Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dar es Salaam and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $699 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
Learn more

Lisbon Living Index

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Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$699

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $699 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $2,202 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $699
Lisbon $2,202

A couple spends around $1,111 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $3,274 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,111
Lisbon $3,274

A family of three spends $1,523 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $4,346 in Lisbon, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,523
Lisbon $4,346

Dar es Salaam is about 68% cheaper than Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dar es Salaam sits 48% below the global median, while Lisbon is 62% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 TZS 4,978

$17.04 €15.15

-88.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.67 TZS 48.9K

$62.3 €55.4

-70.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 TZS 19.9K

$11.02 €9.80

-31.03%

Cappuccino

$1.89 TZS 4,961

$3.12 €2.78

-39.42%

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

$0.37 TZS 971

$2.27 €2.02

-83.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 TZS 577

$1.74 €1.55

-87.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 TZS 2,507

$3.42 €3.04

-71.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 TZS 4,877

$3.74 €3.33

-50.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 TZS 2,133

$1.17 €1.04

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 TZS 1,491

$1.86 €1.66

-69.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 TZS 2,773

$1.54 €1.37

-31.17%

Eggs

$1.90 TZS 4,984

$4.06 €3.61

-53.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.01 TZS 23.6K

$12.91 €11.49

-30.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 TZS 12.7K

$7.90 €7.03

-38.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.97 TZS 10.4K

$17.64 €15.69

-77.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 TZS 6,619

$2.26 €2.01

11.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 TZS 2,927

$1.75 €1.55

-36.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 TZS 2,717

$1.89 €1.68

-44.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 TZS 2,249

$2.56 €2.27

-66.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 TZS 2,477

$1.85 €1.64

-48.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 TZS 2,677

$1.97 €1.75

-48.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 TZS 2,112

$1.45 €1.29

-44.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 TZS 1,013

$0.77 €0.69

-49.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.05 TZS 5,366

$6.71 €5.97

-69.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.10 TZS 18.6K

$5.67 €5.04

25.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,399

$1.37 €1.22

-32.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 TZS 4,190

$2.11 €1.88

-24.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 TZS 627

$2.32 €2.07

-89.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.01 TZS 39.3K

$44.43 €39.52

-66.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 TZS 4,235

$3.95 €3.51

-58.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 TZS 4,070

$1.05 €0.93

47.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.03 TZS 34.1K

$17.15 €15.26

-24.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 TZS 3,745

$2.19 €1.95

-34.70%

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

$16.8K TZS 43.9M

$33.8K €30.0K

-50.40%

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

$26.0K TZS 68.0M

$38.3K €34.0K

-32.18%

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

$56.9 TZS 149.0K

$164 €146

-65.27%

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

$9.17 TZS 24.0K

$18.48 €16.43

-50.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.33 TZS 87.3K

$32.96 €29.32

1.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.5 TZS 224.0K

$45.87 €40.80

86.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.88 TZS 25.9K

$18.68 €16.61

-47.11%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 TZS 13.1K

$9.75 €8.67

-48.92%

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

$576 TZS 1.5M

$684 €608

-15.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K TZS 34.6M

$17.6K €15.7K

-25.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.48 TZS 40.5K

$104 €92.3

-85.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.19 TZS 68.6K

$46.20 €41.09

-43.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$43.77 TZS 114.6K

$99.7 €88.7

-56.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.7 TZS 153.8K

$125 €111

-52.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 TZS 1.5M

$1,589 €1,414

-64.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 TZS 500.4K

$1,169 €1,040

-83.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 TZS 3.5M

$2,851 €2,536

-52.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$440 TZS 1.2M

$1,993 €1,773

-77.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,519 TZS 4.0M

$7,793 €6,932

-80.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,054 TZS 2.8M

$4,418 €3,930

-76.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$277 TZS 725.1K

$1,600 €1,423

-82.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

3.85

374.03%

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

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dar es Salaam

$191 27.3%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 512% $978

Groceries & Markets

Dar es Salaam

$151 21.7%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 80.4% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dar es Salaam

$99 14.2%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 117% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Dar es Salaam

$96 13.7%

Lisbon

$65 3% 31.5% $30

Eating Out

Dar es Salaam

$72 10.2%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 246% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.3%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 160% $104

Getting Around

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 148% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $568 in Dar es Salaam versus $1,589 in Lisbon. 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 478% higher in Lisbon, 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 $62.0 in Lisbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $151 vs $273 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

2 h behind Dar es Salaam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,383,728

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dar es Salaam Lisbon 7,100 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dar es Salaam
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 215%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,049 per month in Dar es Salaam and $3,302 in Lisbon. 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 $576 per month in Dar es Salaam and $684 in Lisbon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 80% more in Lisbon, 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 $699, than in Lisbon at $2,202. In Dar es Salaam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon 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, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.