Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Kottayam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kottayam: $284 a month against $546 in Arusha, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Kottayam
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Kottayam Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$546

/mo nomad

Kottayam

🇮🇳 India

$284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arusha and in Kottayam

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 Kottayam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $546 per month in Arusha vs $284 in Kottayam, rent included.

Arusha $546
Kottayam $284

A couple spends around $882 per month in Arusha vs $465 in Kottayam, rent included.

Arusha $882
Kottayam $465

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Arusha vs $646 in Kottayam, rent included.

Arusha $1,218
Kottayam $646

Arusha costs about 92% more than Kottayam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Arusha and Kottayam are more affordable than the global median – Arusha 60% lower, Kottayam 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 TZS 8,674

$1.07 ₹102

210.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.18 TZS 71.0K

$9.67 ₹921

181.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 TZS 23.2K

$3.21 ₹305

176.95%

Cappuccino

$1.64 TZS 4,290

$0.82 ₹78.5

100.00%

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

$0.92 TZS 2,402

$0.31 ₹29.07

196.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 TZS 779

$0.13 ₹11.95

130.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 TZS 2,744

$1.29 ₹123

-18.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 TZS 7,496

$1.82 ₹174

57.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 TZS 2,511

$0.58 ₹54.9

65.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 TZS 1,761

$0.49 ₹46.83

36.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 TZS 4,332

$0.53 ₹50.9

213.21%

Eggs

$1.74 TZS 4,546

$0.85 ₹81.4

104.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 ₹195

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 ₹353

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 TZS 5,865

$2.03 ₹194

10.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 ₹53.3

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 ₹83.7

Tomato (1kg)

$0.79 TZS 2,069

$0.50 ₹47.87

58.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 TZS 1,191

$0.37 ₹35.49

24.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 TZS 2,668

$0.38 ₹36.29

168.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ₹60.2

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 TZS 2,177

$0.27 ₹25.76

207.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 TZS 3,907

$5.00 ₹476

-70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.02 ₹382

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 TZS 2,507

$1.62 ₹154

-40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 TZS 2,521

$2.20 ₹210

-55.91%

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

$3.38 ₹322

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 497

$0.29 ₹27.67

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.84 ₹746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 ₹78.6

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹29.01

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.57 TZS 19.8K

$2.12 ₹202

257.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 TZS 3,404

$1.08 ₹102

20.37%

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

$11.1K ₹1.1M

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

$14.6K ₹1.4M

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

$28.47 TZS 74.3K

$20.71 ₹1,972

37.47%

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

$8.27 TZS 21.6K

$2.96 ₹282

179.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.04 TZS 125.4K

$6.06 ₹577

692.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.9 TZS 166.7K

$6.18 ₹589

933.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.38 ₹893

Cinema Ticket

$4.67 TZS 12.2K

$1.75 ₹167

166.86%

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

$10.45 ₹995

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,612 TZS 19.9M

$516 ₹49.2K

1374.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.67 ₹1,778

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.82 ₹1,507

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$21.28 ₹2,026

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$12.19 ₹1,161

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$281 TZS 732.9K

$115 ₹11.0K

143.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 TZS 609.7K

$74.5 ₹7,096

213.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 TZS 1.3M

$265 ₹25.2K

87.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$522 TZS 1.4M

$175 ₹16.7K

198.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$941 ₹89.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$550 ₹52.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$292 ₹27.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Arusha: October 25, 2026

Last update for Kottayam: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

–

Kottayam

$89 31.2%

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

–

Kottayam

$75 26.2%

Eating Out

Arusha

–

Kottayam

$40 14%

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

–

Kottayam

$31 10.8%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

–

Kottayam

$30 10.5%

Getting Around

Arusha

–

Kottayam

$11 4%

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

–

Kottayam

$9.7 3.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $281 in Arusha versus $115 in Kottayam. 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 in Arusha versus $10 in Kottayam. Groceries tell a different story – $65 in Arusha vs $89 in Kottayam – so Arusha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇮🇳 Kottayam

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

55,374

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.83 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.44 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.5 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 2,611 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.83 USD). 1 EUR = 2,907 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.44 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 95.22 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arusha Kottayam 4,640 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
Kottayam

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 Kottayam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $546 in Arusha, $284 in Kottayam – Kottayam comes out roughly 48% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $820 per month in Arusha and $427 in Kottayam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kottayam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $115 there versus $281 in Arusha.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Arusha and $10 in Kottayam. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $546 in Arusha and $284 in Kottayam. That makes Kottayam about 48% cheaper.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $546 in Arusha and $284 in Kottayam, 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 $284 in Kottayam to $546 in Arusha. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.