So how much do things cost here in Kenya?
I have noticed that the cost of things that both locals
and mazungu’s (western people) need are cheap, it is the stuff that only the
mazungu’s need that the prices jump up.
I guess they don’t take into account the people (like me) that move to
Kenya on their own accord and don’t have big companies or consulates supporting
them and feel they can charge a bucket for certain services. At the end of the day it is still cheaper
than Australia it all seems like it will all fit within my non-working budget
so I guess I can’t complain.
The basics that you need for anywhere in the world is a
roof over your head and personally if you ask me TV and internet. Electricity and water come in a close second,
but I won’t have those costs until next month, but I am guessing (hoping) that
it won’t be much.
Prices for Housing.
So when I started my hunt for a place to live I had in
mind a budget of 25,000-45,000KSH which is around 294-495AUD per month. It was a do-able budget to get something
decent, but if you want something really nice the prices start 75,000-150,000+ which
is totally ridiculous at 882-1764AUD a month, some were even as high as
200,000-300,000 a month (2,352-3,529AUD) per month and well and truly right out
of my budget. Those prices are geared
for the CEO’s, UN and NGO’s workers of the country that have companies and
countries paying for their rent. Just
like any other country, location, location, location also differentiates the price. I haven’t even looked at the cost to buy
anything in Kenya, and I am a long way from even thinking about it, but I think
I will be shocked at the costs and may just live out the rest of my life as a
‘renter’ and I am okay with this. Owning
property has never been a big deal to me, even when I was back home. I have been a home owner and when my mum
passed away I owned her unit outright.
Yes a happy renter I shall be.
Prices for TV
So now that I had a roof I needed to get the TV and
internet. The TV part was easy. I got one of those no problems and I think
the price was comparable to what you would pay back home. It is a Samsung 43# flat screen for 59,995KSH
(705AUD). There are 10 local stations
that can be viewed for free, but they are ‘local’. Most of them are in English and most of them
compromise of an Africa TV soap which is pretty funny to watch. I will never complain about the Australian
soaps and the quality of them after seeing the African versions. They also have a Spanish version that is
dubbed into English which is hilarious to watch. So with all that in mind, I decided for the
first time in my life to get cable. I
have never had cable TV before, but I did enjoy it when I was at the Elkins
back in Brisbane and with the quality of the TV viewing here and that I am not
working for the foreseeable future, I think it is something that I
‘needed’. So there are different
companies that offer packages here in Kenya and I decided to run with DSTV, as
it is the one that GG has and also the company that the apartments has a dish
for. Normally you would have to buy the
set top box, set up your account, get the dish and then get it installed. As I didn’t have to get the dish, we bought
the set top box for 4000KSH (47AUD) and then we went to the DSTV office to open
an account, select my package and pay for the first month. There were 4 options. The premium package was 80USD a month and
gave you 107 channel’s, there was a 30USD package that gave you 80 channels, a
family package of 20USD a month for 65 channels and then the cheapest package
of 10USD for a handful of channels. I
chose the premium package knowing that I can change it for the next month if I
want. After all that was done, I still
have a problem with the cable and I am currently waiting for the cable man to
come out and have a look-but everything is done from my end re that and I can’t
wait to have it all working.
Prices for Internet
I knew that the internet was not going to be cheap. In Ethiopia it was going to cost around 100USD
a month. I maybe a little out of the
loop with internet as I haven’t had to pay a package for quite a few years and
from memory I think when I was paying for a package it was around 60AUD a
month. Well you can imagine my surprise
when we went to the computer shop at Village Market and they gave me a price
list that started at 100USD for a speed of 128/256 and the top price was 294USD
for a 1MB/1MB speed. Holy schmokes 300
bucks a month for internet. I don’t
think so. So I couldn’t sign up whole we
were there as I needed time to think and have a shop around. If that is what the going prices are then I
will of course pay, I cannot survive without internet, well I probably could if
it wasn’t available, but it is, so I just need to have a look around and then
make a decision. Once made, a technician
has to come to your place to valuate where your internet dish will go, and then
they come back to install it. There is a
modem that is also required at a cost of 300 bucks, but if you buy one of the
higher packages, they throw that in, but I’ve done the sums and it works out to
be the same price anyway. So I am
currently working on an internet provider, but I want to get that sorted ASAP.
The apartments has rubbish collection twice a week which
costs 300KSH=3.50AUD a month
We also pay for the 24hr security we have at the
apartments and that is 200KSH=2.35AUD a month
So the last few days I have had to buy white goods, home
appliances, food, cleaning products and furniture. So what do things cost here in Kenya? To give you an idea……
SCHILLINGS AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR
Bread knife 195 2.30
Broom 225 2.64
Fridge 53,995 635.00
6 tea cups 670 7.88
Toilet paper 10pk 347 4.08
Tea towel 200 2.35
3 coat hangers 75 .88
1L of coke 75 .88
Dustpan brush set 190 2.23
Kenwood iron 1795 21.11
Blue Moon Vodka 400 4.70
Chopping board 555 6.50
Pillow case 695 8.17
Queen flat sheet 1395 16.41
Door mat 600 7.05
Pillow 565 6.64
Toaster 2695 31.70
Kettle 3395 39.94
Water jug 225 2.64
Washing basket 495 5.80
Bucket 420 4.94
Mop 250 2.94
Samsung 43# TV 59,995 705.00
Box Kleenex tissues 90 1.05
Microwave 11,695 137.58
Washing machine 53,995 635.23
25 tea bags 110 1.29
1L of juice 179 2.10
1KG of cereal 735 8.64
Shampoo 280 3.29
Salad dressing 365 4.29
4 pack of soap 195 2.29
UHT 1L milk 135 1.58
Harpic toilet block 150 1.76
18L of drinking water 400 4.70
Colgate toothpaste 170 2.00
Mortein spray 245 2.88
Tomato sauce 500ml 250 2.94
Light bulb 24W 350 4.11
Cling film 130 1.52
Hand wash x 2 225 2.64
OMO washing powder 190 2.23
Air freshener-can 135 1.58
Coke 500ml 55 .64
Cordial 1L 125 1.40
2kg sugar 260 3.05
Frozen peas 500g 111 1.30
Eggs ½ dozen 90 1.05
Yogurt 1L 165 1.94
Cashew nuts 500g 370 4.35
2 minute noodles 25 .29
Capsicums x 2 69 .81
Cucumber 159 1.87
Lettuce 39 .45
Tomatoes x 6 99 1.16
Bread 100 1.17
Sticky hooks x 4 90 1.05
Glass cleaner 280 3.29
Kit Kat 60 .70
Chewing gum 20 .23
Tic Tacs 35 .41
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