Cheap houses for rent in Mombasa: where can I get a cheap rental house in Mombasa?

Well, it depends on what you mean by ‘cheap’. For some people, a house whose monthly rent is Kshs. 10,000 would be considered 'cheap'. For others, a house whose monthly rent is 10,000 bob would be considered very 'expensive'… so it is all about perspective.

What I can tell you for sure is that there are cheap houses for rent in all corners of Mombasa. But you get what you pay for. Like if you want a very cheap house whose monthly rent is 1,000 to 2,000 shillings, in Kibarani or Kwa Skembo, you would expect it to have mud walls, to not have a ceiling and perhaps to have a toilet and bathroom that is shared by very many people and in a location that gets muddy when it rains... 

So if you want the cheapest houses (in the Kshs. 1,000 to 2,000) range, you would need to go to places like Kibarani, Bangladesh, Magongo bokole, Likoni (the deeper parts) and perhaps some parts of Mlango Saba in Mishomoroni – you know, that stretch from Milango Saba to Vikwatani and on to Concordia.

If you want a house in the 2,000 to 4,000 range, you will have a better pool to choose from, in places like Bombolulu, Kongowea kwa Karama, Kisauni, Mishomoroni (the better parts), Magongo, Chaani and so on. Of course, at that range, you would be looking at a single room, with shared toilet and bathroom facilities, with or without a ceiling.

From 5,000 to 8,000, you can get a bedsitter in almost all corners of Mombasa – from the best parts of Bombolulu, Kisauni and Kongowea kwa Karama to Chaani, Migadini, Magongo, Mikindani, Shanzu and so on.

From 9,000 to 15,000, you should be able to get a one bedroomed or even a two bedroomed house in almost all corners of Mombasa (save for high-end areas like Nyali and Kizingo, where one bedroomed and two bedroomed houses would be in the 20,000 to 50,000 and possibly even 100,000 shillings range).

 Mombasa rents are determined by the state of the house (e.g. whether it has a ceiling, whether it has tiles, whether it is well painted... and so on), the location of the house (with those that are deeper inside/from the main roads costing less) and the neighborhood. It of course also depends on the size though even very small houses in strategic locations can still be very expensive. Generally Mombasa Island rents – in places like Spaki, Tudor, Majengo, Tononoka, Kibokoni, Bondeni, Ganjoni and Makadara tend to be higher than rents in the outlying areas. Sometimes, for someone working in the Mombasa CBD, it becomes more sensible to rent a house in Mombasa West area (Changamwe, Mikindi, Magongo and so on) or in Mombasa North (Bombolulu, Kongowea, Kisauni, Mishomoroni and so on) and be comuting daily to work, rather than paying the exorbitant rents in the Mombasa town center. But there are still some cheap houses in the island, it is just that getting them is not always easy.

Note that likoni rents tend to be much cheaper than in other areas of Mombasa. But for choosing to live in Likoni, you have to contend with daily ferry rides and those can be quite hectic, especially for someone who commutes daily. But one eventually gets used to it.