Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Xianyang

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $552 a month against $617 in Xianyang, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. The total is higher in Xianyang despite lower rent and utilities.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
Learn more

Xianyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$552

/mo nomad

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arusha and in Xianyang

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

A single person spends $552 per month in Arusha vs $617 in Xianyang, rent included.

Arusha $552
Xianyang $617

A couple spends around $887 per month in Arusha vs $995 in Xianyang, rent included.

Arusha $887
Xianyang $995

A family of three spends $1,222 per month in Arusha vs $1,373 in Xianyang, rent included.

Arusha $1,222
Xianyang $1,373

Arusha is about 10% cheaper than Xianyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Arusha and Xianyang are more affordable than the global median – Arusha 59% lower, Xianyang 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$2.25 ¥15.06

48.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.75 TZS 70.1K

$17.21 ¥115

55.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 TZS 24.1K

$4.46 ¥29.81

106.28%

Cappuccino

$1.66 TZS 4,356

$2.08 ¥13.93

-20.19%

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

$0.87 TZS 2,284

$0.39 ¥2.58

123.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 842

$0.27 ¥1.80

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 TZS 2,659

$0.77 ¥5.17

32.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 TZS 7,351

$1.45 ¥9.71

93.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 TZS 2,578

$1.44 ¥9.61

-31.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 TZS 1,773

$1.07 ¥7.13

-36.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 TZS 4,344

$0.78 ¥5.22

112.82%

Eggs

$1.74 TZS 4,552

$1.41 ¥9.45

23.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 ¥64.0

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.13

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 ¥49.37

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 TZS 6,066

$1.22 ¥8.18

90.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

Tomato (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,039

$0.63 ¥4.19

23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,284

$0.43 ¥2.89

13.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,795

$0.59 ¥3.92

81.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.20

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 TZS 2,046

$0.59 ¥3.95

32.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 TZS 3,927

$3.07 ¥20.52

-51.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.32 ¥48.97

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 TZS 2,563

$0.44 ¥2.92

122.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 TZS 2,387

$1.76 ¥11.78

-48.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 496

$0.29 ¥1.92

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.65 ¥118

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ¥8.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.52 TZS 19.7K

$4.53 ¥30.31

66.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 TZS 3,441

$1.20 ¥8.05

9.17%

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

$19.5K ¥130.5K

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

$11.9K ¥79.6K

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

$27.94 TZS 73.2K

$36.81 ¥246

-24.10%

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

$8.62 TZS 22.6K

$6.37 ¥42.62

35.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 TZS 121.1K

$10.61 ¥70.9

336.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.2 TZS 170.7K

$42.47 ¥284

53.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.22 ¥102

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

$5.88 ¥39.33

-20.07%

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

$333 ¥2,229

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,477 TZS 19.6M

$15.1K ¥101.1K

-50.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.65 ¥258

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.53 ¥251

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥506

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 ¥402

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 TZS 727.8K

$297 ¥1,988

-6.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 TZS 626.7K

$180 ¥1,203

33.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 TZS 1.3M

$618 ¥4,130

-19.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$524 TZS 1.4M

$381 ¥2,547

37.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,456 ¥23.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$753 ¥5,033

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$598 ¥3,999

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

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

Last update for Arusha: October 17, 2026

Last update for Xianyang: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$239 43.3%

Xianyang

$180 29.1% 24.8% $59

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.2%

Xianyang

$66 10.7% 26.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$83 15%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 35% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.5%

Xianyang

$54 8.8% 27.3% $20

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$65 * 11.8%

Xianyang

$147 23.8% 124% $81

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Xianyang

$22 3.5% 2730% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Xianyang

$95 15.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Arusha versus $297 in Xianyang. 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 $17.00 in Xianyang. Groceries tell a different story – $65.0 in Arusha vs $147 in Xianyang – so Arusha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

20:29 8:29 PM

5 h ahead of Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

1,324,612

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Xianyang 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
Xianyang

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 Xianyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $552 in Arusha, $617 in Xianyang – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $829 per month in Arusha and $926 in Xianyang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, 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 $17.00 in Xianyang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $552 in Arusha and $617 in Xianyang. That's a gap of about 12%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $552 in Arusha and $617 in Xianyang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Arusha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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