I'll be traveling to Kisumu and Lake Victoria this weekend, so I won't really have a chance to write. I have been meaning to write this blog for a long time, but have been so busy with school, soccer and life that I haven't gotten around to it. As my Swahili gets better, my English is getting worse, so spare me from grammar corrections. So here it goes...
Things that are less expensive in Kenya:
On a whole, everything is much less expensive here. The quality of most goods, though, are pretty poor and almost everything is "Made in China." But here's a nice little list for all who are curious.
1.) Rent: If I were living in the bush or the slums, there would be no rent whatsoever, but living in an apartment, I pay very little- about 150 a month. Thinking back, though, I remember in Pittsburgh, Corey and Larry paid some ridiculously low fee (was it 250 a month?) I guess it is all relative. After living in NYC and DC, this rent is a miracle.
2.) Swahili Restaurants: Eating out is cheap at Swahili restaurants. I bought chicken, rice, and a soda for about 2 dollars tonight. Somosas (see Chakula post) are about 30 cents each. You could easily eat a satisfying meal for about 3 bucks. If you aren't accustomed to the food, though, you pay for it that night in the form of a gastrointestinal loan to the porcelain.
3.) Local produce: Oranges are about 3 for ten cents, mangoes are twenty cents a piece. Peppers, onions, and carrots are a little over a buck for a kilo. A kilo is a massive amount of vegetables. I usually by all my produce for about a buck or 1.50 a week.
4.) Taxi service/buses: To take a tuk-tuk to anywhere around town in the daytime is about 60 cents a ride. To the next town is about 2 bucks. If you ride a matatu down to mombassa, its about 4 bucks-- the equivalent to traveling 1.5 hours in a car. Can't beat it.
5.) Mobile phone service: I guess this depends on how much you call people. The start-up fees are close to nil-- about 3 bucks, and there are no contracts or obligations. Then, you just buy what you use (aka, in Wire speak, 'burners.') I get 3 'bob' (equivalent to cents) a minute. A 20 minute phone call to anywhere costs about 70 cents, depending on the currency exchange rate. To 'top off,' you simply buy scratch off tickets (think instant lottery cards) of a predetermined amount and plug the digits into your phone. The only tricky part-- if you scratch to hard, you won't see the numbers and the cards are worthless. I learned the hard way.
6.) Sodas: One of my favorite things here in Kenya-- the reusable glass bottles. It makes sodas cheap-- about 30 bob for 300 mL. So delicious-- with real cane sugar!
7.) Last but not least, my favorite steal of Kenya-- movies. Bootleg movies are incredible... somehow they manage to get 20 movies on one DVD. My favorite purchase thus far: Matt Damon vs. Leonardo DiCaprio-- 2 dozen movies starring those two actors for a buck and change. The quality is suprisingly good, but don't put on the closed captions-- the Chinese translate them terribly.
Items that cost roughly the same in the states
1.) Bottled water: Supply meets demand on this one for us of the western world. Kenyans are used to drinking the bacteria in their local water sources; we aren't. You can get a bottle of water at around 40 bob, which is comparable to a grocery store in USA.
2.) Internet access: Unlimited internet access at 3,000 shillings a month (about 35 bucks).
3.) Bread: A half loaf of white bread costs about 50 bob.
4.) Tourist food: Any place that serves pizza will cost you roughly what it would cost in the United States. A personal margherita pizza costs about 8 bucks, fish and seafood dishes can go up to 15.
5.) International mail: About a dollar for a letter.
6.) Clothing: Really, I just didn't know where to place this. All clothing here is second-hand. It is cheaper, but not new. I bought a pair of pants for about 3 or 4 bucks, which is equivalent to a Goodwill.
What's more expensive
1. Foods at a grocery store: In the US, it makes fiscal cents to cook at home. Not in Kenya. Grocery store food is more expensive than going out to a restaurant. I'm sure that if I made Swahili dishes, I would save a buck or two, but things like pasta and tomato sauce are much more expensive here. Cheese is ridiculous and sliced deli meat is out of this world. Pasta can cost anywhere from 2 dollars to 5 dollars a pound. I think the turkey was about 8 bucks for a half pound.
2.) Gasoline: Gas or 'petrol' is a little over a dollar a liter, which translates to over 4 dollars a gallon. Americans need to stop using so much gasoline. It is time to downsize the cars.
3.) Certain Furniture: In one of my posts, I described a carpenter ant infested chest of drawers that went for 200 bones. However, my roommate got his bed frame for about 70 bucks. Which leads me to my next item...
4.) Being white: If you are white, you are going to be charged extra. You just have to be smart, travel with a Kenyan friend, and know the prices!
Signing off,
J
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