Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehran and Zanzibar

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $579 a month against $633 in Tehran, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tehran outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

31

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
Learn more

Zanzibar Living Index

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Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$633

/mo nomad

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$579

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $633 per month in Tehran vs $579 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Tehran $633
Zanzibar $579

A couple spends around $1,074 per month in Tehran vs $864 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Tehran $1,074
Zanzibar $864

A family of three spends $1,515 per month in Tehran vs $1,148 in Zanzibar, rent included.

Tehran $1,515
Zanzibar $1,148

Tehran costs about 9% more than Zanzibar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tehran and Zanzibar are more affordable than the global median – Tehran 53% lower, Zanzibar 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.77 $3.77

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

-19.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.66 $17.66

$22.08 TZS 57.8K

-20.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 $3.90

$5.59 TZS 14.6K

-30.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cappuccino

$1.34 $1.34

$2.20 TZS 5,769

-39.09%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$0.58 TZS 1,520

-15.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.30 TZS 776

466.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 TZS 4,879

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 TZS 6,764

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 $0.66

$2.11 TZS 5,521

-68.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 $0.60

$0.71 TZS 1,859

-15.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$0.79 TZS 2,058

331.65%

Eggs

$1.24 $1.24

$2.71 TZS 7,092

-54.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$7.58 TZS 19.9K

-42.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$2.21 TZS 5,776

50.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.23 $10.23

$5.87 TZS 15.4K

74.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 $1.32

$2.78 TZS 7,271

-52.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 $1.87

$1.15 TZS 3,001

62.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.14 $1.14

$0.78 TZS 2,050

46.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 $0.68

$0.55 TZS 1,428

23.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 $0.59

$0.90 TZS 2,351

-34.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.55 TZS 4,063

-67.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 $0.57

$0.76 TZS 2,003

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$0.49 TZS 1,274

-42.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 $2.44

$2.08 TZS 5,445

17.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.55 TZS 25.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 TZS 3,921

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 TZS 3,536

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.09 $0.09

$0.31 TZS 825

-70.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 $5.39

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 $0.52

$3.69 TZS 9,672

-85.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.73 TZS 1,920

-57.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.66 TZS 6,964

12.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.21 TZS 3,180

-92.56%

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

$50.1K $50.1K

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

$46.2K $46.2K

$48.9K TZS 128.1M

-5.60%

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

$12.77 $12.77

$74.3 TZS 194.6K

-82.82%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

-85.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.74 $3.74

$48.43 TZS 126.8K

-92.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.64 $24.64

$28.77 TZS 75.3K

-14.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 $13.67

Cinema Ticket

$2.02 $2.02

$9.26 TZS 24.3K

-78.19%

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

$107 $107

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,597 $2,597

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.72 $26.72

$13.12 TZS 34.3K

103.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.79 $37.79

$16.88 TZS 44.2K

123.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 $114

$15.05 TZS 39.4K

659.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.6 $76.6

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

486.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 $418

$147 TZS 385.1K

184.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$271 $271

$100 TZS 262.1K

170.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$967 $967

$198 TZS 518.2K

388.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 $627

$148 TZS 388.8K

322.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,279 $1,279

$37.8K TZS 99.1M

-96.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$728 $728

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

-93.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$213 $213

$312 TZS 816.7K

-31.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

147.90%

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

Last update for Tehran: 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

Tehran

$271 42.8%

Zanzibar

$100 17.3% 63% $171

Groceries & Markets

Tehran

$126 19.9%

Zanzibar

$164 28.3% 30.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Tehran

$115 18.2%

Zanzibar

$26 4.5% 77.2% $89

Eating Out

Tehran

$67 10.5%

Zanzibar

$99 17.1% 48.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Tehran

$29 4.5%

Zanzibar

$47 8.2% 64.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tehran

$18 2.9%

Zanzibar

$134 23.2% 639% $116

Getting Around

Tehran

$7.8 1.2%

Zanzibar

$8.6 * 1.5% 10.1% $0.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Tehran versus $147 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 47% higher in Zanzibar, 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 $18.00 in Tehran versus $22.00 in Zanzibar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $164 – making Tehran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Tehran

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🕒 Local time

20:26 8:26 PM

19:56 7:56 PM

30 min behind Tehran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000,000 Capital

709,809

💱 Currency

USD USD

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

TZS to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Tehran Zanzibar 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Tehran
Zanzibar

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tehran vs Zanzibar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tehran is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $949 per month in Tehran and $869 in Zanzibar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Tehran – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Tehran and $22.00 in Zanzibar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $633 in Tehran and $579 in Zanzibar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Zanzibar – 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 Zanzibar. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tehran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.