Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $579 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $579 in Zanzibar.

Lisbon $2,202
Zanzibar $579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $864 in Zanzibar.

Lisbon $3,274
Zanzibar $864

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $1,148 in Zanzibar.

Lisbon $4,346
Zanzibar $1,148

Living in Lisbon is roughly 280% more expensive than in Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Zanzibar is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

262.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$22.08 TZS 57.8K

182.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$5.59 TZS 14.6K

97.14%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.20 TZS 5,769

41.82%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$0.58 TZS 1,520

291.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.30 TZS 776

480.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.86 TZS 4,879

83.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$2.58 TZS 6,764

44.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.11 TZS 5,521

-44.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.71 TZS 1,859

161.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.79 TZS 2,058

94.94%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$2.71 TZS 7,092

49.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$7.58 TZS 19.9K

70.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$2.21 TZS 5,776

257.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$5.87 TZS 15.4K

200.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.78 TZS 7,271

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.15 TZS 3,001

52.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.78 TZS 2,050

142.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$0.55 TZS 1,428

365.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.90 TZS 2,351

105.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.55 TZS 4,063

27.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.76 TZS 2,003

90.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.49 TZS 1,274

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.08 TZS 5,445

222.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$9.55 TZS 25.0K

-40.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.50 TZS 3,921

-8.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.35 TZS 3,536

56.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.31 TZS 825

648.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$3.69 TZS 9,672

7.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.73 TZS 1,920

43.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$2.66 TZS 6,964

544.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.21 TZS 3,180

80.99%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$48.9K TZS 128.1M

-21.78%

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

$164 €146

$74.3 TZS 194.6K

120.44%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

63.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$48.43 TZS 126.8K

-31.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$28.77 TZS 75.3K

59.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.26 TZS 24.3K

5.29%

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

$684 €608

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$13.12 TZS 34.3K

690.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$16.88 TZS 44.2K

173.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$15.05 TZS 39.4K

562.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

855.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$147 TZS 385.1K

980.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$100 TZS 262.1K

1068.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$198 TZS 518.2K

1340.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$148 TZS 388.8K

1242.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$37.8K TZS 99.1M

-79.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-61.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$312 TZS 816.7K

413.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

-61.50%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Zanzibar

$100 17.3% 91.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Zanzibar

$164 28.3% 39.9% $109

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Zanzibar

$99 17.1% 60.1% $149

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Zanzibar

$134 23.2% 37.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 84.5% $142

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Zanzibar

$47 8.2% 27.7% $18

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Zanzibar

$8.6 * 1.5% 86.3% $54

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 $1,589 in Lisbon and $147 in Zanzibar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 413% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $22.00 in Zanzibar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $164 per month, with Zanzibar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

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

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Zanzibar 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Zanzibar differ by about 280% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $579 including rent). Zanzibar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 413% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $147 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 $62.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,202 per month in Lisbon versus $579 in Zanzibar – a 280% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $579 in Zanzibar versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zanzibar but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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, Lisbon 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 280% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.