Housing
Bills/cost of living - electricity is scary expensive. I have a 3 bedroom flat and we are very careful about turning off our water pump (that's another topic) and all lights not being used. I invested in the energy saving lightbulbs, etc. We have a small fridge and a gas cooker. My average monthly electricity bill is about $50.00US. That might not sound like a lot but we're very careful. We used to be at $100.00US a month... So we've gotten better. The scary part is that the monthly bill takes into account the mandatory rationing. Every day in the newspapers there's a list of communities that will not have power the next day from 8AM-6PM. So you have to watch that. You're going to need a very good UPS for your computers and then you'll also probably need an inverter so your fridge, etc. keeps running without power. Most nicer homes come with a genny but you must ask about this before you sign a lease. You may well end up buying one. If you buy anything Chinese, it's crap. So you'll spend a good 100,000KES (76US:1KES right now) on a good Honda genny. Electricity is complicated and you should be prepared. Absolutely invest in on-demand shower heads and don't use the big hot water tank(s) in your flat or house. They'll just run up your bills. The on-demands work good and you can buy them for about 3,000KES and then have installed for another 2,000KES each. All electricial appliances, TV's, etc. have to be on "fridge guards" to protect against surges and those are pricey as well...about 5,000KES I think...can't remember. Appliances are expensive. I'm looking for a new fridge and a regular sized fridge (like you'd buy in the states) from LG (a huge brand here) is about 60,000KES - or more than...andit's not HUGE. It's not a Sub-Zeroish model.
Water is cheap but it doesn't come every day. There's rationing for that as well most of the year. And even when it's not being rationed, like now, it just doesn't come through the pipes (like now). So that means that you have a ground floor tank or tanks that fills when water is flowing and that you have to constantly check that to make sure the system doesn't go dry as you pump the water up into the attic space for the house/apartment. I've learned how to release an airlock on my water pump, etc. so it's all very exciting indeed. Our monthly water bill is only 200KES but I think that there's something really wrong with that. Your monthly water bill should be about 8,000KES or higher in a big house with kids, etc. You have to really be diligent about water use as there's always a state of drought somewhere in Kenya (like living in So Cal for me). Water isn't safe to drink straight from taps. And the water in the shower isn't so great. So learn to live with a bad belly for quite some time. My system seems to be coping better but we all de-worm and de-amoeba once a month with cheap pills from the pharmacy. I bought a countertop water filtration thing for about 4,000KES and that seems to do well. Some people have reverse osmosis systems, etc. that are sold here so you can always do that. Kenyans drink the water and are often sick with a "bad stomach". Whenever you say that, people immediately understand what you're saying.
If you rent a house, take the house rent (about 150,000KES for something nice at a minimum) and double that. The other 150,000KES will cover the repairs, security (day and night) and house help that will come with it. Most people with houses have cooks, housekeepers, gardeners, drivers, etc. Just really depends on the lifestyle you want to live. I guess part of the perk of living here is that it allows for "staff". You really need to find people you trust and that means asking friends for referrals for every staff you hire. I think a good salary for a housekeeper that cooks meals is between 10,000KEs and 15,000KES per month. A driver will make about 20,000KES per month and your gardener will make about 10,000KES per month. (Yes I tend to pay more but I think $150.00 per month for working days a week is fair...others will strongly disagree.) Add a nanny, etc. and your budget just grows. Kenya has pretty tight labor laws so you need to have a proper contract, schedule, etc. and get everyone to sign every month for pay, etc. Kenyan employees always ask for advances and you have to decide your policy about that and loads of other stuff quickly... You will be asked to help pay for school fees, hospital bills, etc. and are expected to contribute...it's part of the gig here. Anyone who ever asks for a loan is really asking for money you'll never see again. I'm not being nasty - that's how it is. So if you "loan" someone 50,000KES for something, call it a gift and move on. Chances of you seeing it again are very slim...even with house staff.
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Shopping - Nakumatt is the largest food/houseware store here - something like a bizarre Wal-Mart. You can get quite a good selection of groceries and fruit and veg are always sold either on the side of the road, in Nakumatt, or at cheeky expensive fruit and veg stores. The thing to remember is service. You can start a relationship with the fruit/veg woman selling in your community and she will happily deliver a daily, weekly, etc. assortment that you agree on. Make sure you ask a local what to pay for fruit, veg, etc. so that you're not totally ripped off (this goes for everything). The local women will really benefit if you can buy from them obviously...and it's much cheaper. The best fruit and veg comes out of the slums where it's deposited to people who pack it up and sell it on the road, etc...so that's where your money will go back to if you do it right.
Clothes are a challenge. There are certainly new clothes to buy and plenty of tailors to sew so that's good. Kenya is the world's largest second hand (matumba) clothing market so there's a massive system for that and it's good. Shoes are okay - not great. I have a shoe thing so I brought lots and tend to buy when I go home, etc. Lingerie - buy it all at home and bring it with you. Patterns - buy them at home if you like specific things and bring them here and you can find people to sew whatever you like. You'll have to learn about the "hidden boutiques" that are all over...can save you loads and you can get nice stuff.
Cars - loads of used cars here for sale. You have to be careful about documentation, etc. but you can buy here or order from overseas. I have a very old Land Rover and lots of expats drive 4WD's of some sort. Up to you. Cars are expensive and they get totally screwed up on the roads here so buying a brand new car is nuts to me. A driver is a good idea unless you're comfortable with driving on the other side, etc. that freaks some expats out. Also have to be very aggressive. Police are corrupt and will pull you over at checkpoints for the hell of it. Always carry your international driver's license (you must get one at AAA before arriving or you can get here) and you always, always must wear your seatbelts and NEVER talk on the phone while driving. There's a trick to dealing with police here and you'll manage quickly.
Furniture - really horrible, ugly stuff for the most part unless you can afford the very nice, high-end stuff on Mombasa road (furniture row really). You can get anything made from a picture but the quality is up and down. Fabric is expensive. Wood furniture is made to order but you must be very selective about who is making it. (I have a great guy for that if you ever decide to have something made...)
More later.
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