Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bagamoyo and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Bagamoyo: $383 a month against $427 in Mbeya, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Bagamoyo
Learn more

Bagamoyo Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
Learn more

Mbeya Living Index

Jump to prices

Bagamoyo

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$383

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bagamoyo and in Mbeya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $383 in Bagamoyo versus $427 in Mbeya.

Bagamoyo $383
Mbeya $427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $643 in Bagamoyo versus $658 in Mbeya.

Bagamoyo $643
Mbeya $658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $904 in Bagamoyo versus $888 in Mbeya.

Bagamoyo $904
Mbeya $888

Living in Bagamoyo costs roughly 10% less than in Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bagamoyo 72% lower, Mbeya 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 TZS 4,831

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.34 TZS 29.7K

$22.53 TZS 59.0K

-49.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.69 TZS 20.1K

$7.71 TZS 20.2K

-0.26%

Cappuccino

$1.90 TZS 4,985

$1.55 TZS 4,053

22.58%

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

$0.33 TZS 856

$0.39 TZS 1,025

-15.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 TZS 486

$0.37 TZS 961

-48.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 TZS 2,487

$0.77 TZS 2,021

23.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 TZS 5,011

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 TZS 1,993

$0.59 TZS 1,535

28.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 TZS 1,490

$0.96 TZS 2,507

-40.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.36 TZS 956

$0.91 TZS 2,395

-60.44%

Eggs

$2.02 TZS 5,301

$2.32 TZS 6,085

-12.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 TZS 23.9K

$3.84 TZS 10.1K

138.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 TZS 12.7K

$3.69 TZS 9,662

31.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.96 TZS 10.4K

$3.32 TZS 8,699

19.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 TZS 6,613

$1.16 TZS 3,039

118.10%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 TZS 2,411

$0.74 TZS 1,938

24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,686

$0.96 TZS 2,511

7.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 TZS 1,544

$0.76 TZS 1,991

-22.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 TZS 816

$0.91 TZS 2,381

-65.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 TZS 754

$0.71 TZS 1,868

-59.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 TZS 2,230

$0.54 TZS 1,423

57.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 TZS 969

$0.78 TZS 2,048

-52.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 TZS 5,596

$1.10 TZS 2,871

94.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 TZS 18.3K

$3.84 TZS 10.1K

82.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 TZS 2,468

$0.72 TZS 1,875

30.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 TZS 4,111

$1.10 TZS 2,887

42.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 TZS 966

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 TZS 4,295

$1.16 TZS 3,033

41.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 TZS 3,885

$1.85 TZS 4,857

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.09 TZS 34.3K

$2.61 TZS 6,829

401.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 TZS 3,596

$1.19 TZS 3,124

15.13%

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

$16.4K TZS 43.0M

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

$26.2K TZS 68.5M

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

$56.4 TZS 147.7K

$24.44 TZS 64.0K

130.81%

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

$4.77 TZS 12.5K

$18.75 TZS 49.1K

-74.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 TZS 60.0K

$45.65 TZS 119.6K

-49.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.28 TZS 97.6K

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 TZS 13.0K

$9.19 TZS 24.1K

-46.03%

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

$560 TZS 1.5M

$191 TZS 501.2K

192.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K TZS 34.5M

$1,138 TZS 3.0M

1059.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.73 TZS 41.2K

$11.46 TZS 30.0K

37.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.76 TZS 67.5K

$9.28 TZS 24.3K

177.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.02 TZS 115.3K

$19.13 TZS 50.1K

130.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 TZS 157.0K

$26.85 TZS 70.3K

123.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$57.3 TZS 150.1K

$112 TZS 293.1K

-48.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.4 TZS 200.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 TZS 604.3K

$188 TZS 493.0K

22.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 TZS 290.7K

$113 TZS 296.6K

-1.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$190 TZS 497.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

40.38%

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

Last update for Bagamoyo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mbeya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bagamoyo

$143 37.3%

Mbeya

$115 27% 19.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bagamoyo

$84 22%

Mbeya

$89 20.8% 5.6% $4.8

Eating Out

Bagamoyo

$71 18.6%

Mbeya

$49 * 11.4% 31.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Bagamoyo

$65 17.1%

Mbeya

$30 7% 54.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Bagamoyo

$9.9 * 2.6%

Mbeya

$56 13% 462% $46

Getting Around

Bagamoyo

$9.1 * 2.4%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 31.5% $2.8

Accommodation & Living

Bagamoyo

- * 0%

Mbeya

$76 17.9%

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 $57 in Bagamoyo and $112 in Mbeya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Bagamoyo vs $23 in Mbeya. Groceries flip the comparison at $143 vs $115, with Mbeya cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Bagamoyo

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

Same time as Bagamoyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,000

541,603

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.42 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bagamoyo Mbeya 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bagamoyo
Mbeya

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

Bagamoyo vs Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bagamoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Mbeya. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bagamoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $574 in Bagamoyo and $640 in Mbeya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $57 in Bagamoyo versus $112 in Mbeya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $560 in Bagamoyo versus $191 in Mbeya. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bagamoyo – a meal for two runs $11 versus $23 in Mbeya. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bagamoyo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Bagamoyo and Mbeya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.