Where you live now
KigaliRwanda
RWF 1,596,315
per month
Cost of living: Kigali vs Nairobi
Choose where you live now and another city. You'll see what a normal month costs in each: rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
Household
Rent
Popular:London vs New YorkLisbon vs LondonHong Kong vs SingaporeNew York vs TokyoBerlin vs LondonDubai vs London
Nairobi is 8% more expensive than Kigali.
Monthly cost for one person, renting in the city centre. Includes rent, food, transport, bills and going out.
City to compare
NairobiKenya
KES 151,332
per month, about RWF 1,723,001
Monthly costs by category
Show amounts in
| Category | Kigali | Nairobi | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | 813,043 | 886,956 | +9% |
| Groceries | 299,850 | 315,727 | +5% |
| Eating out | 150,930 | 165,890 | +10% |
| Getting around | 74,741 | 80,964 | +8% |
| Bills | 164,323 | 174,479 | +6% |
| Going out | 66,803 | 71,784 | +7% |
| Clothes | 26,623 | 27,185 | +2% |
| Total per month | 1,596,315 | 1,723,001 | +8% |
Nairobi is 8% more expensive than Kigali for one person renting in the city centre. The biggest gap is eating out (+10%); clothes is the closest (+2%). Someone spending RWF 1,596,315 a month in Kigali would need about KES 151,332 in Nairobi for the same lifestyle. Rent takes 51% of the monthly budget in Nairobi and 51% in Kigali.
Nairobi: no reports yet, so these numbers are starting estimates from the city's overall price level.How this is calculated
Prices
Everyday prices in Nairobi
The typical price people paid recently, and how it compares with Kigali. "Estimated" means we don't have many reports yet.
Show amounts in
| Item | Typical price | What people paid | vs Kigali | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cappuccino, regularEstimated | RWF 2,280 | +10% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurantEstimated | RWF 9,323 | +11% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Monthly public transport passEstimated | RWF 67,645 | +8% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, city centreEstimated | RWF 886,956 | +9% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| 1-bedroom flat, outside the centreEstimated | RWF 638,609 | +9% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Milk, 1 LEstimated | RWF 1,018 | +5% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Eggs, 12Estimated | RWF 3,521 | +6% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kgEstimated | RWF 10,178 | +5% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Electricity, water, heating and cooling for 85 m²Estimated | RWF 133,015 | +7% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Home internet, 60 Mbps or fasterEstimated | RWF 45,773 | +6% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Mobile plan with calls and 10 GB+ dataEstimated | RWF 42,252 | +6% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Gym membership, monthlyEstimated | RWF 51,276 | +7% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Cinema ticketEstimated | RWF 10,255 | +7% vs Kigali | 0 reports | |
| Jeans, Levi's 501 or similarEstimated | RWF 73,730 | +2% vs Kigali | 0 reports |
Most reports (10th–90th percentile)
Middle half of reports
Same item in Kigali
All prices in Nairobi
Method
Where the numbers come from
People who live in each city share what they paid. Every price is checked before it counts.
People share prices
Anyone can add what they paid, in their own currency. No account needed. A quick automatic check keeps bots out.
We check every price
Typos, wrong currencies and impossible amounts are caught. An unusual price only counts after someone else reports something similar.
We work out the typical price
We use the middle price of recent reports. When a city has only a few reports, we estimate the rest and label it "Estimated".
No reports in the last 30 days yet. When they arrive, you'll see here how many were counted, held for a second opinion or turned down.
Rankings
Most and least expensive cities
Monthly cost for one person renting in the city centre, in Rwandan francs. Pick a city to compare it with Kigali. See all 118 cities
Most expensive
Comparisons
Popular comparisons
Cities people often weigh up against each other. Monthly cost for one person, rent in the centre included.
- London vs New YorkRWF 6,126,104 → RWF 8,413,077+37%
- Lisbon vs LondonRWF 3,313,625 → RWF 6,126,104+85%
- Hong Kong vs SingaporeRWF 4,877,314 → RWF 6,298,987+29%
- New York vs TokyoRWF 8,413,077 → RWF 2,920,540−65%
- Berlin vs LondonRWF 3,428,648 → RWF 6,126,104+79%
- Dubai vs LondonRWF 4,906,909 → RWF 6,126,104+25%
- Amsterdam vs BerlinRWF 4,882,192 → RWF 3,428,648−30%
- Barcelona vs MadridRWF 3,291,406 → RWF 3,179,946−3%
- Lisbon vs PortoRWF 3,313,625 → RWF 2,720,221−18%
- Melbourne vs SydneyRWF 4,143,062 → RWF 5,152,492+24%
- Toronto vs VancouverRWF 4,438,714 → RWF 4,586,540+3%
- Beijing vs ShanghaiRWF 2,546,940 → RWF 2,720,221+7%
- Osaka vs TokyoRWF 2,327,462 → RWF 2,920,540+25%
- Bangkok vs SingaporeRWF 1,927,001 → RWF 6,298,987+227%
- Mexico City vs New YorkRWF 2,482,990 → RWF 8,413,077+239%
- Seoul vs TokyoRWF 2,898,529 → RWF 2,920,540+1%
- London vs ParisRWF 6,126,104 → RWF 4,069,149−34%
- Dubai vs SingaporeRWF 4,906,909 → RWF 6,298,987+28%
- New York vs San FranciscoRWF 8,413,077 → RWF 7,169,845−15%
- Bangkok vs Chiang MaiRWF 1,927,001 → RWF 1,327,108−31%
- Buenos Aires vs São PauloRWF 1,945,243 → RWF 1,952,7530%
- London vs SydneyRWF 6,126,104 → RWF 5,152,492−16%
- Austin vs San FranciscoRWF 4,561,188 → RWF 7,169,845+57%
- Hong Kong vs TaipeiRWF 4,877,314 → RWF 2,105,723−57%
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FAQ
Kigali vs Nairobi: common questions
Is Nairobi cheaper than Kigali?
No. One person renting a 1-bedroom flat in the centre spends about KES 151,332 (about RWF 1,723,001) a month in Nairobi, against RWF 1,596,315 in Kigali: 8% more.
How much is rent in Nairobi compared with Kigali?
A 1-bedroom flat in the centre of Nairobi rents for about KES 77,902 (about RWF 886,956) a month, +9% compared with RWF 813,043 in Kigali. Outside the centre it's about KES 56,089 against RWF 585,391.
How much money do I need to move from Kigali to Nairobi?
To keep the lifestyle that costs RWF 1,596,315 a month in Kigali, plan on about KES 151,332 in Nairobi for one person. A family of four would need about KES 428,295, compared with RWF 4,510,602 in Kigali.
How much does eating out cost in Nairobi vs Kigali?
A meal at an inexpensive restaurant is about KES 819 (about RWF 9,323) in Nairobi and RWF 8,402 in Kigali. A regular cappuccino is about KES 200 against RWF 2,071.
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