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Cost of building a house in Tana River (2026)

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

Coast region · the 40th cheapest of Kenya's 47 counties to build in.

Build cost in Tana River 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 Tana River: climate, ground and materials

General guidance, not an assessment of your site. What follows describes conditions typical of Tana River 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 Hola; other main towns Garsen, Bura, Madogo.

The Tana River floods its plains in the rains: check a plot's flood history before building near it.

Hot and dry climate

Much of Tana River is hot and dry for most of the year, with short, unreliable rains and large swings between day and night temperatures. Where that holds, it asks this of a house:

  • Thick masonry walls and a roof slab store the day's heat and release it at night — the thermal mass that keeps a house livable here.
  • Shade the openings: smaller windows, deep overhangs, and shaded outdoor space where most of the day is lived.
  • Water for construction may have to be bowsered in; allow for it, and for generous rainwater storage on the finished house.
Every house design, priced at Tana River rates (KES)
DesignFloor area Standard finish Per m²
Starter 2-bedroom bungalow suits Tana River 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 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 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 suits Tana River 141 m² 4,581,652 32,494
T-shaped 4-bedroom bungalow 145 m² 4,674,464 32,305
Contemporary flat-roof 3-bedroom suits Tana River 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 Tana River 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.

Tana River 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 itself, at about KES 3,079,881.

Against Nairobi, Tana River is about 15% dearer — remote 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 Tana River

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

Open the cost explorer See every rate behind these figures

Compare with nearby counties

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

Percentages are against Tana River, not Nairobi. All 47 counties →