Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Delhi and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $577 in Zanzibar, rent and utilities included – about $680 less a year. The total is higher in Zanzibar despite lower rent and utilities.

25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
Learn more

Zanzibar Living Index

Jump to prices

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$577

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $520 per month in Delhi vs $577 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Delhi $520
Zanzibar $577

A couple spends around $858 per month in Delhi vs $857 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Delhi $858
Zanzibar $857

A family of three spends $1,195 per month in Delhi vs $1,137 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Delhi $1,195
Zanzibar $1,137

Delhi is about 10% cheaper than Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Delhi and Zanzibar are more affordable than the global median – Delhi 61% lower, Zanzibar 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.67 ₹355

$4.78 TZS 12.5K

-23.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.95 ₹2,027

$21.74 TZS 57.0K

-3.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ₹362

$5.54 TZS 14.5K

-32.49%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₹226

$2.21 TZS 5,810

5.43%

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

$0.37 ₹35.82

$0.60 TZS 1,568

-38.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.20 ₹18.91

$0.33 TZS 874

-39.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ₹195

$1.91 TZS 4,999

5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ₹308

$2.72 TZS 7,135

17.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 ₹65.9

$2.04 TZS 5,357

-66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 ₹50.2

$0.72 TZS 1,902

-27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ₹80.0

$0.83 TZS 2,185

Eggs

$1.07 ₹104

$2.68 TZS 7,044

-60.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.43 ₹428

$7.54 TZS 19.8K

-41.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 ₹326

$2.21 TZS 5,803

52.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.12 TZS 16.1K

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₹192

$2.86 TZS 7,493

-30.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹70.1

$1.11 TZS 2,918

-35.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.02 ₹98.4

$0.75 TZS 1,967

36.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ₹50.1

$0.59 TZS 1,556

-11.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.27 ₹25.96

$0.98 TZS 2,581

-72.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.42

$1.48 TZS 3,871

-75.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ₹41.64

$0.75 TZS 1,960

-42.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₹30.39

$0.49 TZS 1,283

-36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.92 ₹476

$2.06 TZS 5,403

138.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.34 ₹808

$9.28 TZS 24.4K

-10.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₹159

$1.54 TZS 4,043

6.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 ₹261

$1.31 TZS 3,428

106.11%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₹44.04

$0.31 TZS 817

48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₹99.8

$3.70 TZS 9,701

-72.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ₹26.38

$0.79 TZS 2,073

-65.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ₹148

$2.62 TZS 6,862

-41.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₹102

$1.27 TZS 3,339

-17.32%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

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

$18.4K ₹1.8M

$48.8K TZS 128.0M

-62.36%

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

$42.67 ₹4,129

$73.3 TZS 192.4K

-41.80%

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

$4.04 ₹391

$11.35 TZS 29.8K

-64.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.75 ₹653

$49.97 TZS 131.1K

-86.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.40 ₹1,878

$29.66 TZS 77.8K

-34.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

Cinema Ticket

$5.08 ₹492

$9.71 TZS 25.5K

-47.68%

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

$100 ₹9,696

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.14 ₹2,336

$12.93 TZS 33.9K

86.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 ₹2,747

$17.28 TZS 45.3K

64.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 ₹5,160

$15.25 TZS 40.0K

249.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.13 ₹4,271

$13.08 TZS 34.3K

237.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 ₹25.5K

$149 TZS 389.9K

77.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ₹14.9K

$99.0 TZS 259.8K

55.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 ₹71.2K

$201 TZS 528.4K

265.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 ₹38.5K

$150 TZS 393.4K

165.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,494 ₹241.4K

$37.6K TZS 98.6M

-93.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,017 ₹98.4K

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-91.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ₹56.7K

$313 TZS 820.4K

87.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

-16.70%

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

Last update for Delhi: 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

Delhi

$154 29.7%

Zanzibar

$99 17% 35.7% $55

Groceries & Markets

Delhi

$108 20.8%

Zanzibar

$164 28.2% 52.2% $56

Eating Out

Delhi

$87 16.8%

Zanzibar

$100 17.2% 14.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Delhi

$67 13%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 61% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Delhi

$53 10.3%

Zanzibar

$135 23.1% 152% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Delhi

$30 5.7%

Zanzibar

$49 8.4% 65.9% $20

Getting Around

Delhi

$20 3.8%

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5% 54.4% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Delhi versus $149 in Zanzibar. 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 87% higher in Delhi, 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 $21.00 in Delhi versus $22.00 in Zanzibar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $164 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Delhi

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

2 h 30 min behind Delhi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,787,941 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 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 INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Delhi Zanzibar 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Delhi
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

Delhi vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $520 in Delhi, $577 in Zanzibar – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $780 per month in Delhi and $865 in Zanzibar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Delhi and $22.00 in Zanzibar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $520 in Delhi and $577 in Zanzibar. That's a gap of about 11%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $520 in Delhi and $577 in Zanzibar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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