Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $579 a month against $1,548 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
Learn more

Zanzibar Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,548

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,548 in Mexico City versus $579 in Zanzibar.

Mexico City $1,548
Zanzibar $579

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,436 in Mexico City versus $864 in Zanzibar.

Mexico City $2,436
Zanzibar $864

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,323 in Mexico City versus $1,148 in Zanzibar.

Mexico City $3,323
Zanzibar $1,148

Living in Mexico City is roughly 167% more expensive than in Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 14% above, Zanzibar is 57% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 MX$204

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

134.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.68 MX$900

$22.08 TZS 57.8K

120.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.90 MX$201

$5.59 TZS 14.6K

94.99%

Cappuccino

$3.68 MX$68.1

$2.20 TZS 5,769

67.27%

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

$1.63 MX$30.18

$0.58 TZS 1,520

181.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 MX$23.07

$0.30 TZS 776

316.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 MX$60.1

$1.86 TZS 4,879

74.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 MX$102

$2.58 TZS 6,764

114.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 MX$31.50

$2.11 TZS 5,521

-19.43%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$0.71 TZS 1,859

325.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.53

$0.79 TZS 2,058

143.04%

Eggs

$2.73 MX$50.5

$2.71 TZS 7,092

0.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.77 MX$218

$7.58 TZS 19.9K

55.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.53 MX$176

$2.21 TZS 5,776

331.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 MX$266

$5.87 TZS 15.4K

145.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 MX$55.8

$2.78 TZS 7,271

8.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.01

$1.15 TZS 3,001

64.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 MX$36.70

$0.78 TZS 2,050

155.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 MX$40.38

$0.55 TZS 1,428

298.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 MX$35.43

$0.90 TZS 2,351

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 MX$34.49

$1.55 TZS 4,063

20.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 MX$26.62

$0.76 TZS 2,003

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.39

$0.49 TZS 1,274

159.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.22 MX$96.4

$2.08 TZS 5,445

150.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.17 MX$299

$9.55 TZS 25.0K

69.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 MX$35.03

$1.50 TZS 3,921

26.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 MX$78.0

$1.35 TZS 3,536

212.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.30

$0.31 TZS 825

9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.65 MX$363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 MX$36.90

$3.69 TZS 9,672

-45.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 MX$9.67

$0.73 TZS 1,920

-28.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.34 MX$98.7

$2.66 TZS 6,964

100.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$28.13

$1.21 TZS 3,180

25.62%

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

$22.1K MX$408.0K

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

$24.5K MX$452.9K

$48.9K TZS 128.1M

-49.90%

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

$61.1 MX$1,129

$74.3 TZS 194.6K

-17.82%

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

$28.58 MX$528

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

153.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 MX$637

$48.43 TZS 126.8K

-28.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,042

$28.77 TZS 75.3K

95.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.88 MX$460

Cinema Ticket

$6.66 MX$123

$9.26 TZS 24.3K

-28.08%

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

$427 MX$7,891

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K MX$215.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 MX$1,253

$13.12 TZS 34.3K

416.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 MX$960

$16.88 TZS 44.2K

207.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 MX$1,959

$15.05 TZS 39.4K

604.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 MX$2,080

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

762.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 MX$18.9K

$147 TZS 385.1K

596.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 MX$12.1K

$100 TZS 262.1K

553.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,308 MX$42.7K

$198 TZS 518.2K

1066.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 MX$22.9K

$148 TZS 388.8K

736.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,613 MX$66.8K

$37.8K TZS 99.1M

-90.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,936 MX$35.8K

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-83.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$964 MX$17.8K

$312 TZS 816.7K

209.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

13.00%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 20, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$654 42.3%

Zanzibar

$100 17.3% 84.7% $554

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$318 20.6%

Zanzibar

$164 28.3% 48.4% $154

Eating Out

Mexico City

$204 13.2%

Zanzibar

$99 17.1% 51.6% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$152 9.8%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 82.8% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$124 8%

Zanzibar

$134 23.2% 8% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$70 4.5%

Zanzibar

$47 8.2% 32.1% $22

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Zanzibar

$8.6 * 1.5% 66.4% $17

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 $1,025 in Mexico City and $147 in Zanzibar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 209% 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: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $22.00 in Zanzibar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $318 vs $164 per month, with Zanzibar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

16:23 4:23 PM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.41 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 18.48 MXN (100 MXN = 5.41 USD). 1 EUR = 20.77 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

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 MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Zanzibar 15,280 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

Mexico City vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Zanzibar differ by about 167% in total monthly costs ($1,548 vs $579 including rent). Zanzibar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 209% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,025 in Mexico City 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 $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,548 per month in Mexico City versus $579 in Zanzibar – a 167% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $579 in Zanzibar versus $1,548 in Mexico City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zanzibar but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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.

Expats usually find Zanzibar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.