Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Morogoro and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Morogoro: $374 a month against $581 in Zanzibar, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Morogoro
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Morogoro Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index

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Morogoro

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$374

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$581

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $374 per month in Morogoro vs $581 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Morogoro $374
Zanzibar $581

A couple spends around $629 per month in Morogoro vs $865 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Morogoro $629
Zanzibar $865

A family of three spends $884 per month in Morogoro vs $1,150 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Morogoro $884
Zanzibar $1,150

Morogoro is about 36% cheaper than Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Morogoro and Zanzibar are more affordable than the global median – Morogoro 73% lower, Zanzibar 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 TZS 5,008

$4.63 TZS 12.1K

-58.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.54 TZS 48.5K

$21.81 TZS 57.1K

-14.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 TZS 19.6K

$5.55 TZS 14.5K

34.95%

Cappuccino

$1.98 TZS 5,189

$2.11 TZS 5,519

-6.16%

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

$0.38 TZS 987

$0.58 TZS 1,532

-34.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 TZS 576

$0.31 TZS 804

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 TZS 2,414

$1.86 TZS 4,875

-50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 TZS 5,018

$2.62 TZS 6,869

-26.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.71 TZS 1,870

$2.10 TZS 5,510

-66.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 TZS 1,037

$0.76 TZS 1,991

-47.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 TZS 2,545

$0.80 TZS 2,106

21.25%

Eggs

$1.79 TZS 4,685

$2.67 TZS 6,996

-32.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 TZS 24.1K

$7.36 TZS 19.3K

25.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 TZS 11.6K

$2.22 TZS 5,821

98.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.71 TZS 9,723

$5.91 TZS 15.5K

-37.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 TZS 2,992

$2.77 TZS 7,243

-58.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 TZS 1,464

$1.11 TZS 2,910

-49.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 TZS 1,452

$0.74 TZS 1,926

-25.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.37 TZS 969

$0.55 TZS 1,436

-32.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 TZS 1,884

$1.00 TZS 2,607

-28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 TZS 1,525

$1.53 TZS 4,017

-62.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 TZS 2,117

$0.80 TZS 2,088

1.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.25 TZS 648

$0.49 TZS 1,279

-48.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.49 TZS 3,909

$2.14 TZS 5,616

-30.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 TZS 13.0K

$9.40 TZS 24.6K

-47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 TZS 1,876

$1.53 TZS 4,018

-52.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 TZS 4,031

$1.28 TZS 3,365

20.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 TZS 747

$0.31 TZS 824

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.40 TZS 22.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 TZS 4,194

$3.72 TZS 9,745

-56.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 TZS 1,429

$0.78 TZS 2,047

-29.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.98 TZS 34.0K

$2.71 TZS 7,096

378.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 TZS 2,044

$1.25 TZS 3,282

-37.60%

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

$16.5K TZS 43.2M

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

$25.7K TZS 67.2M

$50.5K TZS 132.1M

-49.14%

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

$57.6 TZS 150.9K

$74.8 TZS 195.9K

-22.99%

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

$8.93 TZS 23.4K

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

-20.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.27 TZS 89.7K

$50.1 TZS 131.2K

-31.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.37 TZS 29.8K

$29.86 TZS 78.2K

-61.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.98 TZS 13.0K

$9.51 TZS 24.9K

-47.63%

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

$569 TZS 1.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,547 TZS 19.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.33 TZS 19.2K

$12.91 TZS 33.8K

-43.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.55 TZS 66.9K

$16.77 TZS 43.9K

52.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.56 TZS 116.7K

$15.19 TZS 39.8K

193.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$18.99 TZS 49.7K

$13.00 TZS 34.1K

46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$75.2 TZS 197.1K

$152 TZS 399.2K

-50.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 TZS 262.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$189 TZS 493.7K

$202 TZS 527.8K

-6.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.9 TZS 248.4K

$150 TZS 393.6K

-36.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$37.9K TZS 99.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.2K TZS 29.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$306 TZS 800.9K

$320 TZS 839.3K

-4.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

82.50%

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

Last update for Morogoro: October 25, 2026

Last update for Zanzibar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Morogoro

$122 32.7%

Zanzibar

$164 28.2% 34% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Morogoro

$101 27%

Zanzibar

$136 23.4% 35.1% $35

Eating Out

Morogoro

$72 19.4%

Zanzibar

$97 16.7% 34.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Morogoro

$43 11.6%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 40% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Morogoro

$21 5.7%

Zanzibar

$49 8.4% 129% $28

Getting Around

Morogoro

$14 3.7%

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5% 35.9% $5

Accommodation & Living

Morogoro

- * 0%

Zanzibar

$100 17.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $75 in Morogoro versus $152 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 5% higher in Zanzibar, 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 in Morogoro versus $22 in Zanzibar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $122 vs $164 – making Morogoro the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Morogoro

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

Same time as Morogoro

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

471,409

709,809

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.42 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Morogoro Zanzibar 180 km

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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

Morogoro vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zanzibar costs about 55% more than Morogoro, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $561 per month in Morogoro and $871 in Zanzibar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Morogoro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $75 there versus $152 in Zanzibar.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $374 in Morogoro and $581 in Zanzibar. That makes Morogoro about 36% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Zanzibar, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $374 in Morogoro and $581 in Zanzibar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Zanzibar has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $374 in Morogoro to $581 in Zanzibar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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