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Cape Town vs Nairobi cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฟ๐ฆ Cape Town
๐ฐ๐ช Nairobi
At a glance
- Where Nairobi is clearly cheaper: Street food (71%โ), Haircut (60%โ), SIM card (57%โ)
- Where Cape Town is clearly cheaper: Coffee (30%โ), Cocktail & wine (17%โ), Half-day tour (17%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Cape Town is easier to travel (2.0 vs 2.8). Biggest gap: payments โ Cape Town 1 vs Nairobi 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cape Town | Nairobi | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | R 150$8.57 | KSh 600$4.65 | Nairobi โ46% |
| Street food1 item | R 70$4 | KSh 150$1.16 | Nairobi โ71% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | R 300$17.1 | KSh 2,300$17.8 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | R 38$2.17 | KSh 400$3.1 | Cape Town โ30% |
| Beerone bottle | R 45$2.57 | KSh 300$2.33 | Nairobi โ10% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | R 90$5.14 | KSh 800$6.2 | Cape Town โ17% |
| Bottled water | R 15$0.86 | KSh 50$0.39 | Nairobi โ55% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | R 18$1.03 | KSh 80$0.62 | Nairobi โ40% |
| Taxi5 km in town | R 60$3.43 | KSh 500$3.88 | Cape Town โ12% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | R 40$2.29 | KSh 335$2.6 | Cape Town โ12% |
| Transitone ride | R 18$1.03 | KSh 70$0.54 | Nairobi โ47% |
| Scooter rentalper day | R 450$25.7 | KSh 3,000$23.3 | Nairobi โ10% |
| Hotel night3-star | R 1,900$109 | KSh 9,000$69.8 | Nairobi โ36% |
| Studio rent (month) | R 13,000$743 | KSh 50,000$388 | Nairobi โ48% |
| Laundry | R 44$2.51 | KSh 200$1.55 | Nairobi โ38% |
| SIM card1 week data | R 250$14.3 | KSh 800$6.2 | Nairobi โ57% |
| Haircutcut | R 170$9.71 | KSh 500$3.88 | Nairobi โ60% |
| Massage1 hour | R 650$37.1 | KSh 3,500$27.1 | Nairobi โ27% |
| Half-day tourper person | R 900$51.4 | KSh 8,000$62 | Cape Town โ17% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | R 400$22.9 | KSh 1,500$11.6 | Nairobi โ49% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cape Town or Nairobi?
Nairobi is 37% cheaper than Cape Town. Daily budget $168 vs $121; a month $2,941 vs $1,613.
Which is easier to travel, Cape Town or Nairobi?
Cape Town is easier: Cape Town 2.0/5 vs Nairobi 2.8/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cape Town and Nairobi?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cape Town is about $2,941 and Nairobi about $1,613 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.