Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $582 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$582

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zanzibar and in Bansko

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 Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $582 per month in Zanzibar vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Zanzibar $582
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $866 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Zanzibar $866
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,150 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Zanzibar $1,150
Bansko $1,989

Zanzibar is about 40% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zanzibar and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Zanzibar 57% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 TZS 12.2K

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-47.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.37 TZS 56.3K

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-52.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 TZS 15.3K

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-34.87%

Cappuccino

$2.23 TZS 5,884

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-4.29%

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

$0.62 TZS 1,643

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-58.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 TZS 875

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-60.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 TZS 4,868

$1.75 BGN 3.05

5.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 TZS 7,090

$2.01 BGN 3.49

33.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 TZS 5,346

$1.72 BGN 3.00

18.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 TZS 2,025

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-10.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 TZS 2,073

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-45.89%

Eggs

$2.79 TZS 7,363

$2.33 BGN 4.06

19.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 TZS 19.7K

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-21.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 TZS 6,068

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-63.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.22 TZS 16.4K

$8.64 BGN 15.04

-28.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 TZS 7,329

$1.32 BGN 2.29

110.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 TZS 3,066

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-29.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 TZS 1,966

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-56.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 TZS 1,550

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-69.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 TZS 2,477

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-1.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 TZS 3,879

$0.72 BGN 1.26

104.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 TZS 1,926

$0.55 BGN 0.96

32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 TZS 1,177

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-23.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 TZS 5,705

$3.33 BGN 5.79

-34.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 TZS 24.7K

$5.08 BGN 8.84

84.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 TZS 4,030

$1.12 BGN 1.95

36.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 TZS 3,436

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-24.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 826

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-65.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 TZS 10.0K

$1.64 BGN 2.85

131.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 TZS 1,945

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-18.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 TZS 7,124

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-73.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 TZS 3,338

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-15.33%

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

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

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

$50.3K TZS 132.7M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

137.08%

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

$73.0 TZS 192.2K

$92.5 BGN 161

-21.14%

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

$11.14 TZS 29.4K

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-23.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.10 TZS 129.4K

$12.13 BGN 21.11

304.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.01 TZS 76.5K

$31.84 BGN 55.4

-8.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 TZS 25.5K

$5.51 BGN 9.59

75.32%

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

$227 BGN 395

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,021

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.86 TZS 33.9K

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-57.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.32 TZS 45.6K

$18.95 BGN 32.97

-8.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.28 TZS 40.3K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

-66.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.18 TZS 34.7K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-72.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$151 TZS 398.0K

$510 BGN 887

-70.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 TZS 265.6K

$364 BGN 634

-72.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 TZS 519.1K

$624 BGN 1,085

-68.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 TZS 388.0K

$566 BGN 985

-73.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$38.2K TZS 100.6M

$1,166 BGN 2,028

3174.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K TZS 29.7M

$969 BGN 1,686

1062.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$314 TZS 826.3K

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-81.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

234.45%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$165 28.3%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 17.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$133 22.9%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 10.5% $14

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$101 17.3%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 261% $263

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$100 17.2%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 47.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$48 8.3%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 11.3% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 145% $38

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.8 * 1.5%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 321% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $151 in Zanzibar versus $510 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bansko are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Zanzibar versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $193 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

01:57 1:57 AM

00:57 12:57 AM

1 h behind Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

8,000

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.38 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2,635 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD). 1 EUR = 2,958 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.38 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zanzibar Bansko 5,570 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Zanzibar
Bansko

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 Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $582 in Zanzibar, $968 in Bansko – Zanzibar comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $873 per month in Zanzibar and $1,452 in Bansko. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $151 there versus $510 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Zanzibar and $45 in Bansko. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $582 in Zanzibar and $968 in Bansko. That makes Zanzibar about 40% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $582, than in Bansko at $968. In Zanzibar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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