Moving to Kenya from Zambia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Zambia to Kenya — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Zambia to Kenya, you would find that Kenya is 18.1% cheaper than Zambia overall. A ZMW1,500,000 salary in Zambia would need to be roughly KES8,020,000 in Kenya to maintain the same lifestyle.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from Zambia to Kenya.
What does your salary buy?
ZMW1,500,000 → KES8,020,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Kenya
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.5% less
Groceries
pay 44.4% less
Transportation
pay 17.7% more
Housing
pay 20.9% less
Childcare
pay 13.4% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.8% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Zambia and Kenya stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Zambia generally does better on safety, though Kenya leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Zambia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kenya leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Kenya performs significantly better than Zambia across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Zambia generally does better on infrastructure, though Kenya leads in broadband per 100 people.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Kenya performs significantly better than Zambia across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Zambia generally does better on family life, though Kenya leads in infant mortality.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Zambia Revenue Authority (2016), Revenue Authority (2016), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Lusaka | Nairobi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 80°/62°F (27°/17°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/55°F (25°/13°C) | 73°/55°F (23°/13°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 72°/50°F (22°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 85°/64°F (29°/18°C) | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
View all months
| Month | Lusaka | Nairobi |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 80°/63°F (26.6°/17.1°C) | 76°/53°F (24.5°/11.5°C) |
| Feb | 80°/62°F (26.5°/16.8°C) | 78°/53°F (25.6°/11.6°C) |
| Mar | 81°/62°F (27.0°/16.6°C) | 78°/56°F (25.6°/13.1°C) |
| Apr | 80°/59°F (26.5°/15.1°C) | 75°/57°F (24.1°/14.0°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.3°/12.7°C) | 73°/56°F (22.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jun | 74°/51°F (23.4°/10.6°C) | 71°/52°F (21.5°/11.0°C) |
| Jul | 73°/50°F (23.0°/10.2°C) | 69°/50°F (20.6°/10.1°C) |
| Aug | 79°/54°F (25.9°/12.3°C) | 71°/50°F (21.4°/10.2°C) |
| Sep | 85°/60°F (29.4°/15.3°C) | 75°/51°F (23.7°/10.5°C) |
| Oct | 87°/64°F (30.8°/17.5°C) | 76°/54°F (24.7°/12.5°C) |
| Nov | 86°/64°F (29.9°/17.9°C) | 74°/56°F (23.1°/13.1°C) |
| Dec | 81°/63°F (27.2°/17.3°C) | 74°/55°F (23.4°/12.6°C) |
Data:
Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD),
Kenya Meteorological Department
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Zambia and Kenya. To live, work, or study long-term in Kenya, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Kenya's immigration authority.
Zambia passport holder visiting Kenya
Visa Free
Kenya passport holder visiting Zambia
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Kenya than Zambia?
Generally yes: Kenya runs about 18% cheaper than Zambia on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Kenya?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ZMW1,500,000 comparable salary, that's around KES2,005,000 in Kenya for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Kenya?
With 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Zambia and Kenya.
Is Kenya safe for expats?
Zambia generally does better on safety, though Kenya leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Kenya is 4.9 per 100,000 people, compared to 5.2 in Zambia.
How is healthcare in Kenya compared to Zambia?
Zambia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Kenya leads in adult obesity rate. There are 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Kenya, compared to 3.2 in Zambia. Kenya scores 53 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Zambia: 56).
What's the weather like in Kenya compared to Zambia?
The average high temperature in Nairobi is 74°F, compared to 80°F in Lusaka. Nairobi receives around 40.3 in of rainfall per year, while Lusaka gets 31.4 in.
What language do they speak in Kenya?
The official languages in Kenya are English and Swahili. In Zambia, the official language is English.
