Cost of living comparison

compared to

Mogadishu vs. Nairobi Cost of Living Summary

Mogadishu is 23.3% cheaper than Nairobi.

Restaurants
pay 36.2% less in Mogadishu
Groceries
pay 25.7% more in Mogadishu
Transportation
pay 48.6% less in Mogadishu
Housing
pay 14.6% more in Mogadishu
Childcare
pay 85.6% less in Mogadishu
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.9% less in Mogadishu
Clothing
pay 19.2% less in Mogadishu

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

Mogadishu vs. Nairobi Cost Breakdown

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

pay 36.2% less for restaurants

 
Nairobi
Mogadishu
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.80
KES751.45
$3.50
SOS1,991
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.97
KES901.74
$4.50
SOS2,560
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.70
KES90.86
$0.50
SOS284

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pay 25.7% more for groceries

 
Nairobi
Mogadishu
Bread
1 loaf
$0.55
KES70.74
$1.62
SOS924
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.57
KES720.62
$2.50
SOS1,422
Milk (1 gallon) $3.36
KES434.42
$5.36
SOS3,051

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pay 48.6% less for transportation

 
Nairobi
Mogadishu
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.40
KES698.91
$3.91
SOS2,225
Monthly public transit pass $30.96
KES4,007.74
$20.00
SOS11,377
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $21,671.83
KES2,805,417.96
$7,500.00
SOS4,266,501

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pay 14.6% more for housing

 
Nairobi
Mogadishu
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$39.86
KES5,160.40
$66.67
SOS37,924
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $476.96
KES61,741.91
$157.50
SOS89,597
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $206.31
KES26,706.75
$87.50
SOS49,776

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pay 85.6% less for childcare

 
Nairobi
Mogadishu
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $224.14
KES29,014.37
$50.00
SOS28,443
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,775.09
KES1,135,934.95
$570.00
SOS324,254

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pay 13.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Nairobi
Mogadishu
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.32
KES300.58
$4.00
SOS2,275
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.37
KES306.78
$1.50
SOS853
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.10
KES400.77
$1.20
SOS683

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pay 19.2% less for clothing

 
Nairobi
Mogadishu
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$19.62
KES2,540.20
$17.50
SOS9,955
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$24.88
KES3,220.51
$24.33
SOS13,842
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$67.92
KES8,791.98
$26.67
SOS15,170

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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 2025
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