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Cost of building a house in Lamu (2026)

Building in Lamu County costs roughly 15% more than Nairobi — remote coastal haulage. The figures below are computed from that adjustment, not written by hand — they are what the app itself would quote for Lamu.

Coast region · the 39th cheapest of Kenya's 47 counties to build in.

Build cost in Lamu by house size (KES)
HouseSize Economy Standard Premium vs Nairobi
1-Bedroom Bungalow 43.2 m² 1,358,926 1,678,897 2,200,032 +220,145
2-Bedroom Bungalow 74.9 m² 1,932,729 2,375,525 3,100,775 +313,172
3-Bedroom Bungalow 100.8 m² 2,504,405 3,079,881 4,024,368 +406,131
Standard finish, measured works plus county approvals, the NCA levy and materials transport. Excludes land, boundary wall, professional fees and contractor markup. Indicative 2026 rates — a budgeting range, not a quotation.

Building in Lamu: climate, ground and materials

General guidance, not an assessment of your site. What follows describes conditions typical of Lamu or of a named part of it. It does not hold everywhere in the county, and ground, drainage, access and materials can change from one plot to the next. Before you design, budget or build, have the actual site examined by a qualified professional — a registered engineer, with a soil investigation where the ground is in any doubt. Do not base foundations or a budget on this page alone.

County headquarters Lamu; other main towns Mpeketoni, Mokowe, Faza.

Much of the county is islands: materials cross by boat, which is a large part of the premium.

Hot and humid coast climate

Much of Lamu is hot and humid all year, with salt-laden air near the sea and the long rains from April. Where that holds, it asks this of a house:

  • Cross-ventilation matters more than anything else: windows on opposite walls, and rooms one deep where the plan allows.
  • Deep eaves and a veranda keep sun and driving rain off the walls; a light-coloured roof reflects heat.
  • Salt air corrodes steel. Specify pre-painted or aluminium-zinc roofing sheets, galvanised fixings, and adequate cover to reinforcement.

Coral rock

Coral rock close to the surface gives good bearing for foundations, though excavation may need breaking out rather than digging. It is also quarried as the local walling stone.

Walling

Coral blocks cut from local quarries are the traditional and usually the cheapest walling here. The figures on this page are priced in machine-cut stone; ask for a coral block rate.

Every house design, priced at Lamu rates (KES)
DesignFloor area Standard finish Per m²
Starter 2-bedroom bungalow suits Lamu 68 m² 2,263,919 33,098
Starter 2-bedroom with butterfly roof 68 m² 2,414,572 35,301
2-bedroom A-frame cottage 65 m² 2,867,932 44,258
3-bedroom with gable porch suits Lamu 102 m² 3,369,544 33,197
3-bedroom bungalow on an eighth acre 136 m² 4,151,769 30,595
L-shaped 3-bedroom with veranda suits Lamu 126 m² 4,272,196 34,014
Contemporary skillion 3-bedroom 139 m² 4,391,735 31,686
Urban 3-bedroom with moulded concrete roofline 141 m² 4,548,564 32,259
Urban 3-bedroom butterfly-roof bungalow with SQ 141 m² 4,581,652 32,494
T-shaped 4-bedroom bungalow 145 m² 4,674,464 32,305
Contemporary flat-roof 3-bedroom 120 m² 4,724,881 39,243
4-bedroom maisonette on a 40 x 60 plot 208 m² 6,603,928 31,780
4-bedroom bungalow on a quarter acre 249 m² 6,942,808 27,838
Contemporary 4-bedroom maisonette with balcony pergola 234 m² 7,585,127 32,360
Contemporary 3-bedroom with a black-clad box 260 m² 7,828,914 30,146
4-bedroom maisonette with DSQ on an eighth acre 242 m² 8,443,300 34,875
4-bedroom villa with DSQ and glazed stair 298 m² 9,533,392 31,959
Karen 5-bedroom hipped-roof villa 386 m² 9,947,200 25,750
Lavington 4-bedroom framed townhouse 384 m² 11,151,380 29,055
Karen 4-bedroom stone-and-white house 396 m² 11,860,419 29,988
Loresho 4-bedroom villa with floating roof 331 m² 12,417,825 37,561
Karen contemporary 5-bedroom villa 412 m² 12,438,405 30,198
14-bedsitter block on an eighth acre 414 m² 13,503,003 32,624
8-flat apartment block on a quarter acre 833 m² 21,201,309 25,461
16-flat apartment scheme on a half acre 1665 m² 41,592,041 24,974
14-storey apartment tower 3992 m² 90,767,446 22,735
Twin 17-storey towers with pool on an acre 9661 m² 215,109,097 22,265
Measured house works at Lamu rates, standard finish; external works, land and fees excluded. Indicative only: the foundations in particular depend on the ground at your site, which a professional has to assess. Open any design to see its plan and 3D view and change it.

Lamu against the rest of Coast

Coast has 6 counties. The cheapest to build in is Mombasa, where a standard 3-bedroom bungalow comes to about KES 2,754,721; the dearest is Tana River, at about KES 3,079,881. In Lamu the same house is KES 3,079,881.

Against Nairobi, Lamu is about 15% dearer — remote coastal haulage. The cheapest design in the catalogue here is the starter 2-bedroom bungalow at KES 2,263,919. How county adjustments work →

Price your own house in Lamu

Set the bedrooms, bathrooms and specification and watch the figure move — in 3D, at Lamu rates. No account needed.

Open the cost explorer See every rate behind these figures

Compare with nearby counties

Tana River 0% Taita-Taveta −7% Kwale −9% Kilifi −10% Mombasa −12% West Pokot 0%

Percentages are against Lamu, not Nairobi. All 47 counties →