Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Bhilai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhilai: $326 a month against $549 in Arusha, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Bhilai
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Bhilai Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Bhilai

🇮🇳 India

$326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arusha and in Bhilai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arusha and in Bhilai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $549 per month in Arusha vs $326 in Bhilai, rent included.

Arusha $549
Bhilai $326

A couple spends around $888 per month in Arusha vs $555 in Bhilai, rent included.

Arusha $888
Bhilai $555

A family of three spends $1,228 per month in Arusha vs $784 in Bhilai, rent included.

Arusha $1,228
Bhilai $784

Arusha costs about 68% more than Bhilai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Arusha and Bhilai are more affordable than the global median – Arusha 59% lower, Bhilai 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$2.59 ₹246

28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

$9.13 ₹867

200.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

$3.09 ₹293

195.15%

Cappuccino

$1.70 TZS 4,443

$1.97 ₹187

-13.71%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,421

$0.29 ₹27.28

217.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 851

$0.20 ₹18.62

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 TZS 2,653

$1.55 ₹147

-34.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 TZS 7,336

$2.86 ₹271

-2.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 TZS 2,522

$0.51 ₹48.53

88.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 TZS 1,798

$0.35 ₹33.67

97.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 TZS 4,554

$0.63 ₹60.0

176.19%

Eggs

$1.75 TZS 4,573

$0.95 ₹90.2

84.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.13 ₹392

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.88 ₹273

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 TZS 5,802

$2.31 ₹219

-3.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 ₹54.3

Oranges (1kg)

$0.87 ₹83.0

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TZS 2,021

$0.44 ₹41.59

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,272

$0.38 ₹36.44

28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,686

$0.48 ₹45.82

114.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 ₹23.54

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 TZS 2,229

$0.29 ₹27.37

193.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 TZS 4,015

$5.10 ₹484

-70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ₹435

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 TZS 2,444

$1.64 ₹156

-43.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,417

$2.65 ₹252

-65.28%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.83 ₹364

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 503

$0.38 ₹36.11

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.62 ₹629

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ₹101

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₹20.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

$1.85 ₹175

312.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 TZS 3,259

$1.10 ₹104

12.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$11.7K ₹1.1M

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.4K ₹1.7M

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

$31.51 ₹2,991

-9.20%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

$3.12 ₹296

175.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

$4.74 ₹450

883.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

$6.97 ₹662

838.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.20 ₹303

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

$3.46 ₹329

35.55%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$80.2 ₹7,616

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

$1,061 ₹100.7K

626.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.55 ₹2,236

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 ₹2,743

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.92 ₹2,271

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.95 ₹2,274

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 TZS 747.5K

$72.1 ₹6,841

296.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 TZS 611.7K

$56.5 ₹5,360

313.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 TZS 1.3M

$259 ₹24.6K

89.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 TZS 1.4M

$206 ₹19.6K

154.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$651 ₹61.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.82

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bhilai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$234 42.6%

Bhilai

$56 17.3% 75.8% $177

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.4%

Bhilai

$69 21.2% 23.3% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$84 15.3%

Bhilai

$39 12.1% 53% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.6%

Bhilai

$14 4.3% 81.4% $61

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$66 * 12%

Bhilai

$92 28.1% 39.7% $26

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Bhilai

$10 3.2% 1239% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Bhilai

$45 13.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Arusha versus $72.1 in Bhilai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha versus $9.00 in Bhilai. Groceries tell a different story – $66.0 in Arusha vs $92.0 in Bhilai – so Arusha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇮🇳 Bhilai

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

18:56 6:56 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

627,734

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.95 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Bhilai 5,580 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
Bhilai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arusha vs Bhilai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $549 in Arusha, $326 in Bhilai – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $823 per month in Arusha and $489 in Bhilai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bhilai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha and $9.00 in Bhilai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $549 in Arusha and $326 in Bhilai. That's a gap of about 68%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $549 in Arusha and $326 in Bhilai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Arusha has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $326 in Bhilai to $549 in Arusha. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Bhilai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arusha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.