I’ve stayed in Nairobi for about 10 or 11 Months in 2014.

I had a room in a huge apartment where I lived together with two other guys in Kilimani, I think I paid $400 per month, if I recall correctly. That might sound a little expensive, but it was really a very nice place with a lot of security around it etc.
I always felt like the food is surprisingly expensive. It’s easy to pay more than $10 for a meal, obviously that depends on where you go. You can also get meals for less if you know where to go.
If I recall correctly I paid around $70 per Month for my gym. That was also a rather nice one.
There are many bars and places to get drinks which are price-wise comparable to cheap areas of Europe.
One thing that you have to remember is that you also pay for security. Like for example you want to have guards around the place where you stay, and you probably don’t want to walk around at night in areas that you’re not familiar with, so that’s an expense which you don’t have in many other places. In my case, I was too lazy to always call a taxi, so I got a motorbike for like $350 and usually rode everywhere on that without much trouble.

Oh, I just realized that this is old and you’ve already been

Hello @AlexLielacher! Just going through the post as am thinking to go to Nairobi and maybe to another place for around 2 months in April/May.
How was your stay? Did you have a good time in Nairobi? Would be great to get updates on everything relevant for a 2-3 month stay e.g. weather, location, co-working, cost etc.
Thanks and best regards!

Hey Alex! @yanokwa and I just wrapped up a month in Nairobi. We found that living a middle class kind of life cost just a little less than it did for us in Seattle, USA. You can certainly get by for less than we did but I would say that in general, food, drink and entertainment are significantly more expensive than in most of Southeast Asia.

Meals at mid-range restaurants usually set us back about $30USD-$40 for the two of us. A meal at Java House (local Starbucks coffee equivalent) for two was about $15USD-$18. I did a grocery run at vegetable stands and smaller markets and spent about $45USD for a week’s worth of staples and vegetables (no meat). We did the rest of our grocery shopping at Nakumatt with meat, fish, etc and that was more like $90USD/week for two. I think Numbeo looks pretty accurate. But of course, there are lots of street vendors selling boiled eggs, grilled corn and things like that which are much cheaper!

I think you want to be thoughtful about the neighborhood you choose as rush hour lasts most of the day and getting around can be difficult. We really liked being able to walk to Nairobi Garage Westlands and generally really liked the space and people. I think it may be hard to find a room for $360USD in a convenient area. What coworking space are you thinking about?

Another thing to keep in mind is that July is the coldest month of the year. Even in May/June, we were often wearing hats, gloves, jackets and still feeling chilly! Because it’s humid and overcast, I think it feels colder than it is so definitely come with the right clothing. Locals wear down jackets and boots these days.

Nairobi is an amazing, energetic city and we met so many entrepreneurial Kenyans who are doing great things. I think it’s totally worth budgeting more for.

I’ve stayed in Nairobi for about 10 or 11 Months in 2014.

I had a room in a huge apartment where I lived together with two other guys in Kilimani, I think I paid $400 per month, if I recall correctly. That might sound a little expensive, but it was really a very nice place with a lot of security around it etc.
I always felt like the food is surprisingly expensive. It’s easy to pay more than $10 for a meal, obviously that depends on where you go. You can also get meals for less if you know where to go.
If I recall correctly I paid around $70 per Month for my gym. That was also a rather nice one.
There are many bars and places to get drinks which are price-wise comparable to cheap areas of Europe.
One thing that you have to remember is that you also pay for security. Like for example you want to have guards around the place where you stay, and you probably don’t want to walk around at night in areas that you’re not familiar with, so that’s an expense which you don’t have in many other places. In my case, I was too lazy to always call a taxi, so I got a motorbike for like $350 and usually rode everywhere on that without much trouble.

Oh, I just realized that this is old and you’ve already been

Hello @AlexLielacher! Just going through the post as am thinking to go to Nairobi and maybe to another place for around 2 months in April/May.
How was your stay? Did you have a good time in Nairobi? Would be great to get updates on everything relevant for a 2-3 month stay e.g. weather, location, co-working, cost etc.
Thanks and best regards!

Hey Alex! @yanokwa and I just wrapped up a month in Nairobi. We found that living a middle class kind of life cost just a little less than it did for us in Seattle, USA. You can certainly get by for less than we did but I would say that in general, food, drink and entertainment are significantly more expensive than in most of Southeast Asia.

Meals at mid-range restaurants usually set us back about $30USD-$40 for the two of us. A meal at Java House (local Starbucks coffee equivalent) for two was about $15USD-$18. I did a grocery run at vegetable stands and smaller markets and spent about $45USD for a week’s worth of staples and vegetables (no meat). We did the rest of our grocery shopping at Nakumatt with meat, fish, etc and that was more like $90USD/week for two. I think Numbeo looks pretty accurate. But of course, there are lots of street vendors selling boiled eggs, grilled corn and things like that which are much cheaper!

I think you want to be thoughtful about the neighborhood you choose as rush hour lasts most of the day and getting around can be difficult. We really liked being able to walk to Nairobi Garage Westlands and generally really liked the space and people. I think it may be hard to find a room for $360USD in a convenient area. What coworking space are you thinking about?

Another thing to keep in mind is that July is the coldest month of the year. Even in May/June, we were often wearing hats, gloves, jackets and still feeling chilly! Because it’s humid and overcast, I think it feels colder than it is so definitely come with the right clothing. Locals wear down jackets and boots these days.

Nairobi is an amazing, energetic city and we met so many entrepreneurial Kenyans who are doing great things. I think it’s totally worth budgeting more for.