I understand not everyone has followed my story, but please, before you make harmful accusations and assumptions about individuals, you can try to fact check a little bit… I am a partner to a Kenyan citizen and it was much easier for me to relocate here than for him to Finland. I am not on a foreign contract and I pay my tax to Kenya. This is not the day to mindlessly shoot hate to wrong directions - there’s more productive ways to use your justified anger as a catalyst. I have friends on the streets. Stay safe!
Thank you so much for sharing. I love your videos and welcome all the information you share. I would like to move to Kenya and these videos really help me get a snapshot of what to look forward to.
Thanks, that’s lovely to hear! :) I think with all these videos available on RUclips one can better compare with their own lifestyle and estimate what the cost may be.
Thanks for detailed info. I remember how I used to live in Kenya quite some time ago in a village for 6 months and my monthly budget was 250 EUR, including also different trips in Kenya. Nairobi for sure is a different level of expences :)
I learn a lot from you. I've "stolen" a couple of ideas to enhance my budget and I'll definitely start thinking more about incorporating hobbies into my routine especially since I work remotely and that alone can be incredibly isolating. 100% back you on preventative healthcare.
Glad to hear that! And hobbies are the best, I also spend most of my days alone and it’s so healthy to get out there and have adult play dates haha! I’m hoping that with good nutrition I’ll be saving a ton in the future in medical fees and of course have a good quality of life meanwhile.
@@mboyamichael7618 Glad you liked it! I’ve watched a couple of peoples videos lately who live a similar lifestyle to mine and their cost of living does match. :)
You've done a great job with your finances. I am also a foreigner in Nairobi and my expenses are closer to 300k KES a month. But I am new and overspend on a number of categories whereas you get better value for your spending.
Thanks! I try my best to at least get a good value wherever I spend a lot of money and I feel good in principle apart from a few tweaks. I can see how the costs could climb to 300k with a pricier apartment and more entertainment and eating out, for example.
Apart from the high cost of housing which I find very realistic considering everything that comes with the apartment, the groceries are what I'd say you can definitely work on if you want to lower your spending. Plus, eating out. Eating out in Nairobi is not cheap. Everything else looks reasonable.
@@jerushawambui75thanks for your comment! The last couple of months I have actually worked on groceries and eating out and gotten it down bit by bit while still being happy with my diet. :)
Oh it would be so interesting to hear your thoughts on this budget and even what you think is a reasonable budget for living in different parts of Finland!
I wonder with the prices of expressway how people use it every day back and forth. Nairobi is def a costly city to maintain a certain standard and you need to pick and choose what you prioritise.
I got mine through work. There’s also the business visa that I was with here before that I was able to extend from 3 to 6 months. There’s many people who also stay with tourist visa and do visa runs when needed and then reapply.
My life is a bit different because I’m married to a Nigerian man . I only budget for myself basically . I am not responsible for the rent or water / gas / electricity or kids school fees . I also buy things for my kids , occasional activities ( their hobbies ) and clothing. I do buy petrol because we have a car and our own driver . I also pay for what I like to eat that is different from the rest of the house hold or I buy some additional groceries. Lagos is very expensive. So I don’t eat out often at all . I am still fairly new so still in the process of making friends / finding hobbies / social activities. And I budget my own income ( I have a rental property in my home country) That is also another African country. I’m originally from Cape Town, South Africa.I’m every month saving a part of my rental income so I can be able to afford at least one holiday a year in Cape Town.
@@BrendaObilor Sounds like you’re thinking smart about your money! I’ve visited Cape Town and it’s a stunning place :) Wish you success in finding your community in Lagos!
@@ainoluothank you ! I’ve only watched one video of yours so far and I’m excited to watch more ❤. Cape Town is still by far my favorite place . I’ve lived in Japan as well for many years . I’ve been in Nigeria almost a year now and not over the culture shocks yet lol .
@@ainoluothe food quality looks very good in Nairobi . I’m struggling a bit with that here . The price of lettuce is 20k naira . Same with just a tiny peace of broccoli as well as yogurt . It seems that’s about 18 dollars . But unfortunately I don’t have euros or dollars to convert , my personal income is in rand ( luckily also stronger than the naira ). But because of inflation things are expensive here more and more recently! Fuel shortages at times ( today again ) … long queues at the petrol stations today again .
I spend a lot of time on my computer, so our electric and internet bill is around 15000 KSH. Groceries are a bit higher since we cook most meals at home, so around 40k KSH. I give my wife a 20k monthly allowance for herself. Other than that, we don't spend much and our total expenses are about 100k per month. We do own our condo, without it, we would probably pay about 25k per month rent.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve done a bit of budgeting after this video and am bringing food costs down a little, both groceries and eating out. In the future I want to also move somewhere more affordable but for now I’m really loving living where I do :)
Nairobi housing prices is crazy because a lot of apartments are targeting expats and foreigners who don’t earn in Kes. There are a few apartments that don’t even accept rent in Kenyan shillings. Nairobi as a city is becoming so unbearable that people who’ve been born and raised in Nairobi are actually opting to move to affordable locations so as to get decent housing. 😢
I’m only expecting this phenomenon to continue more if the international organisations continue relocating their staff here. That unfortunately seems to be an issue in every major city across the world that aims to be an international hub and where all that business doesn’t trickle down wider to the society. 😣 This is probably mostly a policy question. I’m not sure how to best tackle this as it wasn’t a major issue in Helsinki where I worked in urban planning (maybe in some neighbourhoods when EU workers came but we had affordable subsidised housing in other areas). I don’t know what’s the best solution meanwhile, probably for local businesses to provide services also with this clientele with more spending power in mind?
Hello I’m happy to find your channel. Please consider doing a collaboration video with The Vonya Brothers. Spend some time with them and they can teach you some more Swahili. 🇰🇪
Don't FUND Any Man's Life. If A Man Is Living With You, He Need To Contribute Too. If You Are Paying Rent. He Need To Be Funding The Foods For Both Of You And Utilities Payment's
Omistaminen on ehkä yleisempää Nairobin ulkopuolella mistä ihmiset on ”oikeasti” kotoisin - siellä on tilaa rakentaa isompikin talo ja saattaa olla maata jota viljellä. :) Tällainen asunto jossa asun saattaa olla kalliimpaa ostaa kuin oman talon rakentaminen kauemmas.
For someone knowing that they’ll stay in Kenya long term and who does their research on property, tenant, etc. laws and the construction quality, for sure this is a more sensible option. For someone who may not stay and have someone trustworthy to manage the property afterwards, getting involved in a foreign and more volatile property market they know nothing about is not a move I’d recommend - I’ve heard many bad stories from people who invested here. 💸 Personally, I do not want to live on that side of the city and I have no need for 3 bedrooms - I do, on the other hand, have more need for certain things I have access to here (gym, quick and affordable access to hobbies and office without a car, and greenery, to name a few). It’s the price you pay anywhere in the world for urban convenience. Did plenty of research before moving to a place that suits me. :)
Was it not cheap to buy your own house in Nairobi to cut the cost of living? hope I'm not intruding given that nearly everything in Finland is private including matters of faith
Not intruding at all! It would definitely be a good option if I was sure I was about to stay long term. I replied someone earlier in length why I don’t think it would be smart for me rn to dabble in an unknown and more volatile property market when I’m not sure of long term plans - in the future, maybe!
@@ainoluo . Nairobi & the continent future looks bright, socio-economic transformation is taking shape. Maybe "volatile" is informed by the historical mindset.
@@paultanui.k9270 Not disagreeing with what you say about the future but volatility (maybe there’s a better word) is pretty factual if you compare interest rates, currency, how construction & infrastructure projects are conducted and finished (or not) and land disputes. I did my research and came across enough horror stories that happened to locals and foreigners alike, to only consider investing here once I have strong enough ties (and understanding of the market!). The recent floods are yet another example of factors I wouldn’t have thought to consider if I was to pick a property. At the moment I don’t even know how long I’ll stay and while spreading one’s assets around the globe can make sense, it’s not something I’d approach lightly or blindly. :) An approach I see way more often is that immigrants prefer to invest in their home market (where they know the legislation well and would have someone trustworthy to take care of the properties) and use that rental income to pay off what they spend elsewhere. In my case, home market would be Helsinki, a city for which I used to do urban planning and that has an executable city planning vision until 2050 - I’m not saying there’s no opportunities for someone like me in Nairobi, potentially there’s a lot, but many would choose a more stability seeking strategy especially if they have expertise in another geographical area. Never invest in something you don’t understand. :)
@@ainoluo Wisdom detected from an entrepreneur mind. Though it seems you're overly cautious and I've no problem with that, but what about sharing your business ideas with this guy constructing Africa tallest luxury apartment, (88 Nairobi). A Kenyan born and he understand the local market better among others
😅 for a kenyan that figure is absolutely crazy,,..your groceries and housing are expensive ..i dont understand why groceries are that expensive and the way the pricing is extremely cheap.
Not sure how to put it more clearly - collagen powder, seeds, olive oil, etc. that I count in groceries but also use as medicine to e.g. regulate my hormones are not cheap ☹️ It’s all holistic at the end - collagen (which costs 6k) could even be counted in beauty costs as it improves skin, or health costs as it helps with painful joints. Unfortunately, insurance covers medicine for said purposes but not less invasive means such as clean food that has been made inaccessible for masses by major brands 😉 Those type of things are mostly what pops the number up, although buying my vegetables and meat organic also pushes the price up to some extent. Greenspoon tries to test their products for common toxins found in the food in Kenya that are known to cause e.g. cancer and infertility and would not be allowed to European market. For housing, I know it’s way more affordable to live a bit less centrally or modern (actually have a whole video of the apartment hunting process). In the areas where I was looking, something similar to my place started from minimum 90k unfurnished and sometimes without gym so compared to that, mine was a bargain - and there were plenty of Kenyans living in those apartments. Some expat oriented places would cost double or triple that. If I stay here longer and do not need to access central areas constantly, my housing solution might look quite different in the future. :)
@@ainoluo The toxins your talking of we try as much to avoid them...we are aware of them too....that's why we prefer local markets not supermarkets for groceries in particular...for example where the product has zero blemish with perfect colors like bananas and fruits in larger size than the normal you know very well there are chemicals used...organic is easy to know them with the eyes...most Kenyans know them just by how they look because we plant them alot in our small gardens....so it gets easy to tell with the eyes...and definitely the taste... organic are always sweeter in taste
@@timothykinoti7768 Yep, Kenyans really appreciate their good and fresh produce :) And I love that the shamba culture is very much alive - unfortunately my balcony garden can’t provide me much :( The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) has some good information of where to get certified organic food - and I prefer to stick to certified as much as I can, because just assessing a product with your senses is not the most reliable method (although in the case of products that stay perfect looking for weeks one can tell there might be something going on) when even professionals need to do lab testing to make sure what we put in our mouths.
Hi @ainoluo I am a new subscriber and I would like to talk to you once. Can I get your contact/insta id. I recently got selected for equity bank in nairobi. I’m from india. I would like to know about the culture and security. I’m a single woman. I appreciate your reply.
I understand not everyone has followed my story, but please, before you make harmful accusations and assumptions about individuals, you can try to fact check a little bit… I am a partner to a Kenyan citizen and it was much easier for me to relocate here than for him to Finland. I am not on a foreign contract and I pay my tax to Kenya. This is not the day to mindlessly shoot hate to wrong directions - there’s more productive ways to use your justified anger as a catalyst. I have friends on the streets. Stay safe!
❤
Thank you so much for sharing. I love your videos and welcome all the information you share. I would like to move to Kenya and these videos really help me get a snapshot of what to look forward to.
Thanks, that’s lovely to hear! :) I think with all these videos available on RUclips one can better compare with their own lifestyle and estimate what the cost may be.
Thanks for detailed info. I remember how I used to live in Kenya quite some time ago in a village for 6 months and my monthly budget was 250 EUR, including also different trips in Kenya. Nairobi for sure is a different level of expences :)
Oh yes, living a village life would be a completely different deal! Maybe one day ☺️
I learn a lot from you. I've "stolen" a couple of ideas to enhance my budget and I'll definitely start thinking more about incorporating hobbies into my routine especially since I work remotely and that alone can be incredibly isolating. 100% back you on preventative healthcare.
Glad to hear that! And hobbies are the best, I also spend most of my days alone and it’s so healthy to get out there and have adult play dates haha! I’m hoping that with good nutrition I’ll be saving a ton in the future in medical fees and of course have a good quality of life meanwhile.
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing this
@@mboyamichael7618 Glad you liked it! I’ve watched a couple of peoples videos lately who live a similar lifestyle to mine and their cost of living does match. :)
You've done a great job with your finances. I am also a foreigner in Nairobi and my expenses are closer to 300k KES a month. But I am new and overspend on a number of categories whereas you get better value for your spending.
Thanks! I try my best to at least get a good value wherever I spend a lot of money and I feel good in principle apart from a few tweaks. I can see how the costs could climb to 300k with a pricier apartment and more entertainment and eating out, for example.
Apart from the high cost of housing which I find very realistic considering everything that comes with the apartment, the groceries are what I'd say you can definitely work on if you want to lower your spending. Plus, eating out. Eating out in Nairobi is not cheap. Everything else looks reasonable.
@@jerushawambui75thanks for your comment! The last couple of months I have actually worked on groceries and eating out and gotten it down bit by bit while still being happy with my diet. :)
Thank you for the quality information
Kenyan living in Finland here :). I can totally relate!
Oh it would be so interesting to hear your thoughts on this budget and even what you think is a reasonable budget for living in different parts of Finland!
waahh ukiwa na pesa hii Nairobi life is very nice. Good for you. I've never even been on things like the expressway 😂😂
I wonder with the prices of expressway how people use it every day back and forth. Nairobi is def a costly city to maintain a certain standard and you need to pick and choose what you prioritise.
You earned yourself a new follower from NRB
@@EdywyneRacing karibu to the channel! ☺️
Great video !.. Thanks for the useful information....How about getting a long term Visa for Kenya? .. I am from Denmark
I got mine through work. There’s also the business visa that I was with here before that I was able to extend from 3 to 6 months. There’s many people who also stay with tourist visa and do visa runs when needed and then reapply.
New subbie ! I enjoyed this video. I’m not residing in Nairobi , but in Lagos Nigeria .
Welcome! Do you think a similar lifestyle in Lagos would be more or less expensive?
My life is a bit different because I’m married to a Nigerian man . I only budget for myself basically . I am not responsible for the rent or water / gas / electricity or kids school fees . I also buy things for my kids , occasional activities ( their hobbies ) and clothing.
I do buy petrol because we have a car and our own driver . I also pay for what I like to eat that is different from the rest of the house hold or I buy some additional groceries.
Lagos is very expensive. So I don’t eat out often at all . I am still fairly new so still in the process of making friends / finding hobbies / social activities. And I budget my own income ( I have a rental property in my home country) That is also another African country. I’m originally from Cape Town, South Africa.I’m every month saving a part of my rental income so I can be able to afford at least one holiday a year in Cape Town.
@@BrendaObilor Sounds like you’re thinking smart about your money! I’ve visited Cape Town and it’s a stunning place :) Wish you success in finding your community in Lagos!
@@ainoluothank you ! I’ve only watched one video of yours so far and I’m excited to watch more ❤. Cape Town is still by far my favorite place . I’ve lived in Japan as well for many years . I’ve been in Nigeria almost a year now and not over the culture shocks yet lol .
@@ainoluothe food quality looks very good in Nairobi . I’m struggling a bit with that here . The price of lettuce is 20k naira . Same with just a tiny peace of broccoli as well as yogurt . It seems that’s about 18 dollars . But unfortunately I don’t have euros or dollars to convert , my personal income is in rand ( luckily also stronger than the naira ). But because of inflation things are expensive here more and more recently! Fuel shortages at times ( today again ) … long queues at the petrol stations today again .
I spend a lot of time on my computer, so our electric and internet bill is around 15000 KSH. Groceries are a bit higher since we cook most meals at home, so around 40k KSH. I give my wife a 20k monthly allowance for herself. Other than that, we don't spend much and our total expenses are about 100k per month. We do own our condo, without it, we would probably pay about 25k per month rent.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve done a bit of budgeting after this video and am bringing food costs down a little, both groceries and eating out. In the future I want to also move somewhere more affordable but for now I’m really loving living where I do :)
Nairobi housing prices is crazy because a lot of apartments are targeting expats and foreigners who don’t earn in Kes. There are a few apartments that don’t even accept rent in Kenyan shillings. Nairobi as a city is becoming so unbearable that people who’ve been born and raised in Nairobi are actually opting to move to affordable locations so as to get decent housing. 😢
I’m only expecting this phenomenon to continue more if the international organisations continue relocating their staff here. That unfortunately seems to be an issue in every major city across the world that aims to be an international hub and where all that business doesn’t trickle down wider to the society. 😣
This is probably mostly a policy question. I’m not sure how to best tackle this as it wasn’t a major issue in Helsinki where I worked in urban planning (maybe in some neighbourhoods when EU workers came but we had affordable subsidised housing in other areas). I don’t know what’s the best solution meanwhile, probably for local businesses to provide services also with this clientele with more spending power in mind?
Wow can't rent a room in Florida for 500 us dollars a month!! That price is nice!
Yup, in Helsinki that money would get you a room but nothing like this
Nice video thank you ❤
@@keirobangs6666 Thanks for being here to watch 🙏🏻
@@ainoluo ❤️🙏
Hello I’m happy to find your channel. Please consider doing a collaboration video with The Vonya Brothers. Spend some time with them and they can teach you some more Swahili. 🇰🇪
Karibu! ☺️ Ooh that could be a fun idea!
New subscriber. I’m ready to get back to Kenya soon. Nice videos 🫶🏾
Thank you so much! :) welcome back, karibu! 🇰🇪
The show is nice..what part of Nairobi do you live in
Great ❤
The way you say 360 bob makes me believe that you are indeed kenyan
Picking up more the longer I stay :)
Don't FUND Any Man's Life. If A Man Is Living With You, He Need To Contribute Too. If You Are Paying Rent. He Need To Be Funding The Foods For Both Of You And Utilities Payment's
You can spot a cultured woman from a far
attractive Husky voice. Really nice breakdown.
Husky???
Onko siellä tyypillisempää asuntoa vuokra- vai omistusasunnossa? (Varmaan vaihtelee tulotason mukaan, mutta jos miettii korkeakoulutettuja?)
Omistaminen on ehkä yleisempää Nairobin ulkopuolella mistä ihmiset on ”oikeasti” kotoisin - siellä on tilaa rakentaa isompikin talo ja saattaa olla maata jota viljellä. :) Tällainen asunto jossa asun saattaa olla kalliimpaa ostaa kuin oman talon rakentaminen kauemmas.
@@ainoluo I would only rather buy a house if I will live there permanently.
How much is the peanut butter and jelly and usd ?
750 grams for USD 7.69. This one has been tested for aflatoxins which are a common cause of cause liver cancer in developing countries.
@77k please buy a house in kilimani and pay the same amount for mortgages
You can get a house at nyayo Estate @10m 3bed do your research
For someone knowing that they’ll stay in Kenya long term and who does their research on property, tenant, etc. laws and the construction quality, for sure this is a more sensible option. For someone who may not stay and have someone trustworthy to manage the property afterwards, getting involved in a foreign and more volatile property market they know nothing about is not a move I’d recommend - I’ve heard many bad stories from people who invested here. 💸
Personally, I do not want to live on that side of the city and I have no need for 3 bedrooms - I do, on the other hand, have more need for certain things I have access to here (gym, quick and affordable access to hobbies and office without a car, and greenery, to name a few). It’s the price you pay anywhere in the world for urban convenience. Did plenty of research before moving to a place that suits me. :)
Sure
Please don’t be that guy who urges people to buy a house when you hear what they pay for rent. It’s very annoying
Daannnngggg!!!
hi Aino, is the income tax really as high as it says online?
Yep, the income tax is high, I think the highest bracket goes up to 35 %
@@ainoluo thank you
@@ainoluo It's actually higher than 35 if you include the deductions like housing levy and SHIF
Was it not cheap to buy your own house in Nairobi to cut the cost of living? hope I'm not intruding given that nearly everything in Finland is private including matters of faith
Not intruding at all! It would definitely be a good option if I was sure I was about to stay long term. I replied someone earlier in length why I don’t think it would be smart for me rn to dabble in an unknown and more volatile property market when I’m not sure of long term plans - in the future, maybe!
@@ainoluo . Nairobi & the continent future looks bright, socio-economic transformation is taking shape. Maybe "volatile" is informed by the historical mindset.
@@paultanui.k9270 Not disagreeing with what you say about the future but volatility (maybe there’s a better word) is pretty factual if you compare interest rates, currency, how construction & infrastructure projects are conducted and finished (or not) and land disputes.
I did my research and came across enough horror stories that happened to locals and foreigners alike, to only consider investing here once I have strong enough ties (and understanding of the market!). The recent floods are yet another example of factors I wouldn’t have thought to consider if I was to pick a property. At the moment I don’t even know how long I’ll stay and while spreading one’s assets around the globe can make sense, it’s not something I’d approach lightly or blindly. :)
An approach I see way more often is that immigrants prefer to invest in their home market (where they know the legislation well and would have someone trustworthy to take care of the properties) and use that rental income to pay off what they spend elsewhere.
In my case, home market would be Helsinki, a city for which I used to do urban planning and that has an executable city planning vision until 2050 - I’m not saying there’s no opportunities for someone like me in Nairobi, potentially there’s a lot, but many would choose a more stability seeking strategy especially if they have expertise in another geographical area. Never invest in something you don’t understand. :)
@@ainoluo Wisdom detected from an entrepreneur mind. Though it seems you're overly cautious and I've no problem with that, but what about sharing your business ideas with this guy constructing Africa tallest luxury apartment, (88 Nairobi). A Kenyan born and he understand the local market better among others
What! You're double taxed. That sucks! 😢
Not my income luckily! There’s just a lot of taxes in Finland that are hard to escape…
😅 for a kenyan that figure is absolutely crazy,,..your groceries and housing are expensive ..i dont understand why groceries are that expensive and the way the pricing is extremely cheap.
Not sure how to put it more clearly - collagen powder, seeds, olive oil, etc. that I count in groceries but also use as medicine to e.g. regulate my hormones are not cheap ☹️ It’s all holistic at the end - collagen (which costs 6k) could even be counted in beauty costs as it improves skin, or health costs as it helps with painful joints. Unfortunately, insurance covers medicine for said purposes but not less invasive means such as clean food that has been made inaccessible for masses by major brands 😉
Those type of things are mostly what pops the number up, although buying my vegetables and meat organic also pushes the price up to some extent. Greenspoon tries to test their products for common toxins found in the food in Kenya that are known to cause e.g. cancer and infertility and would not be allowed to European market.
For housing, I know it’s way more affordable to live a bit less centrally or modern (actually have a whole video of the apartment hunting process). In the areas where I was looking, something similar to my place started from minimum 90k unfurnished and sometimes without gym so compared to that, mine was a bargain - and there were plenty of Kenyans living in those apartments. Some expat oriented places would cost double or triple that. If I stay here longer and do not need to access central areas constantly, my housing solution might look quite different in the future. :)
@@ainoluo The toxins your talking of we try as much to avoid them...we are aware of them too....that's why we prefer local markets not supermarkets for groceries in particular...for example where the product has zero blemish with perfect colors like bananas and fruits in larger size than the normal you know very well there are chemicals used...organic is easy to know them with the eyes...most Kenyans know them just by how they look because we plant them alot in our small gardens....so it gets easy to tell with the eyes...and definitely the taste... organic are always sweeter in taste
@@timothykinoti7768 Yep, Kenyans really appreciate their good and fresh produce :) And I love that the shamba culture is very much alive - unfortunately my balcony garden can’t provide me much :(
The Kenya Organic Agriculture Network (KOAN) has some good information of where to get certified organic food - and I prefer to stick to certified as much as I can, because just assessing a product with your senses is not the most reliable method (although in the case of products that stay perfect looking for weeks one can tell there might be something going on) when even professionals need to do lab testing to make sure what we put in our mouths.
You’re only 31?! I thought you were way more matured in age than that.
Бабушка молодая
Hi @ainoluo I am a new subscriber and I would like to talk to you once. Can I get your contact/insta id. I recently got selected for equity bank in nairobi. I’m from india. I would like to know about the culture and security. I’m a single woman. I appreciate your reply.