colombo
Nairobi
Bread
1 loaf
$0.57
LKR166.81
$0.56
KES72.13
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.94
LKR2,031.13
$5.59
KES722.48
Milk (1 gallon) $6.54
LKR1,915.07
$3.35
KES433.19

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pay 2.7 times more for transportation

 
Colombo
Nairobi
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.84
LKR1,416.09
$6.17
KES798.05
Monthly public transit pass $6.80
LKR1,990.20
$30.83
KES3,984.37
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,303.89
LKR10,339,082.18
$19,266.80
KES2,490,233.99

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pay 31.9% more for housing

 
Colombo
Nairobi
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$16.40
LKR4,802.54
$39.39
KES5,091.51
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $297.60
LKR87,154.12
$428.53
KES55,387.25
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $180.09
LKR52,740.17
$166.44
KES21,511.79

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pay 9.7 times more for childcare

 
Colombo
Nairobi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $28.60
LKR8,375.42
$166.67
KES21,542.71
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $586.98
LKR171,903.41
$8,008.06
KES1,035,041.33

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pay 46.4% more for entertainment and sports

 
Colombo
Nairobi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.04
LKR597.06
$2.31
KES298.83
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.59
LKR758.68
$2.24
KES289.63
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$9.34
LKR2,736.52
$3.08
KES398.44

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pay 2.6% less for clothing

 
Colombo
Nairobi
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$29.69
LKR8,695.18
$16.84
KES2,176.94
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$22.31
LKR6,534.49
$22.95
KES2,966.15
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$68.77
LKR20,139.95
$61.84
KES7,992.47

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2024
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See the cost of living in Sri Lanka vs. Kenya. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Sri Lanka and Kenya.

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