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Mohamed Oun
Nairobi
#109 of 124
Africa

Nairobi

Kenya

Salary & Cost of Living

View purchasing power ranking

How do salaries and expenses in Nairobi compare to Bogota?

Purchasing Power Comparison

An engineer in Nairobi is 39% worse off vs in Bogota

This shows how far a software engineer's salary goes in Nairobi compared to Bogota, taking into account both salary differences and cost of living.

Median Salary
$18,537
-$14K (-43%) vs Bogota
Based on 35 data points from levels.fyi
Net Salary
$13,328
-$9K (-41%) vs Bogota
Tax Rate: 28%

Community Insights

New

Nairobi, dubbed the Silicon Savannah, offers a unique and high-energy environment for software engineers. It is a city of contrasts: a booming fintech hub with a vibrant expat scene and comfortable climate, juxtaposed against infrastructural challenges like severe traffic and safety concerns. For those earning foreign currency, the cost of living provides an exceptionally high quality of life, allowing for spacious housing and domestic help. However, those relying on the local job market may find salaries competitive regionally but low globally. It is a dynamic launchpad for African tech but requires patience with logistics and safety precautions.

Resident Sentiment

Expats and digital nomads generally love the lifestyle, citing the friendly people, great weather, and social opportunities as major draws. They often feel they can live 'like royalty' on a Western salary.

However, there is a common thread of frustration regarding traffic, which dictates much of their daily schedule. Long-term residents have learned to navigate the safety risks by adhering to specific unwritten rules (e.g., not using phones in open traffic windows, avoiding certain areas at night), viewing them as manageable trade-offs for the vibrancy and opportunity the city offers.

Living Environment

Weather•Safety•Pollution•Events

A quick look at climate, safety, pollution, and tech community compared to Bogota.

Rankings

Cost of Living

Top 7%

#9

of 124 cities

23/100

Current value (lower is better)

Comfortable Weather

Top 9%

#11

of 124 cities

87/100 weather score

Current value

Tax Rate

Top 27%

#33

of 124 cities

28%

Current value (lower is better)

Housing Affordability

View affordability ranking

How affordable is housing for a software engineer in Nairobi compared to Bogota?

Avg. Property Price
$1,202 / m²
30% cheaper than Bogota
View detailed property prices on Numbeo

Salary Converter

Enter your annual gross salary (before taxes) to see what you would need to earn in Nairobi to maintain the same standard of living.

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Cost of Living
3% cheaper than Bogota
View detailed cost breakdown on Numbeo

Top Paying Companies in Nairobi

Microsoft logo
Microsoft
Andela logo
Andela
Safaricom logo
Safaricom

The Good

  • Silicon Savannah: Nairobi is East Africa's premier tech hub with a vibrant startup ecosystem, particularly in fintech and mobile money innovation.
  • English-speaking environment: English is an official language and widely spoken, making business and social integration seamless for international engineers.
  • Cost of living leverage: Earning a foreign remote salary allows for a luxurious lifestyle, as local expenses for housing and services are significantly lower than in Western tech hubs.
  • Connectivity: Internet infrastructure is generally reliable in major neighborhoods (e.g., Kilimani, Westlands) with decent fiber speeds available for remote work.
  • Climate: The city enjoys a mild, temperate climate year-round due to its high altitude, avoiding the extreme heat typical of other equatorial cities.
  • Expat community: A welcoming and diverse community of digital nomads and expats, with frequent networking events and meetups.

The Bad

  • Traffic congestion: Nairobi is notorious for severe traffic jams; commuting can be unpredictable and exhaustingly long, often requiring residents to live close to their workplace.
  • Safety concerns: Petty crime and muggings are real risks; residents often need to rely on secure housing compounds and private transport (like Uber) rather than walking at night.
  • Salary disparity: Local salaries for software engineers are drastically lower than Western standards, creating a significant economic gap between local talent and remote workers.
  • Infrastructure gaps: While improving, issues with power outages (blackouts) and water shortages can occur, necessitating backup solutions like generators or inverters.
  • Pollution: Air quality can be poor, especially near major roads, due to vehicle emissions and dust.

The Verdict

You'll love it if...

Digital nomads and remote workers earning USD/EUR/GBP who want to stretch their income while living in a major African tech hub.

Entrepreneurs and fintech specialists looking to tap into the emerging African market will find fertile ground here. It is also ideal for those who enjoy a social, outdoorsy lifestyle and can afford to live in central, secure neighborhoods like Westlands or Kilimani to minimize commuting.

Skip it if...

Engineers expecting walkable cities or highly organized public transport will be frustrated by the car-centric and chaotic infrastructure.

Junior developers relying solely on local employment might struggle with low starting salaries and high competition relative to the cost of maintaining an expat-standard lifestyle. Those with severe asthma or sensitivity to pollution might also find the air quality in traffic-heavy areas challenging.

Updated 11/29/2025

Weather8.7/10+24% vs Bogota
Safety41+22%
Pollution80+14%
Events4+100%
8.7/10TechCities weather score vs 7.0/10 in Bogota

0–10 composite (higher is better) combining temperature comfort, sunshine hours, rainy-day count, and humid days. See methodology for weighting and data sources.

Weather snapshot

Average High
24°C(vs 18°C in Bogota)
Average Low
15°C(vs 9°C in Bogota)
Sunshine Hours
2,492h/yr+1164h/yr(+88%)
Hottest Month High
27°C(vs 19°C in Bogota)
Coldest Month Low
13°C(vs 7°C in Bogota)
Rainy Days
70/yr-132/yr(-65%)

Community & Quality

Nairobi community pulse

Nairobi has 4 Luma events listed.

100% more events than Bogota.

Home Affordability

Middle of the pack

#49

of 124 cities

≈7.2 yrs to buy 80m²

Current value

Community Events

Middle of the pack

#60

of 124 cities

4 events on luma

Current value

Safety Index

Bottom 16%

#105

of 124 cities

40.6/100

Current value

Purchasing Power

Bottom 13%

#109

of 124 cities

Pollution Score

Bottom 9%

#114

of 124 cities

79.8/100

Current value (lower is better)

Net Income

Bottom 7%

#116

of 124 cities

$13,328/yr

Current value

SWE Affordability
7.2 years
1.2 years longer than Bogota
Muggy Days
0/yr(same as Bogota)
Cloud Cover
62%(vs 82% in Bogota)