Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bagamoyo and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bagamoyo: $383 a month against $581 in Zanzibar, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Bagamoyo
Learn more

Bagamoyo Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
Learn more

Zanzibar Living Index

Jump to prices

Bagamoyo

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$383

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bagamoyo 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 Bagamoyo and in Zanzibar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $383 in Bagamoyo versus $581 in Zanzibar.

Bagamoyo $383
Zanzibar $581

Estimated couple costs with rent: $643 in Bagamoyo versus $865 in Zanzibar.

Bagamoyo $643
Zanzibar $865

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $904 in Bagamoyo versus $1,150 in Zanzibar.

Bagamoyo $904
Zanzibar $1,150

Living in Bagamoyo costs roughly 34% less than in Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bagamoyo 72% lower, Zanzibar 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 TZS 4,831

$4.63 TZS 12.1K

-60.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.34 TZS 29.7K

$21.81 TZS 57.1K

-48.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.69 TZS 20.1K

$5.55 TZS 14.5K

38.56%

Cappuccino

$1.90 TZS 4,985

$2.11 TZS 5,519

-9.95%

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

$0.33 TZS 856

$0.58 TZS 1,532

-43.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 TZS 486

$0.31 TZS 804

-38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 TZS 2,487

$1.86 TZS 4,875

-48.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 TZS 5,011

$2.62 TZS 6,869

-27.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 TZS 1,993

$2.10 TZS 5,510

-63.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 TZS 1,490

$0.76 TZS 1,991

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.36 TZS 956

$0.80 TZS 2,106

-55.00%

Eggs

$2.02 TZS 5,301

$2.67 TZS 6,996

-24.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 TZS 23.9K

$7.36 TZS 19.3K

24.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 TZS 12.7K

$2.22 TZS 5,821

118.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.96 TZS 10.4K

$5.91 TZS 15.5K

-32.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 TZS 6,613

$2.77 TZS 7,243

-8.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 TZS 2,411

$1.11 TZS 2,910

-17.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,686

$0.74 TZS 1,926

39.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 TZS 1,544

$0.55 TZS 1,436

7.27%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 TZS 816

$1.00 TZS 2,607

-69.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 TZS 754

$1.53 TZS 4,017

-81.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 TZS 2,230

$0.80 TZS 2,088

6.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 TZS 969

$0.49 TZS 1,279

-24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 TZS 5,596

$2.14 TZS 5,616

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 TZS 18.3K

$9.40 TZS 24.6K

-25.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 TZS 2,468

$1.53 TZS 4,018

-38.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 TZS 4,111

$1.28 TZS 3,365

22.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 824

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 TZS 4,295

$3.72 TZS 9,745

-55.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 TZS 3,885

$0.78 TZS 2,047

89.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.09 TZS 34.3K

$2.71 TZS 7,096

383.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 TZS 3,596

$1.25 TZS 3,282

9.60%

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

$50.5K TZS 132.1M

-48.14%

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

$56.4 TZS 147.7K

$74.8 TZS 195.9K

-24.60%

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

$4.77 TZS 12.5K

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

-57.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.90 TZS 60.0K

$50.1 TZS 131.2K

-54.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 TZS 78.2K

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 TZS 13.0K

$9.51 TZS 24.9K

-47.84%

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

$560 TZS 1.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K TZS 34.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.73 TZS 41.2K

$12.91 TZS 33.8K

21.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.76 TZS 67.5K

$16.77 TZS 43.9K

53.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.02 TZS 115.3K

$15.19 TZS 39.8K

189.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 TZS 157.0K

$13.00 TZS 34.1K

361.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$57.3 TZS 150.1K

$152 TZS 399.2K

-62.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 TZS 262.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$231 TZS 604.3K

$202 TZS 527.8K

14.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 TZS 290.7K

$150 TZS 393.6K

-26.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$37.9K TZS 99.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.2K TZS 29.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$320 TZS 839.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

82.50%

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

Last update for Bagamoyo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bagamoyo

$143 37.3%

Zanzibar

$164 28.2% 14.7% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bagamoyo

$84 22%

Zanzibar

$136 23.4% 61.9% $52

Eating Out

Bagamoyo

$71 18.6%

Zanzibar

$97 16.7% 36.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Bagamoyo

$65 17.1%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 60.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bagamoyo

$9.9 * 2.6%

Zanzibar

$49 8.4% 393% $39

Getting Around

Bagamoyo

$9.1 * 2.4%

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5% 1.9% $0.2

Accommodation & Living

Bagamoyo

- * 0%

Zanzibar

$100 17.2%

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 $152 in Zanzibar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $11 in Bagamoyo vs $22 in Zanzibar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $143 vs $164 per month, with Bagamoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Bagamoyo

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

Same time as Bagamoyo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,000

709,809

💱 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 Zanzibar 45 km

From you

Bagamoyo
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

Bagamoyo vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bagamoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Zanzibar. 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 $871 in Zanzibar 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 $152 in Zanzibar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $383 per month in Bagamoyo versus $581 in Zanzibar – Bagamoyo is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Zanzibar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.