KE flag
Nairobi

Kenya

vs
KE flag
Thika

Kenya

Climate

Nairobi logs 250 sunny days a year to Thika's 256 — Thika wins by 6. Nairobi also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 3.

NairobiThika
Sunny days
250256
Hot days
10
Frost days
00
Rainy days
110155
Outdoor dinner months
3/120/12
Avg wind
2.7 m/s2.1 m/s
Sunshine hours
2,6802,630
Darkest month sun
138 hrs/mo123 hrs/mo
UV peak month
12.212.5

Nairobi

Feels-like °C

24
26
25
24
24
23
21
22
23
23
23
24

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Thika

Feels-like °C

23
25
24
23
23
22
20
21
22
23
22
23

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Nairobi averages $1,546/mo for balanced living; Thika has no cost baseline yet.

Nairobi

$1,546

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,126Comfort $2,572
Top 100%in Among 11 Africa cities

Thika

monthly · balanced

Mobility

Nairobi scores 1.8 on mobility (0–5 scale); Thika has no mobility baseline.

1.8/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
MotorbikeFlightsAirport

Culture

Nairobi's culture score of 2.9 sits well above Thika's 0.0.

2.9/5
vs
0.0/5
NairobiThika
HistoryNightlife
Nairobi leads

Nature & Outdoors

Nairobi scores 3.7 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Thika has no nature & outdoors baseline.

3.7/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
MountainsForestGreen AreasRunningHikingCamping

Safety

Nairobi scores 1.2 on safety (0–5 scale); Thika has no safety baseline.

1.2/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadFlooding

Career

Nairobi scores 3.8 on career (0–5 scale); Thika has no career baseline.

3.8/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Nairobi scores 3.9 on social & community (0–5 scale); Thika has no social & community baseline.

3.9/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereLocal-First CommunityAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Nairobi scores 3.2 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Thika has no food & dining baseline.

3.2/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
RestaurantsBrunchDelivery

Family

Nairobi scores 2.6 on family (0–5 scale); Thika has no family baseline.

2.6/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesGroceriesYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

Nairobi scores 2.7 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Thika has no healthcare baseline.

2.7/5
vs
/5
NairobiThika
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Nairobi averages 19.0 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Thika's 23.0 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) — Nairobi breathes ~18% cleaner air (4.1 µg/m³ lower).

Nairobi

Thika

19.0µg/m³
23.0µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Sensitive Groups
Sensitive Groups

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Nairobi (6.6M) and Thika (125K) are 53x in population — Nairobi is the larger metro, Thika the smaller; on land area Nairobi spans roughly 18x more ground.

31x

Nairobi is roughly 31x the scale of Thika

Combined population & area comparison

KE flagNairobi
31x
KE flagThika
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.KE flagNairobi6.6M53x
2.KE flagThika125K1x
Area
1.KE flagNairobi598 km²18x
2.KE flagThika34 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
47 km28 km

KE flagNairobi

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
11 km7.2 km

KE flagThika

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Nairobi vs Thika

Which is cheaper, Nairobi or Thika?
Nairobi has an estimated monthly cost of $1,546.
How does the climate compare between Nairobi and Thika?
Sunny days: 250 vs 256 d — Similar Annual sunshine: 2,680 vs 2,630 hrs — Similar Winter sunshine: 138 vs 123 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 1 vs 0 d — Similar Frost days: 0 vs 0 d — Similar Rainy days: 110 vs 155 d — Nairobi lower
Is Nairobi or Thika safer?
Nairobi has a safety score of 1.2/5.
Should I move to Nairobi or Thika?
Nairobi and Thika are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Nairobi and Thika stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

10 minutes, no account needed