Cost of living comparison

 South Africa
compared to
 Kenya
Kenya vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary

Kenya is 20.1% cheaper than South Africa overall.

Restaurants
pay 31.6% less in Kenya
Groceries
pay 17.9% less in Kenya
Transportation
pay 5.1% less in Kenya
Housing
pay 50.1% less in Kenya
Childcare
pay 20.9% more in Kenya
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.8% more in Kenya
Clothing
pay 57.8% less in Kenya

The cost of childcare and entertainment and sports in Kenya are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including clothing, housing, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in Kenya.

Kenya vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kenya instead of South Africa, you would:

pay 31.6% less for restaurants

 
South Africa
Kenya
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.97
ZAR161.87
$3.25
KES419.78
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.77
ZAR86.07
$5.64
KES729.28
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.95
ZAR17.22
$0.55
KES71.07

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pay 17.9% less for groceries

 
South Africa
Kenya
Bread
1 loaf
$0.99
ZAR17.87
$0.50
KES64.84
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.67
ZAR66.30
$3.85
KES498.15
Milk (1 gallon) $4.20
ZAR75.75
$2.73
KES352.76

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pay 5.1% less for transportation

 
South Africa
Kenya
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.99
ZAR90.00
$5.65
KES730.77
Monthly public transit pass $52.31
ZAR943.76
$32.71
KES4,227.98
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $20,607.77
ZAR371,792.86
$16,627.25
KES2,149,071.93

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pay 50.1% less for housing

 
South Africa
Kenya
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$41.37
ZAR746.36
$38.26
KES4,944.62
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $382.55
ZAR6,901.80
$175.35
KES22,664.14
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $326.35
ZAR5,887.76
$99.93
KES12,915.47

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pay 20.9% more for childcare

 
South Africa
Kenya
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $174.12
ZAR3,141.30
$135.79
KES17,551.47
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,033.53
ZAR72,770.46
$6,611.54
KES854,541.38

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pay 0.8% more for entertainment and sports

 
South Africa
Kenya
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.11
ZAR38.03
$1.99
KES257.56
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.88
ZAR33.97
$2.16
KES279.45
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.90
ZAR52.40
$2.93
KES378.52

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pay 57.8% less for clothing

 
South Africa
Kenya
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$47.72
ZAR860.85
$12.19
KES1,575.39
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$32.06
ZAR578.39
$19.75
KES2,552.69
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.39
ZAR1,630.74
$35.28
KES4,560.35

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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: May 2025
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