Photo: Lmwangi · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

🇰🇪 Kenia

Nairobi

Nairobi is East Africa's tech hub: mobile payments everywhere, fast fibre, spring weather all year and a safari an hour from your laptop.

7.0Zabel scoreHow we score →

900–1.500 €/mes80 Mb average; Kenya has East Africa's best fibreTropical highland: 1,800 m up, permanent spring 18–26 °C

Score breakdown

Cost of living

8.0

Cost of living

Weight 25%

Internet & work

7.0

Internet

Weight 15%

Safety

4.0

Safety

Weight 15%

Nomad community

7.0

Community

Weight 15%

Weather

9.0

Climate

Weight 10%

Paperwork & visa

7.0

Bureaucracy

Weight 20%

What it really costs

Prices checked on the ground by Zabelers. Each line shows when it was last verified.

Accommodation

500–850 €

Furnished flat in Kilimani

2026-09 · BuyRentKenya

Groceries

180–260 €

Monthly single basket

2026-09 · Numbeo

Restaurant

2–4 €

Local dish

2026-09 · precios locales

Transport

~70 €

Monthly Bolt and matatu

2026-09 · tarifas locales

Coworking

120–200 €

Monthly desk

2026-09 · webs de coworkings

Where to live

Kilimani

Apartamentos nuevos y cafés

Good for: Nomads and services

The catch: Constant construction

Westlands

Oficinas, malls y vida nocturna

Good for: Business and going out

The catch: Terrible traffic

Karen

Zona verde y residencial a las afueras

Good for: Calm and space

The catch: Far from everything

Where to work

Coworkings

Ikigai NairobiCoworking en jardín, varias sedes
The favourite for atmosphere

Cafés with wifi

Connect CoffeeTostador local con espacio de trabajo
Stable wifi and sockets

Time zone: EAT (UTC+3), no daylight saving

What living here is really like

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

The permanent spring weather and how easily you pay for everything by phone come as surprises. The trade-off is traffic and needing a car at night.

Síntesis editorial · First stay

Best part:: Weather and M-Pesa
Worst part:: Safety and traffic

Sources: Magical Kenya · Numbeo Nairobi

Editorial synthesis of public experiences

Over months the tech ecosystem and trips to the coast and parks stand out; living in the comfortable areas pushes the budget well above the national average.

Síntesis editorial · Long stay

Best part:: Tech ecosystem
Worst part:: Cost of safe areas

Sources: Kenya eCitizen

Day to day

Internet: Safaricom/Zuku 100 Mb fibre ~45 €/month
Safety: Requires care: nomad areas are reasonably safe by day, use private transport at night
Healthcare: Good private care at Nairobi Hospital or Aga Khan; international insurance advisable
SIM / eSIM: Safaricom 20 GB SIM ~10 €, with M-Pesa to pay for almost anything
Best season: January to March and July to October, between the two rainy seasons
Community: A strong tech scene ("Silicon Savannah") and a small but tightly connected nomad community

Living here legally

Visa

eTA required; 90-day stay; in 2024 Kenya launched a remote-worker permit requiring $55,000 a year

Check your visa →

Tax

Tax resident after 183 days; progressive income tax 10–35%

Flights & connections

NBO is East Africa's main hub; cheap flights to Zanzibar, Kigali and Cape Town

Lisbon vs. similar cities

City	Zabel score	Monthly budget	In short
Ciudad del Cabo	7.7	1.200–1.800 €	Cape Town is prettier with more nomads; Nairobi is cheaper and better connected within Africa
Kigali	7.2	800–1.200 €	Kigali is far safer and calmer; Nairobi has more scene and flights

Transparency

Last checked: 2026-09-18

Official sources

Prices are checked against the dated sources shown. Editorial experience summaries cite their public sources; verified Zabeler accounts are identified separately. Official procedures always take precedence.