Operating Expense Calculator (Kenya)

This operating expense calculator totals your monthly running costs and shows what share of revenue they eat, so you can see how lean the business is and where to trim.

By Veira Team, Kenya SME toolsPublished June 2026Updated June 2026

Calculator

Rent (KES)

Salaries and wages (KES)

Power, water, internet (KES)

Other running costs (KES)

Monthly revenue (KES)

Result

Operating expenses KES 165,000 a month (41.25% of revenue)

Total operating expensesKES 165,000

As a share of revenue41.25%

Largest single costSalaries (KES 90,000)

Per yearKES 1,980,000

Operating expenses are your running costs before cost of goods. As a share of revenue they show how lean you are. Knowing your largest line tells you where a cut would do the most good.

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Know your running costs

Operating expenses are the costs of keeping the doors open, rent, wages, power, and the rest, separate from the cost of the goods you sell. Totalling them and seeing them as a share of revenue tells you how lean the business is.

It also shows where to act. The largest line is usually where a renegotiation or a cut frees the most cash, and tracking the total over time warns you early if overheads are creeping up faster than sales.

Worked examples

A small shop

Rent 40k, wages 90k, utilities 15k, other 20k is KES 165,000.
On KES 400,000 revenue that is about 41%.

Frequently asked questions

What are operating expenses?

The running costs of the business before the cost of goods sold: rent, salaries, utilities, transport, and similar. They are what it costs to keep operating, separate from what your stock costs.

What share of revenue should operating expenses be?

Lower is leaner, but it varies by trade. Tracking the share over time matters more than a single target: if overheads are rising faster than revenue, profit is being squeezed.

Which costs should I cut first?

Start with your largest line and your least essential recurring costs. A cut to the biggest expense, or removing something you no longer use, frees the most cash for the least disruption.

Are operating expenses the same as cost of goods?

No. Cost of goods is what your stock costs you. Operating expenses are the running costs on top of that. Both reduce profit, but they are managed differently.

How does Veira help?

Veira records your costs alongside sales, so you can see operating expenses as a share of revenue and watch whether overheads are growing faster than the business.