Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $577 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
Learn more

Zanzibar Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $577 in Zanzibar.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Zanzibar $577

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $857 in Zanzibar.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Zanzibar $857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,137 in Zanzibar.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Zanzibar $1,137

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 192% more expensive than in Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Zanzibar is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$4.78 TZS 12.5K

291.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$21.74 TZS 57.0K

196.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$5.54 TZS 14.5K

132.49%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.21 TZS 5,810

80.09%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.60 TZS 1,568

241.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.33 TZS 874

369.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.91 TZS 4,999

101.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$2.72 TZS 7,135

69.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.04 TZS 5,357

-29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.72 TZS 1,902

241.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$0.83 TZS 2,185

96.39%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$2.68 TZS 7,044

7.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$7.54 TZS 19.8K

41.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$2.21 TZS 5,803

352.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$6.12 TZS 16.1K

124.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.86 TZS 7,493

-3.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.11 TZS 2,918

96.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$0.75 TZS 1,967

93.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$0.59 TZS 1,556

237.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$0.98 TZS 2,581

26.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.48 TZS 3,871

-14.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.75 TZS 1,960

126.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.49 TZS 1,283

253.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.06 TZS 5,403

102.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$9.28 TZS 24.4K

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.54 TZS 4,043

35.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.31 TZS 3,428

111.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.31 TZS 817

141.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$3.70 TZS 9,701

-56.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.79 TZS 2,073

24.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$2.62 TZS 6,862

194.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.27 TZS 3,339

7.09%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$48.8K TZS 128.0M

-29.24%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$73.3 TZS 192.4K

194.01%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$11.35 TZS 29.8K

125.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$49.97 TZS 131.1K

-37.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$29.66 TZS 77.8K

67.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$9.71 TZS 25.5K

7.42%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$12.93 TZS 33.9K

844.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$17.28 TZS 45.3K

463.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$15.25 TZS 40.0K

666.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$13.08 TZS 34.3K

968.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$149 TZS 389.9K

413.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$99.0 TZS 259.8K

410.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$201 TZS 528.4K

693.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$150 TZS 393.4K

690.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$37.6K TZS 98.6M

-92.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-83.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$313 TZS 820.4K

205.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

472.50%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Zanzibar

$99 17% 80.4% $406

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Zanzibar

$164 28.2% 42.2% $120

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Zanzibar

$100 17.2% 64.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Zanzibar

$135 23.1% 50.6% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 87.7% $188

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Zanzibar

$49 8.4% 30.6% $22

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5% 75.7% $28

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 $763 in Buenos Aires and $149 in Zanzibar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 205% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $22.00 in Zanzibar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $164 per month, with Zanzibar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

08:52 8:52 AM

14:52 2:52 PM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,940 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Zanzibar 10,310 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Zanzibar differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $577 including rent). Zanzibar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 205% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $149 in Zanzibar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Zanzibar – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $64.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $577 in Zanzibar – a 192% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $577 in Zanzibar versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zanzibar but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Zanzibar are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Zanzibar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.