Kenya is a beautiful country, which has everything you need for a wonderful trip. Prepare for insane safaris, beautiful mountains, a stunning coastline and an impressive culture. To afford all these fun activities, of course you want to know how expensive Kenya is. Are you curious about what you will spend approximately in Kenya? In this article we answer all your questions about the budget in Kenya.
We traveled in Kenya for 3.5 weeks in 2025. All our expenses are based on 2 people.
Content of this blog:
What currency is used in Kenya?
In Kenya, payment is made with the Kenyan Shilling (KES). To make it easy, we have already converted everything to euros in this article. We’ll take you through the budget for Kenya below. Costs are broken down into activities, accommodation, transportation, food and beverages and other. This is all based on two people. At the bottom of this article you will find a handy chart of common expenses in Kenya.
The exchange rate averages around 150 KES for €1. This is the exchange rate we have also used in this table, but always check the current exchange rate online.
| Kenyan Shilling | Euro |
| 50 Kes | €0,33 |
| 100 Kes | €0,67 |
| 500 Kes | €3,34 |
| 1,000 Kes | €6,68 |
Cost of accommodation in Kenya
We always try to spend as little money as possible on accommodation. Since this is often just the place where you sleep and barely spend any other time, we don’t mind a bit of simple sleeping. In Kenya, we only had 2 criteria: it must be clean and there must be a good host to help us book activities and public transportation.
For a simple double room, you will pay between €15 and €40 per night in most places on Booking.com. When it’s high season in Kenya, during the Great Migration in July and August, prices do rise slightly, but not hugely. Only Lake Naivasha is a lot more expensive in terms of accommodations than the rest of the country, due to limited supply. Therefore, book on time to assure yourself of the best accommodations in Kenya.
In Kenya, we collectively spent an average of €37 per night on accommodations. So less than €20 per person. This is a good average for a couple in Kenya, who don’t have too many demands for accommodation. Do you occasionally want to stay in some nicer and more luxurious lodges? You can make it as crazy as you want, but for your budget in Kenya keep in mind about €80 – €200 per night for really nice lodges.
Costs for activities in Kenya
When asked, “how expensive is Kenya?”, activities are always the biggest expense in your budget for Kenya. Safaris are pretty pricey, but of course they are also a once in a lifetime experience. Activities in Kenya are always shown in U.S. dollars instead of Kenya Shillings. Therefore, to keep it clear, we also share the price in dollars below.
Some activities in Kenya that you spend (quite a bit of) money on:
| Activity | Price in US dollars |
| Jeep + guide for safaris | $200 (you can share this with other travelers) |
| Entrance to the national parks (safari) | $60 – $200 per person |
| Entrance to Hell’s Gate National Park | $26 per person |
| Motorcycle safari in Amboseli | $40 per person |
| Walking tour in Nairobi | $25 – $40 per person |
| Hot air balloon over Maasai Mara or Amboseli | $450 per person |
On average, we spent almost €70 per day (with 2 people) on activities. This includes 4 times safari and all entrance fees. With 3.5 weeks Kenya this is a total of €1,600. A big expense in your budget Kenya so.
Cost of food and drink in Kenya
Kenya has an excellent local cuisine with lots of fresh vegetables and legumes. However, if you want to eat at a nice restaurant you will see very little of the local cuisine because many tourists still like to eat western food (pasta, pizza, burgers etc). You will see a lot of this in the restaurants in Kenya.
On average we spent €45 per day (for 2 people) for food and drinks in Kenya. In Amboseli and Tsavo we did a lot of simpler eating and cooking ourselves because we were in a super local place with no restaurants, that also cut the costs tremendously. Keep in mind that for dinner in a normal restaurant you will spend an average of €10 for a main course and just under €3 for a half liter of Tusker beer.
Cost of public transportation in Kenya
Public transportation in Kenya is incredibly cheap. Kenya has matatu (minivans) that take you everywhere. For 3 hours in the matatu you spend about €4 per person. Always ask in advance at your accommodation what the price is for a route because the driver of the matatu sometimes wants to double the price for an ignorant tourist. For storing your luggage you often pay +/- €1 extra.
The train in Kenya is a lot more expensive. The train runs from Nairobi, through Tsavo, to Mombassa (the coast), among other places. For this entire 6-hour journey you pay €30 in first class and €10 in second class. We traveled both first and second class. If you have the money we would still recommend first class because it is a lot more comfortable for such a long ride.
How expensive is car rental in Kenya?
The cost of renting a car in Kenya varies tremendously. For a small car you will spend €20 – €50 per day, for a 4X4 around €80 and for a 4X4 with rooftop tent you should think about €120 per day. So this depends entirely on your own preference.
We always recommend renting a car from Sunnycars. You are fully insured when you rent a car through this link. You can clearly see what the costs are, where to pick up the car and you can rest assured that all insurances are taken care of. So you never have to take out extra insurance on the spot. Read everything you need to know about renting a car in Kenya in this article.
How do you pay in Kenya?
In Kenya, you can pay with your debit card, credit card or debit card in most places. We always use our debit
It is also smart to carry cash with you. You will need this for public transportation, in some simple restaurants and small roadside stores. In all major cities you will find ATMs where you can withdraw cash. Even at an ATM, we always use our Wise bank account because it allows you to withdraw money without additional fees.
Finally, there is also a bank account on your phone that everyone in Kenya uses, this is called M-Pesa. In short, you can easily pay with this, in restaurants and stores, and transfer money to locals. If you want to book a train ticket online, you can only pay for it with M-Pesa. M-Pesa is linked to Safaricom’s SIM card, which you can buy directly at the Nairobi airport. How exactly M-Pesa works, how to put money on it and all the information can be found in this article: M-Pesa and sim card in Kenya.
Average daily budget for Kenya
After 3.5 weeks in Kenya, we arrive at a daily budget of €92 per person. This does not include the flight to and from Kenya. This was not too bad for us. We had set a budget for Kenya of €200 per day (with 2 persons). We were well below this.
We did actually backpack in Kenya. We traveled by public transportation, which already saves a lot on your daily budget Kenya when you rent your own car.
Cost summary budget Kenya
To help determine your budget properly, we have written down below the common costs of your trip through Kenya. This will make it easier for you to set your budget for Kenya.
| Kenya | |
| Overnight | Average cost |
| Simple double room | € 20 – 40 |
| More luxurious double room | € 40 – 70 |
| Beautiful lodges near national parks | € 80 – 200 |
| Food and drink | |
| Bottle of water at the supermarket | € 1 |
| Local meal | € 3 |
| Western meal | € 10 |
| Soft Drink | € 2 |
| Coffee | € 2 |
| Transportation | |
| Matatu (minivan) of 4 hours | € 5 |
| 6-hour train ride in 1st class | € 30 |
| 10-minute cab ride with Uber | € 2 |
| Activities | |
| Maasai Mara high season entrance fee | $ 200 |
| Mount Longonot hike (entrance) | $ 26 |
| Jeep and guide for one day safari | $ 200 |
Want to know about all the cool activities in Kenya? Then navigate to our articles via the blogs below or check out
