Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Bagamoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bagamoyo: $383 a month against $581 in Zanzibar, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Bagamoyo
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Bagamoyo Living Index

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Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$581

/mo nomad

Bagamoyo

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zanzibar and in Bagamoyo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $581 in Zanzibar versus $383 in Bagamoyo.

Zanzibar $581
Bagamoyo $383

Estimated couple costs with rent: $865 in Zanzibar versus $643 in Bagamoyo.

Zanzibar $865
Bagamoyo $643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,150 in Zanzibar versus $904 in Bagamoyo.

Zanzibar $1,150
Bagamoyo $904

Living in Zanzibar is roughly 52% more expensive than in Bagamoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zanzibar 57% lower, Bagamoyo 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 TZS 12.1K

$1.84 TZS 4,831

151.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.81 TZS 57.1K

$11.34 TZS 29.7K

92.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 TZS 14.5K

$7.69 TZS 20.1K

-27.83%

Cappuccino

$2.11 TZS 5,519

$1.90 TZS 4,985

11.05%

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

$0.58 TZS 1,532

$0.33 TZS 856

75.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 TZS 804

$0.19 TZS 486

63.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 TZS 4,875

$0.95 TZS 2,487

95.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 TZS 6,869

$1.91 TZS 5,011

37.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 TZS 5,510

$0.76 TZS 1,993

176.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 TZS 1,991

$0.57 TZS 1,490

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 TZS 2,106

$0.36 TZS 956

122.22%

Eggs

$2.67 TZS 6,996

$2.02 TZS 5,301

32.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.36 TZS 19.3K

$9.14 TZS 23.9K

-19.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.22 TZS 5,821

$4.85 TZS 12.7K

-54.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.91 TZS 15.5K

$3.96 TZS 10.4K

49.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 TZS 7,243

$2.53 TZS 6,613

9.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 TZS 2,910

$0.92 TZS 2,411

20.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 TZS 1,926

$1.03 TZS 2,686

-28.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 TZS 1,436

$0.59 TZS 1,544

-6.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 TZS 2,607

$0.31 TZS 816

222.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 TZS 4,017

$0.29 TZS 754

427.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 TZS 2,088

$0.85 TZS 2,230

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 TZS 1,279

$0.37 TZS 969

32.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.14 TZS 5,616

$2.14 TZS 5,596

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 TZS 24.6K

$7.00 TZS 18.3K

34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 TZS 4,018

$0.94 TZS 2,468

62.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 TZS 3,365

$1.57 TZS 4,111

-18.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 824

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 TZS 9,745

$1.64 TZS 4,295

126.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 TZS 2,047

$1.48 TZS 3,885

-47.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 TZS 7,096

$13.09 TZS 34.3K

-79.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 TZS 3,282

$1.37 TZS 3,596

-8.76%

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

$16.4K TZS 43.0M

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

$50.5K TZS 132.1M

$26.2K TZS 68.5M

92.83%

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

$74.8 TZS 195.9K

$56.4 TZS 147.7K

32.62%

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

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

$4.77 TZS 12.5K

136.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 TZS 131.2K

$22.90 TZS 60.0K

118.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 TZS 78.2K

Cinema Ticket

$9.51 TZS 24.9K

$4.96 TZS 13.0K

91.73%

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

$560 TZS 1.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K TZS 34.5M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.91 TZS 33.8K

$15.73 TZS 41.2K

-17.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.77 TZS 43.9K

$25.76 TZS 67.5K

-34.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.19 TZS 39.8K

$44.02 TZS 115.3K

-65.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.00 TZS 34.1K

$60.0 TZS 157.0K

-78.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 TZS 399.2K

$57.3 TZS 150.1K

165.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 TZS 262.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$202 TZS 527.8K

$231 TZS 604.3K

-12.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 TZS 393.6K

$111 TZS 290.7K

35.40%

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)

$320 TZS 839.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.25

-45.21%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bagamoyo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$164 28.2%

Bagamoyo

$143 37.3% 12.8% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$136 23.4%

Bagamoyo

$84 22% 38.3% $52

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$100 17.2%

Bagamoyo

- * 0% 100%

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$97 16.7%

Bagamoyo

$71 18.6% 26.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$49 8.4%

Bagamoyo

$9.9 * 2.6% 79.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.5%

Bagamoyo

$65 17.1% 151% $39

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5%

Bagamoyo

$9.1 * 2.4% 1.9% $0.2

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 $152 in Zanzibar and $57 in Bagamoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $22 in Zanzibar vs $11 in Bagamoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $164 vs $143 per month, with Bagamoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Bagamoyo

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

Same time as Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

55,000

💱 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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Zanzibar Bagamoyo 45 km

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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

Zanzibar vs Bagamoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bagamoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Zanzibar. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bagamoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $871 in Zanzibar and $574 in Bagamoyo to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $152 in Zanzibar versus $57 in Bagamoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $581 per month in Zanzibar versus $383 in Bagamoyo – Bagamoyo is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Zanzibar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Bagamoyo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.