Finding expat housing Nairobi – how to find your Nairobi expat home

I get on average 5 messages a week from people moving to Nairobi who are desperate to know about life here. How will I make friends? Is it safe? How do you find expat housing Nairobi?

Moving country is overwhelming. Nairobi is overwhelming. Moving is all finding good international schools, a safe area, a decent doctors. Expat relocation is worrying about medical insurance, how much it costs to live in Kenya, and how to make friends, and if you are damaging your children for life or offering them an extraordinary adventure Moving to Kenya is about navigating a country that make take you outside your comfort zone.

Finding your dream expat house in Nairobi is a priority for most of the people I speak to. I totally understand, until we know where out safe place will be it feels hard to deal with the emotional side of transitioning country. The underlying worry of whether we will be happy in our new city simmers away unregarded. How can we know what it will be like living in Nairobi? How can can we find an expat home that will sooth our soul?

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What is important to you?

Before you choose your house you need to consider what is important to you, what will you need to make your life in Nairobi most comfortable and what can you afford:

1. Do you have kids ? You will need to be close to their school
2. Where do you work? You will need to be a reasonable distance from work.
3. Do you want to be close to shops, gyms, cinema’s and restaurants
4. What do you like doing? Do you want to be close to safari and wildlife or shops and bars?
5. What is your budget?

The traffic is all consuming in the city centre and it can take a very long time to get from one destination to another. You should plan to be near both work and school (if you have children) as a priority.

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How much does expat housing in Nairobi cost?

You can find a full expat guide to the cost of living in Nairobi here. Where you live dictates how much you will spend on your expat house. A sample breakdown of costs in the Karen area is below.

• Large 4/5 bed house with security, garden, and possibly a pool 350,000 /USD 3,500 pcm
• Medium 2/3 bed house Karen area with garden 200,000 / USD 2,000 pcm
• Apartment (1 bedroom) Karen, Gigiri, Runda area:  70,000 / USD 700 pcm
• Apartment (1 bedroom) Westlands, Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Lavington 90,000 / USD 800 pcm
• Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre 200,000 / USD 2,000 pcm
• Apartment (3 bedrooms) Karen area 150,000 / USD 1,500 pcm

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Expatriate communities in Nairobi?

Kenya is Africa in all its wild and wonderful beauty. Kenya is exotic, chaotic and extreme, and so different from life in London or America that people naturally drift towards each other. In Nairobi, there are areas where expats cluster, partly driven by the types of schools – expats often favour schools that have British or American curriculums. And partly created by a contrast in salaries, as expats tend to be paid a higher salary that the majority of Kenyans. Higher salaries mean expats can afford to live in areas with bigger houses, access to outside space and more facilities. In Nairobi, it’s easy to live in an expat bubble and pretend you aren’t in Africa at all.   Such a lot is lost by refusal to integrate with locals or to leave your safe little zoning. But that is a story for a whole other blog.

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Living in Nairobi would possibly be happier if we immersed ourselves completely with the local culture and people. However, as an expat sometimes you want someone from home.  You want someone that grew up with the same TV programs. Someone that understands your cultures ‘unique’ sense of humour. Someone that appreciates the value of a good pork pie and a pint of ale. 

Kinship is the main reason expat community’s form. When the environment is alien and we are out of our comfort zone, we seek out like-minded people. We look for comfort in the familiar.

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Finding my expat housing Nairobi – expat enclosures and areas

Living in Nairobi you need first to choose where you want to live and take the friendships from there. The traffic in town means that moving from one hub to another also means a lot of time spent in traffic jams. Because of this people tend to stay in their locale, so the area you choose to live will dictate your friendships. Invariably the expat communities are small, so a lot of friendships are made with neighbours,  at school or down the gym.  Expats in Nairobi are welcoming and inviting, and they all know each other. Expect a flurry of invitations to parties and suppers and take advantage of this hospitality.  

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Where do Expats live in Nairobi?

Where you choose to live in Nairobi is a matter of how much money you have and what your personal preferences in terms of school and lifestyle are.

Karen & Langata

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Karen and Langata border Nairobi National Park and are located on the outskirts of Nairobi.  This is a rural, leafy, place to live with little crime, lots of big Nairobi expat houses and good restaurants. The area is home to very good international schools; The Banda School, Hillcrest and Brookhouse are all within a 5 sq. Km block. Karen has some of the best restaurants in town and safari right on our doorstep.  I live in Karen and this website has lots of information on this area.

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Runda

Runda has a higher proportion of American residents. This is due to the many embassies within the area. Runda also houses the UN complex and the excellent American school, ISK. Runda is a rural area, which is close to Karura forest but also close to good restaurants, shops and bars in nearby Gigiri. Runda is a favourite among expats with children owing to the large modern Nairobi expat housing with big gardens and the excellent schools and preschools.

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Kilimani

Kilimani is a large residential neighbourhood about a 15 minutes from Westlands. It has some good restaurants: Mama Rocks, Connect Coffee Roasters and some large malls: Yaya Centre and Adlife park but its very busy, bustling and traffic filled. It’s also home to Nairobi Arboreteum. It’s mostly apartment living and you can find slightly more affordable housing here than elsewhere.

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Kileleshwa

Tucked between Lavington and Kilimani the traffic isn’t as crazy as Kilimani and you have the advantages of all the Lavington and Kilimani shopping malls. It is close to Braeburn school and just 10 minutes to the CBD or Westlands. Kilimani is mostly apartment living but if you choose right you can pick a place near to the State House gardens with lots of trees and greenery. The Kasuku centre is very popular with lots of outlets and things to do,

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Muthaiga & Gigiri

Muthiaga is known as the Beverley Hills of Nairobi. This is where Kenya’s elite live. Wealthy Kenyans and well-paid expats live in gated communities with 24-hour patrols. It’s safe, clean and close to good schools. There are no bars or restaurants within Muthiaga but nearby Gigiri has a busy food and drink scene. It’s also home to the famed Muthaiga club.  A great place to live, if you can afford it!

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Westlands

Situated close to the CBD, Westlands is a vibrant buzzing area with trendy bars, restaurants and shopping malls. You will struggle to find an expat house with a garden in Westlands, so if that is a requirement then head to Spring Valley. Spring Valley is a quieter area within Westlands where you will find large family style homes.  The International school Braeburn Lavington is situated nearby.   The school coupled with its proximity to nightlife makes it an attractive option for people with and without kids

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Lavington

I always think o Lavington as a halfway house, it’s still within the city but close enough to the outskirts that it’s not a four hour trek to see a giraffe. There are some great schools in Lavington (Braeburn, St Marys, St Austins) which makes it desirable. Large detached houses on big plots make it feel less crowded and city like, and so it has become favorite with expats living in Nairobi. Couple of big malls( Lavington Curve Mall and Lavington Mall) make it a good bet for those who want to be out and about but not confined to a flat. There are some good restaurants too: The Arbor (sweet outside area and small shopping stalls) and Tokyo Japanese. As with all these expat areas in Nairobi, the prices reflect the desirability.

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There are a number of reputable estate agents in Nairobi. The best for the Karen area by far is Peponi and Co. who specialise in Nairobi expat housing and will spend time showing you the area and matching you with a house that meets your needs.

Elsewhere in the city I recommend Karengata, Langata Link, Knight Frank and Pam Golding. Collaboration sites such as Property24 and Findaproperty.com are often hopelessly outdated with many of the houses on there no longer available.

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Tips on finding Nairobi Expat Housing

1. Figure out where your place or work is going to be 
2. If you have kids, pick a school nearby.  Remember TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC
3. Pick an area to live in that is close to both school and work
4. Find a good estate agent – a good agent should know your area inside out and not only be able to show you houses in your chosen area but be able to point out local schools, shops, gyms etc.
5. Pick a house that is easily within budget.

Household bills can mount up and increase unexpectedly.  We had 6 months of 100 dollar electricity bills and then two months where for no reason at all the electricity was 600 dollars.  Make sure you have enough in your budget to accommodate this.

Consider that in addition to the usual utilities such as electric, water, gas bottle and sewerage, you may need to pay for a security guard (askari), gardener and house help.   You may not be used to the additional help, but in Kenya with larger properties and gardens it is the norm.  It also provides a source of income for Kenyans who are looking for work in expat homes.  Please, see my guide on payment and pay a fair salary. 

Renting a home in Nairobi

You will probably be expected to comply with the following:

• 2 months rental upfront as security deposit
• Contractual obligation to paint all the walls in the house on departure. Check how far this goes, some landlords make unrealistic demands such as painting burglar bars, gates etc.
• You may be asked to keep on a member of staff i.e.: the gardener.  You are under no obligation to do so but will often work in your favour to have someone that knows the house.

Note: you can negotiate both your rent and items into your rent.  We have had DSTV, WIFI, staff salary all included within our monthly rental. 

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