UN FS-3 Salary — Nairobi, Kenya

What an internationally recruited Field Service (FS-3) earns at the UN in Nairobi — the global net base salary plus this duty station’s 41% post adjustment and the hardship, danger and non-family allowances on top.

Hardship Category B Post Adjustment % 40.9 Cost of living 34 (US=100) HDI Rank #143

FS-3 salary — Nairobi, at a glance

Internationally recruited Field Service (FS) — the UN’s worldwide FS scale plus this station’s post adjustment. Recruited locally? See the GS/NO local scale.

USD 68,661
Net rem · step 1
USD 77,897
Net rem · mid
USD 87,127
Net rem · top step
USD Post adjustment +41% 13 steps Hardship B January 2026 Checked Nov 7, 2026

Net remuneration = net base + 41% post adjustment (net base USD 48,730–USD 61,836), before hardship/danger allowances and pension.

FS-3 salary scale — by step

Worldwide Field Service net base (UN OneHR), effective January 2026, with the 41% post adjustment for Nairobi. Per year, USD.

StepNet basePost adj (+41%)Net remunerationEst. take-home
Step 1USD 48,730USD 19,931USD 68,661USD 58,309
Step 2USD 49,829USD 20,380USD 70,209USD 59,613
Step 3USD 50,918USD 20,825USD 71,743USD 60,905
Step 4USD 52,007USD 21,271USD 73,278USD 62,197
Step 5USD 53,097USD 21,717USD 74,814USD 63,489
Step 6USD 54,194USD 22,165USD 76,359USD 64,791
Step 7USD 55,285USD 22,612USD 77,897USD 66,085
Step 8USD 56,376USD 23,058USD 79,434USD 67,380
Step 9USD 57,471USD 23,506USD 80,977USD 68,679
Step 10USD 58,555USD 23,949USD 82,504USD 69,965
Step 11USD 59,646USD 24,395USD 84,041USD 71,259
Step 12USD 60,743USD 24,844USD 85,587USD 72,560
Step 13USD 61,836USD 25,291USD 87,127USD 73,855

Est. take-home deducts a 7.9% UNJSPF pension and an indicative 2.5% medical premium. Indicative — the estimator below computes single/dependency rates and your exact deductions.

On top of base salary — Nairobi

Allowances an internationally recruited FS-3 may receive at this duty station. Annual USD unless noted.

Post adjustmentCost-of-living multiplier on net base+41%
Hardship allowanceICSC category BUSD 6,110
Mobility incentiveFrom the 2nd assignment onwardUSD 6,900 +
Danger paySecurity-risk designationNot a danger-pay station
Non-family allowanceWhen dependants may not accompany staffFamily duty station
Spouse / single-parent allowanceDependent spouse, or first child if a single parent+6% of net remuneration
Child allowancePer dependent child (flat rate)USD 2,929 / child
See these allowances explained in full — Nairobi, plus cost of living & relocation
Your Take-Home Pay — Kenya

An estimate for a UN post at Nairobi, Kenya — for internationally recruited staff (Professional P / D, in US dollars) or locally recruited staff (General Service / National Officer, local scale).

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Field Service net base: UN OneHR scale effective January 2026. The pension line uses pensionable remuneration derived from the ICSC Professional scale (FS figures are no longer published).
Net salary (local scale)
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On the local GS/NO scale, in KES, for {{ gDisp(gsGradeLabel) }}, {{ stepLabel(gsStep) }} (locally recruited staff). No post adjustment. Dependency & language allowances are <b>additional</b>.

* Health insurance is indicative only — real premiums vary by organization, plan (medical and dental are billed separately) and coverage option. The ~2.5% shown is a placeholder, not a quote.

Indicative estimate — excludes rental subsidy, education grant and settling-in. Professional (P/D) and Field Service (FS) pay is in US dollars; GS/NO on the local scale in local currency. For information only — not official advice.

Other Professional grades — Nairobi

Same duty station, different grade — see the full scale for each.

FS-1 FS-2 FS-4 FS-5 FS-6 FS-7

UN jobs — Nairobi (128 open)

UNICEF National and International Consultant -Consultant – development of Kenya Gavi 6.0 & Ebola Countr, Health Section Nairobi-Office based with possible travels, 6 months 596867UNICEF · Consultant UNICEF National Consultancy to Develop Children and Disability Budget Tagging Manuals and Taxonomy,Social Policy section, 7 month, Nairobi-Office based at National Treasury Budget Department 596863UNICEF · Unspecified BMGF Senior Program Assistant (LTE)BMGF · Unspecified ICRC COMMUNITY CONTACT CENTRE OPERATORICRC · Unspecified ILRI Finance and Grants ManagerILRI · Unspecified View all UN jobs — Nairobi

Frequently asked

What is the FS-3 salary at the UN in Nairobi?

A Field Service FS-3 in Nairobi, Kenya has a net base salary of about USD 48,730 (step 1) to USD 61,836 (top step). With the 41% post adjustment for this duty station, net remuneration is roughly USD 68,709 to USD 87,189 per year, before hardship, danger and other allowances.

How does post adjustment work for a FS-3 in Nairobi?

Post adjustment equalises purchasing power across duty stations. In Nairobi it is about 41% of net base salary, added on top — so the same FS-3 net base is worth more or less depending on the station’s cost of living.

What is the cost of living in Nairobi, Kenya?

Everyday prices in Kenya are roughly 34% of United States levels (World Bank price level index, US = 100). Post adjustment is designed to offset this. For internationally recruited (P/D) staff, our Real UN Purchasing Power estimate for Nairobi is 120/100 (New York = 100) — net pay (base + post adjustment) stretches about 20% further here than in New York.

See the Real UN Purchasing Power — Nairobi
These are UN common-system pay figures. The World Bank, IMF and NGOs and other non-UN employers posting here set their own pay — a role here does not guarantee these figures.

Salary & Benefits Tools

Pay Stack calculatorThe full take-home tool — any duty station, every allowance, built layer by layer UN salary scales by grade Post adjustment explained UN contracts & grade levels
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