Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Tanzania

Name: Tanzania
Address: TZ

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanzania: $624 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Tanzania
Learn more

Tanzania Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$624

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Tanzania

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Tanzania actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $624 in Tanzania, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Tanzania $624

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $949 in Tanzania, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Tanzania $949

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $1,274 in Tanzania, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Tanzania $1,274

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Tanzania ($39–$702), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 93% higher than in Tanzania on average.

Both South Africa and Tanzania are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Tanzania 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$2.30 TZS 6,048

363.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$18.58 TZS 48.9K

124.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$7.78 TZS 20.4K

-25.45%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$1.98 TZS 5,195

19.19%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$0.39 TZS 1,017

187.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.23 TZS 604

291.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$0.98 TZS 2,581

146.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$1.85 TZS 4,861

65.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$0.85 TZS 2,225

38.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$0.68 TZS 1,797

66.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.00 TZS 2,629

74.00%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$2.10 TZS 5,534

22.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$8.15 TZS 21.4K

3.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$4.29 TZS 11.3K

19.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$3.96 TZS 10.4K

91.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$2.23 TZS 5,862

-20.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.04 TZS 2,729

67.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$0.95 TZS 2,490

86.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$0.90 TZS 2,359

95.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$0.93 TZS 2,454

60.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.10 TZS 2,895

33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.66 TZS 1,741

86.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.41 TZS 1,072

168.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$1.91 TZS 5,011

69.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$5.54 TZS 14.6K

-9.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.04 TZS 2,733

44.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.47 TZS 3,854

31.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.27 TZS 712

448.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$14.69 TZS 38.6K

303.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.74 TZS 4,583

-37.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$1.50 TZS 3,931

-34.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$13.09 TZS 34.4K

-43.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.30 TZS 3,424

10.00%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$16.4K TZS 43.2M

114.65%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$25.2K TZS 66.2M

28.85%

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

$133 R 2,208

$54.0 TZS 142.0K

145.86%

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

$34.83 R 580

$9.89 TZS 26.0K

252.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$38.30 TZS 100.7K

3.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$63.9 TZS 167.9K

-48.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$7.47 TZS 19.6K

55.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$5.53 TZS 14.5K

29.84%

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

$224 R 3,728

$541 TZS 1.4M

-58.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$10.7K TZS 28.2M

-49.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$13.96 TZS 36.7K

288.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$21.41 TZS 56.3K

59.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$31.59 TZS 83.0K

223.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$41.64 TZS 109.5K

112.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$420 TZS 1.1M

17.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$154 TZS 404.2K

158.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$719 TZS 1.9M

31.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$275 TZS 722.8K

200.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$1,575 TZS 4.1M

-30.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$1,083 TZS 2.8M

-29.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$248 TZS 651.1K

506.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

14.5

-22.55%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tanzania: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Tanzania

$154 24.6% 61.3% $244

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Tanzania

$102 16.4% 50.7% $105

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Tanzania

$143 22.9% 27.1% $53

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Tanzania

$77 12.3% 51.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Tanzania

$49 7.8% 61.1% $77

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Tanzania

$25 4% 64.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Tanzania

$75 12% 58% $28

Cost Breakdown

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $235 in Tanzania. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 118% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 105% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 336% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 6.3 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇹🇿 Tanzania

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

12:45 12:45 PM

1 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

57,310,019

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2,629 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD). 1 EUR = 2,926 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.42 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Tanzania 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Tanzania

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

South Africa vs Tanzania: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tanzania is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $422 versus $194 in Tanzania.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Tanzania, adding to the overall 93% price gap.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Tanzania, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Tanzania is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.