Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $582 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Zanzibar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $582 in Zanzibar.

Athens $1,779
Zanzibar $582

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $866 in Zanzibar.

Athens $2,721
Zanzibar $866

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,150 in Zanzibar.

Athens $3,663
Zanzibar $1,150

Living in Athens is roughly 206% more expensive than in Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Zanzibar is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$4.65 TZS 12.2K

261.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$21.37 TZS 56.2K

208.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.98

$5.81 TZS 15.3K

92.94%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.23 TZS 5,870

82.96%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.62 TZS 1,639

346.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.33 TZS 873

63.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$1.85 TZS 4,857

208.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$2.69 TZS 7,074

132.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$2.03 TZS 5,333

-9.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.77 TZS 2,021

85.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$0.79 TZS 2,069

237.97%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$2.79 TZS 7,347

77.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.44

$7.49 TZS 19.7K

101.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$2.30 TZS 6,054

377.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.60

$6.22 TZS 16.4K

217.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.78 TZS 7,312

-23.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.16 TZS 3,059

70.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.75 TZS 1,962

77.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.59 TZS 1,546

266.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.94 TZS 2,471

12.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.47 TZS 3,870

-21.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.96

$0.73 TZS 1,921

47.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.45 TZS 1,175

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.17 TZS 5,692

151.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$9.39 TZS 24.7K

6.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.53 TZS 4,021

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.30 TZS 3,428

83.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.31 TZS 824

335.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.18

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$3.80 TZS 9,992

0.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.74 TZS 1,941

39.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.70 TZS 7,108

510.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.27 TZS 3,330

84.25%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$50.3K TZS 132.4M

-47.16%

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

$202 €180

$73.0 TZS 191.8K

177.20%

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

$26.81 €23.87

$11.14 TZS 29.3K

140.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.14

$49.10 TZS 129.1K

-37.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.14

$29.01 TZS 76.3K

86.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.40

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$9.66 TZS 25.4K

8.07%

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

$568 €505

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$12.86 TZS 33.8K

604.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.01

$17.32 TZS 45.5K

127.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$15.28 TZS 40.2K

588.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$13.18 TZS 34.6K

878.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$151 TZS 397.1K

391.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €577

$101 TZS 265.0K

543.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$197 TZS 518.0K

545.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$147 TZS 387.1K

661.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,561

$38.2K TZS 100.4M

-89.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,921

$11.3K TZS 29.6M

-70.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$314 TZS 824.4K

297.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

-55.60%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Zanzibar

$101 17.3% 84.5% $548

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Zanzibar

$165 28.3% 47.9% $151

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Zanzibar

$100 17.2% 63.2% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Zanzibar

$133 22.9% 48.7% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 83.9% $137

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Zanzibar

$48 8.3% 35.5% $27

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Zanzibar

$8.8 * 1.5% 80.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $151 in Zanzibar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $21 in Zanzibar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $165 per month, with Zanzibar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2,629 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD). 1 EUR = 2,951 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.39 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Zanzibar 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Zanzibar

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

Athens vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zanzibar wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zanzibar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $742 in Athens versus $151 in Zanzibar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $582 in Zanzibar – Zanzibar is about 67% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 92% higher in Athens. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $582 in Zanzibar versus $1,779 in Athens, a $800 budget is realistic in Zanzibar but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Zanzibar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Zanzibar wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.