We are surrounded by wealth. Expensive cars on the road, packed cafes with KES 1,200 bills for chips, chicken and a drink, yoga and Pilates studios charging KES 30,000/month for 12 sessions, iPhones and high-end Samsung's on every table, people going on holiday every few months, apartments going for KES 22 million plastered across billboards — and somehow, everyone seems to be affording it.
And yet, if you're earning over KES 100,000/month, statistically, you're in the top 2% of Kenyan earners. You're doing everything right: budgeting, saving, avoiding debt, maybe even running a side hustle. But at the end of the month, you feel broke. You feel stuck. You feel like you can't move forward.
This article explores the observed reality vs the lived reality. We peel back the image of wealth that surrounds us to show what life really looks like for salaried Kenyans earning "well." Through three detailed profiles, we break down exactly where the money goes — and why even disciplined spenders are struggling to get ahead.
Profile 1: Brian – Single, 29 years old
Gross Salary: KES 125,000 | Net: ~KES 88,000 | Side gig: KES 15,000 (Motorcycle spare parts delivery)
Total Monthly Income: KES 103,000
🏠 Living Situation
Rents a 1-bedroom in Donholm for KES 20,000
Uses matatus and sometimes boda boda
No car
💼 Monthly Budget
| Item | Amount (KES) |
|---|---|
| Rent | 20,000 |
| Groceries (including toiletries) | 10,000 |
| Utilities & internet | 4,000 |
| Transport | 5,000 |
| Grooming | 2,000 |
| Entertainment/Dating | 6,000 |
| Phone & data | 1,500 |
| Savings (SACCO + emergency) | 15,000 |
| Side hustle costs (fuel, maintenance, permits) | 5,000 |
| Black tax (family support) | 5,000 |
| Clothing (occasional) | 1,500 |
| Miscellaneous | 3,000 |
| Total | 88,000 |
Remaining: KES 15,000
📖 One-Off & Annual Expenses
Phone upgrade (every 2 years): KES 60,000 (KES 2,500/month equivalent)
Household electronics (TV, fridge, microwave): KES 100,000 spread over 3 years (KES 2,800/month equivalent)
Annual trip to Coast (group travel): ~KES 25,000
⚡ Dreams & Goals
Buy a secondhand car worth KES 700,000.
Plan: Save the remaining KES 15,000 monthly.
Reality: Even with no disruptions, it will take about 4 years and 8 months to accumulate KES 700,000. But if you factor in phone upgrades, household item replacements, holiday, and emergencies, this timeline could stretch to over 6 years.
Quality of life: Stable, but restricted. Dating and saving for big goals (e.g., a car, house) feels distant. The discipline is there, but the economy is slow to reward it.
Profile 2: Grace & Kevin – Married Couple, 1 child, both employed, early 30s
Grace's Gross Salary: KES 200,000 | Net: ~KES 140,000
Kevin's Gross Salary: KES 150,000 | Net: ~KES 105,000
Grace’s Side Hustle: KES 30,000 (Online baking business)
Total Household Income: KES 275,000
🏠 Living Situation
Live in a 2-bedroom apartment in South B for KES 32,000
Own a second-hand Mazda Demio (bought via loan, joint repayment KES 15,000/month)
Child attends mid-tier private kindergarten (KES 35,000 per term)
💼 Monthly Joint Budget
| Item | Amount (KES) |
| Rent | 32,000 |
| School fees (monthly avg) | 12,000 |
| Groceries & toiletries | 25,000 |
| Utilities & internet | 6,000 |
| Transport (fuel & car service) | 12,000 |
| Car loan repayment | 15,000 |
| House help | 5,000 |
| Medical & insurance | 6,000 |
| Side hustle inputs (ingredients, delivery) | 8,000 |
| Family outings (1 date night/week + Sunday lunch) | 12,000 |
| Grooming & clothing | 5,000 |
| Savings & SACCO (Grace + Kevin) | 35,000 |
| Black tax (both sides) | 10,000 |
| Miscellaneous & buffer | 12,000 |
| Total | 195,000 |
Remaining: KES 80,000
📖 Other Annual & Irregular Costs
School supplies & uniforms (January): KES 30,000
Family holiday (once a year): ~KES 60,000
Phone replacements (every 2-3 years): ~KES 100,000 for both
Home upgrades: Sofa set, bed, TV stand, etc. ~KES 150,000 every 3-4 years
🚀 Dreams & Goals
Buy a townhouse in Syokimau worth KES 12M within 6 years
Need to save KES 1.5M for deposit, plus qualify for mortgage
Upgrade to a family car (RAV4 or Honda CRV), budget ~KES 1.2M
Grace to pursue an Executive MBA in 3 years (~KES 800,000 total at USIU)
Even with an extra KES 80,000/month:
Home deposit will take at least 19 months to raise, assuming no disruptions
MBA requires saving KES 27,000/month for 3 years
Car upgrade would require 15 months of saving 80K
Quality of life: Well-structured but fragile. Dreams are possible, but only one or two at a time. The pace of progress is slow when you’re also managing life’s ongoing costs.
Profile 3: Sheila – Single Mom, 2 kids, 38 years
Gross Salary: KES 260,000 | Net: ~KES 184,000 | Side hustle: KES 25,000 (Freelance transcription & virtual assistance)
Total Monthly Income: KES 209,000
🏠 Living Situation
Lives in a 3-bedroom rental in Komarock for KES 50,000
Kids attend affordable private schools (~KES 25,000/month total)
Drives a used Toyota Fielder (owned outright)
💼 Monthly Budget
| Item | Amount (KES) |
| Rent | 50,000 |
| School fees | 25,000 |
| Food & groceries | 30,000 |
| Utilities | 6,000 |
| Transport (fuel & service) | 10,000 |
| House help | 8,000 |
| Health & insurance | 7,000 |
| Grooming & clothing | 4,000 |
| Kids' activities (swimming + coding) | 5,000 |
| Side hustle Wi-Fi, power, software | 4,000 |
| Savings & SACCO | 25,000 |
| Black tax (siblings & mum) | 10,000 |
| Debt repayment (KES 100K loan for hospital bill) | 10,000/month for 10 months |
| Entertainment & outings | 5,000 |
| Family Sunday lunch | 4,000 |
| Miscellaneous | 6,000 |
| Total | 204,000 |
Remaining: KES 5,000
📖 One-Off & Annual Expenses
School shopping in January: ~KES 30,000
Phone upgrade every 3 years: KES 60,000
Furniture upgrade or appliances: ~KES 100,000 every 3-4 years
Holiday with kids: KES 60,000 (budget Naivasha trip)
🚀 Dreams & Goals
Buy a plot in Kitengela and build a house (Plot: KES 1.2M, construction: KES 3.5M over 6 years)
Take her kids abroad for university (estimated need: KES 6M)
Start a full VA agency and leave employment in 5 years
Sheila saves around KES 25,000/month, but with one-off costs, it’s hard to go beyond that. To save for the plot and construction (KES 4.7M), she'd need nearly 16 years without borrowing.
Quality of life: Responsible, resilient, respectable—but relentlessly tight. No space for error.
The Bigger Picture
Being in the top 2% doesn’t mean luxury. It just means your budget has more items.
Black tax, school, transport, and debt eat silently into your "privilege."
Clothing, holidays, grooming, hobbies are squeezed in, not standard.
Side hustles cost time, mental energy, and money. They're essential, but not easy.
Car ownership is often not a luxury but a calculated trade-off: convenience vs cost.
One-off expenses like phones, house items, school gear eat into savings invisibly.
Even with KES 50,000 in extra funds, owning a home, getting a degree, or building wealth is a long-term, multi-year journey.
Final Word
If you're earning well and still feel broke, this article isn't here to scare you—it's here to validate you. You're not failing. You're operating in an economy where even smart money gets stretched thin.
And that feeling you can't shake? It's not in your head. It's in your math.
Welcome to urban Kenya, where wealth is visible, but rarely real.
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