Cost of living comparison

Kyrgyzstan

compared to

Kenya

Nairobi vs. Bishkek Cost of Living Summary

Nairobi is 1.2% more expensive than Bishkek.

Restaurants: pay 2.0% more in Nairobi
Groceries: pay 22.1% more in Nairobi
Transportation: pay 68.3% more in Nairobi
Housing: pay 26.9% less in Nairobi
Childcare: pay 33.4% more in Nairobi
Entertainment and Sports: pay 25.7% more in Nairobi
Clothing: pay 35.6% less in Nairobi

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

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Nairobi vs. Bishkek Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 2.0% more for restaurants

	Bishkek	Nairobi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$6.86 KGS600.01	$6.16 KES799.26	-10.2%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.83 KGS510.01	$6.54 KES849.21	+12.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.74 KGS65.00	$0.64 KES83.49	-13.4%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.39 KGS33.88	$0.59 KES76.60	+52.4%
Average			+2.0%

Bishkek vs. Nairobi - Cost of restaurants

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pay 22.1% more for groceries

	Bishkek	Nairobi
Bread 1 loaf	$0.40 KGS34.67	$0.55 KES71.20	+38.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.82 KGS334.23	$5.32 KES690.75	+39.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.81 KGS333.12	$3.32 KES430.19	-13.0%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.73 KGS151.13	$1.73 KES224.03	-0.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.08 KGS181.82	$2.90 KES375.95	+39.4%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.63 KGS54.76	$1.52 KES197.47	+143.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.84 KGS73.57	$0.49 KES63.08	-42.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.93 KGS81.76	$0.91 KES118.11	-2.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.72 KGS62.84	$0.51 KES65.97	-29.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.27 KGS23.90	$0.49 KES63.93	+80.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.22 KGS19.28	$0.49 KES63.19	+120.9%
Average			+22.1%

Bishkek vs. Nairobi - Cost of groceries

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pay 68.3% more for transportation

	Bishkek	Nairobi
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.74 KGS326.93	$5.96 KES773.87	+59.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$11.66 KGS1,020.02	$46.20 KES5,994.46	+296.1%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$29,991.94 KGS3M	$21,558.36 KES3M	-28.1%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$4.52 KGS395.01	$13.86 KES1,798.34	+206.8%
Average			+68.3%

Bishkek vs. Nairobi - Cost of transportation

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pay 26.9% less for housing

	Bishkek	Nairobi
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$12.00 KGS1,049.18	$34.94 KES4,534.27	+191.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$603.19 KGS52,748.92	$445.43 KES57,799.49	-26.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$416.93 KGS36,460.58	$216.55 KES28,099.01	-48.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$38.42 KGS3,359.98	$42.75 KES5,547.48	+11.3%
Average			-26.9%

Bishkek vs. Nairobi - Cost of housing

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pay 33.4% more for childcare

	Bishkek	Nairobi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$219.56 KGS19,200.33	$248.58 KES32,255.88	+13.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$7,837.88 KGS685K	$12,318.78 KES2M	+57.2%
Average			+33.4%

Bishkek vs. Nairobi - Cost of childcare

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pay 25.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Bishkek	Nairobi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.37 KGS120.00	$2.31 KES299.72	+68.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.43 KGS212.36	$2.64 KES343.02	+8.9%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.06 KGS180.00	$3.54 KES459.57	+72.1%
Monthly membership at local gym	$54.84 KGS4,795.54	$50.37 KES6,535.62	-8.2%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$5.72 KGS500.01	$7.70 KES999.08	+34.7%
Average			+25.7%

Bishkek vs. Nairobi - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 35.6% less for clothing

	Bishkek	Nairobi
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$55.40 KGS4,844.53	$28.10 KES3,646.63	-49.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$43.07 KGS3,766.73	$29.04 KES3,768.70	-32.6%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$90.57 KGS7,920.14	$69.92 KES9,073.43	-22.8%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$90.22 KGS7,890.14	$58.58 KES7,601.62	-35.1%
Average			-35.6%

Bishkek vs. Nairobi - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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