Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dar es Salaam and Mandaue

For one person, living is cheaper in Dar es Salaam: $707 a month against $825 in Mandaue, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Mandaue
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Mandaue Living Index

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Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$707

/mo nomad

Mandaue

🇵🇭 Philippines

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $707 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $825 in Mandaue, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $707
Mandaue $825

A couple spends around $1,121 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $1,203 in Mandaue, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,121
Mandaue $1,203

A family of three spends $1,535 per month in Dar es Salaam vs $1,581 in Mandaue, rent included.

Dar es Salaam $1,535
Mandaue $1,581

Dar es Salaam is about 14% cheaper than Mandaue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dar es Salaam and Mandaue are more affordable than the global median – Dar es Salaam 48% lower, Mandaue 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.93 TZS 5,066

$2.96 ₱187

-34.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.16 TZS 50.2K

$23.45 ₱1,476

-18.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 TZS 19.9K

$3.99 ₱251

90.48%

Cappuccino

$2.02 TZS 5,285

$2.58 ₱162

-21.71%

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

$0.37 TZS 975

$1.54 ₱97.0

-75.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 TZS 577

$0.49 ₱31.05

-55.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 TZS 2,452

$1.72 ₱108

-45.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 TZS 5,091

$2.28 ₱144

-14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 TZS 2,121

$1.95 ₱123

-58.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 TZS 1,616

$1.09 ₱68.7

-43.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 TZS 2,861

$0.93 ₱58.7

17.20%

Eggs

$2.04 TZS 5,343

$1.97 ₱124

3.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 TZS 24.4K

$9.91 ₱624

-6.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 TZS 12.5K

$4.36 ₱275

9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.98 TZS 10.4K

$7.63 ₱481

-47.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 TZS 6,544

$3.47 ₱219

-27.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 TZS 2,801

$1.43 ₱90.0

-25.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 TZS 2,724

$2.28 ₱144

-54.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.92 TZS 2,418

$1.47 ₱92.5

-37.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 TZS 2,491

$2.34 ₱147

-59.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,702

$1.97 ₱124

-47.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 TZS 2,114

$1.19 ₱74.9

-31.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 TZS 1,002

$0.67 ₱42.41

-43.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 TZS 5,477

$2.37 ₱149

-11.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.04 TZS 18.4K

$6.29 ₱396

11.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 TZS 2,272

$1.23 ₱77.4

-29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 TZS 4,138

$1.72 ₱108

-8.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 TZS 681

$0.24 ₱14.97

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.62 TZS 38.3K

$9.67 ₱609

51.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 TZS 4,227

$0.74 ₱46.69

117.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 TZS 3,907

$0.21 ₱13.19

609.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.34 TZS 34.9K

$1.88 ₱119

609.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 TZS 3,727

$1.32 ₱83.3

7.58%

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

$17.1K TZS 44.8M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

-19.48%

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

$26.4K TZS 69.2M

$19.1K ₱1.2M

38.19%

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

$56.9 TZS 149.1K

$98.3 ₱6,187

-42.08%

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

$9.17 TZS 24.0K

$14.07 ₱886

-34.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.48 TZS 87.7K

$27.93 ₱1,758

19.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.9 TZS 224.9K

$33.01 ₱2,078

160.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 TZS 26.4K

$5.27 ₱332

91.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.05 TZS 13.2K

$5.69 ₱358

-11.25%

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

$565 TZS 1.5M

$130 ₱8,204

333.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K TZS 34.3M

$7,979 ₱502.4K

64.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.27 TZS 40.0K

$32.91 ₱2,072

-53.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.42 TZS 66.6K

$19.62 ₱1,235

29.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.19 TZS 115.7K

$76.1 ₱4,790

-41.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.5 TZS 155.7K

$57.7 ₱3,632

3.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 TZS 1.5M

$429 ₱27.0K

33.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 TZS 513.6K

$251 ₱15.8K

-21.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,312 TZS 3.4M

$747 ₱47.1K

75.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$442 TZS 1.2M

$353 ₱22.2K

25.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,556 TZS 4.1M

$2,174 ₱136.9K

-28.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,069 TZS 2.8M

$902 ₱56.8K

18.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$276 TZS 722.7K

$234 ₱14.8K

17.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

7.2

153.47%

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

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mandaue: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dar es Salaam

$196 27.7%

Mandaue

$251 30.5% 28.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Dar es Salaam

$153 21.6%

Mandaue

$205 24.8% 34.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dar es Salaam

$100 14.1%

Mandaue

$140 17% 40.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Dar es Salaam

$96 13.6%

Mandaue

$44 5.4% 53.8% $52

Eating Out

Dar es Salaam

$73 10.4%

Mandaue

$88 10.7% 19.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.2%

Mandaue

$84 10.2% 29% $19

Getting Around

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.5%

Mandaue

$12 1.5% 49.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $572 in Dar es Salaam versus $429 in Mandaue. 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 18% higher in Dar es Salaam, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Dar es Salaam versus $23.00 in Mandaue. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $205 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🇵🇭 Mandaue

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

5 h ahead of Dar es Salaam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,383,728

364,116

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dar es Salaam Mandaue 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Dar es Salaam
Mandaue

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 Mandaue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mandaue is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,061 per month in Dar es Salaam and $1,237 in Mandaue. 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 $565 per month in Dar es Salaam and $130 in Mandaue. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Mandaue, 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 $707, than in Mandaue at $825. In Dar es Salaam it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mandaue 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, Mandaue makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.