Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dar es Salaam and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $715 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Dar es Salaam
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Dar es Salaam Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$715

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dar es Salaam and in Dubai

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

A single person spends $715 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $2,854 in Dubai, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $715
Dubai $2,854

A couple spends around $1,114 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $4,321 in Dubai, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,114
Dubai $4,321

A family of three spends $1,513 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $5,788 in Dubai, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,513
Dubai $5,788

Dar es Salaam is about 75% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dar es Salaam sits 47% below the global median, while Dubai is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.88 TZS 4,931

$13.04 AED 47.89

-85.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.70 TZS 49.1K

$81.4 AED 299

-77.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 TZS 19.7K

$9.32 AED 34.25

-19.53%

Cappuccino

$1.93 TZS 5,069

$5.97 AED 21.93

-67.67%

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

$0.35 TZS 910

$1.63 AED 5.98

-78.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 TZS 578

$0.81 AED 2.99

-72.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 TZS 2,643

$13.65 AED 50.1

-92.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 TZS 4,993

$13.38 AED 49.15

-85.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 TZS 2,232

$1.81 AED 6.64

-53.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.61 TZS 1,596

$1.57 AED 5.78

-61.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 TZS 2,764

$2.49 AED 9.16

-57.83%

Eggs

$2.04 TZS 5,366

$3.28 AED 12.04

-37.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.13 TZS 24.0K

$12.67 AED 46.53

-27.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.67 TZS 12.2K

$9.75 AED 35.80

-52.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.99 TZS 10.5K

$13.18 AED 48.40

-69.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 TZS 6,455

$2.61 AED 9.57

-5.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 TZS 2,775

$1.93 AED 7.09

-45.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 TZS 2,822

$1.92 AED 7.05

-43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 TZS 2,412

$1.36 AED 5.00

-32.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.89 TZS 2,336

$1.17 AED 4.29

-23.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 TZS 2,610

$1.01 AED 3.71

-1.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 TZS 2,160

$1.51 AED 5.56

-45.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 TZS 1,016

$0.62 AED 2.29

-37.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 TZS 5,494

$5.85 AED 21.50

-64.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.27 TZS 19.1K

$16.14 AED 59.3

-54.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 TZS 2,455

$2.65 AED 9.74

-64.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 TZS 4,267

$2.95 AED 10.82

-44.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 TZS 688

$1.64 AED 6.03

-84.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.84 TZS 38.9K

$73.6 AED 270

-79.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 TZS 4,417

$3.17 AED 11.66

-47.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 TZS 3,943

$0.71 AED 2.63

111.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.03 TZS 34.2K

$7.96 AED 29.23

63.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 TZS 3,591

$0.99 AED 3.64

38.38%

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

$16.8K TZS 44.0M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-38.74%

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

$25.9K TZS 68.0M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

14.89%

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

$56.6 TZS 148.5K

$250 AED 920

-77.40%

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

$8.88 TZS 23.3K

$54.2 AED 199

-83.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.50 TZS 90.5K

$91.8 AED 337

-62.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.3 TZS 223.9K

$98.6 AED 362

-13.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.01 TZS 26.3K

$42.61 AED 156

-76.51%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 TZS 13.7K

$16.03 AED 58.9

-67.37%

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

$568 TZS 1.5M

$843 AED 3,098

-32.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.4K TZS 35.1M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-26.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.23 TZS 40.0K

$68.0 AED 250

-77.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.44 TZS 66.8K

$57.9 AED 213

-56.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.69 TZS 117.3K

$101 AED 370

-55.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 TZS 157.6K

$101 AED 371

-40.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$566 TZS 1.5M

$2,380 AED 8,741

-76.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 TZS 508.6K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-87.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 TZS 3.5M

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-69.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 TZS 1.1M

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-85.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,540 TZS 4.0M

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-78.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,058 TZS 2.8M

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-74.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$283 TZS 741.9K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-91.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

4.54

301.98%

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

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dar es Salaam

$194 27.5%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 677% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Dar es Salaam

$152 21.6%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 92.2% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dar es Salaam

$100 14.2%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 297% $296

Sport & Entertainment

Dar es Salaam

$96 13.6%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 36.4% $35

Eating Out

Dar es Salaam

$72 10.2%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 330% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.3%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 125% $82

Getting Around

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.6%

Dubai

$87 3% 247% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $566 in Dar es Salaam versus $2,380 in Dubai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1099% higher in Dubai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Dar es Salaam versus $81.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $152 vs $293 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

13:47 1:47 PM

1 h ahead of Dar es Salaam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,383,728

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dar es Salaam Dubai 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dar es Salaam
Dubai

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

Dar es Salaam vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 299%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,072 per month in Dar es Salaam and $4,281 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dar es Salaam, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $568 per month in Dar es Salaam and $843 in Dubai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Dubai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dar es Salaam, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Dar es Salaam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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