---
title: "Living in Nairobi as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/nairobi
description: "East Africa's startup hub with safari weekends"
dataset: 2026.09.4 (2026-09-26)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi scores 46.4/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 272 of 309 cities. Expect about $1,146 per month, no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 8.9 Mbps.

Nairobi is East Africa's business and tech hub and launched a digital nomad permit in 2024. Traffic is brutal and security requires planning, but the community and weekend nature access are strong.

Known for: Tech scene (Silicon Savannah), Nairobi National Park, Nomad visa (2024), Security awareness needed.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 46.4 |
| Cost of living | 61 |
| Safety | 35 |
| Healthcare | 45 |
| Internet | 33 |
| Visa ease | 6 |
| Getting there & around | 13 |
| Climate | 100 |
| Air quality | 82 |
| Quality of life | 43 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,146 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | $541 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | $313 | city | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 5.8 | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 42.7 | country | 2024 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 57 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 66.8 | country | 2021 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 8.9 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 4.1 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^9] |
| Visa-free days US / EU / UK | visa or e-visa required / visa or e-visa required / visa or e-visa required | editorial | 2026-02 | [^10] |
| Non-stop destinations (NBO) | 58 | city | 2026-09 | [^11] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 1 / 2 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^12] |
| Comfortable months | 12 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^13] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 13.1 | city | 2021 | [^14] |
| Human Development Index | 0.628 | country | 2023 | [^15] |
| English proficiency band | high | country | 2024 | [^16] |

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 20.5 | 39 | 63 | yes |
| Feb | 21.4 | 29 | 59 | yes |
| Mar | 21.6 | 64 | 63 | yes |
| Apr | 20.5 | 114 | 73 | yes |
| May | 19.3 | 73 | 75 | yes |
| Jun | 18.7 | 25 | 70 | yes |
| Jul | 18.7 | 16 | 64 | yes |
| Aug | 19.2 | 22 | 63 | yes |
| Sep | 20.3 | 20 | 59 | yes |
| Oct | 20.8 | 53 | 62 | yes |
| Nov | 20.2 | 81 | 73 | yes |
| Dec | 20 | 65 | 71 | yes |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jomo Kenyatta International Airport | NBO | 58 | 49 | 1 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 58, of which 49 international (Wikipedia, 2026-09).

## Similar cities

- [Mombasa](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/mombasa) (45.3) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/mombasa-vs-nairobi)
- [Dar es Salaam](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/dar-es-salaam) (37.8) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/dar-es-salaam-vs-nairobi)
- [Ubud (Bali)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/ubud) (50.1) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/nairobi-vs-ubud)
- [Canggu (Bali)](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/canggu) (49.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/canggu-vs-nairobi)
- [Beirut](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/beirut) (41.9) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/beirut-vs-nairobi)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Nairobi as a digital nomad?

A single person typically spends about $1,146 per month in Nairobi, renting a one-bedroom outside the centre (about $313). A central one-bedroom costs about $541, which brings the total to roughly $1,374. That is a 61/100 cost score, where 100 is the cheapest city in the dataset.

### Is Nairobi safe for digital nomads?

Nairobi scores 35/100 on safety. Kenya records 5.8 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 42.7/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does Kenya have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for Kenya as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US can stay only with a visa, e-visa, eTA or visa on arrival days.

### How fast is the internet in Nairobi?

Measured median download speed in Nairobi was 8.9 Mbps (upload 4.1 Mbps) across 472,399 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Which airports serve Nairobi and how many nonstop flights are there?

Nairobi is served by Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) with 58 nonstop destinations, of which 49 are international. 1 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-09.

### When is the best time of year to be in Nairobi?

The most comfortable months are Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec. Mean temperatures range from 66°F (19°C) in Jun to 71°F (22°C) in Mar (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Nairobi or Mombasa: which is better for digital nomads?

Mombasa is the city with the closest factor profile to Nairobi in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/cities (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^10]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^12]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^13]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8), World Health Organization. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-ambient-air-quality-database-(update-jun-2026) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^16]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

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