Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $577 a month against $1,538 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$577

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,538

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zanzibar and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $577 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,538 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zanzibar $577
Belgrade $1,538

A couple spends around $857 per month in Zanzibar vs $2,321 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zanzibar $857
Belgrade $2,321

A family of three spends $1,137 per month in Zanzibar vs $3,105 in Belgrade, rent included.

Zanzibar $1,137
Belgrade $3,105

Zanzibar is about 62% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Zanzibar sits 57% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.78 TZS 12.5K

$13.33 RSD 1,389

-64.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.74 TZS 57.0K

$58.4 RSD 6,085

-62.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.54 TZS 14.5K

$13.58 RSD 1,414

-59.20%

Cappuccino

$2.21 TZS 5,810

$3.13 RSD 326

-29.39%

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

$0.60 TZS 1,568

$2.77 RSD 288

-78.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 TZS 874

$2.27 RSD 237

-85.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 TZS 4,999

$3.75 RSD 390

-49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 TZS 7,135

$4.38 RSD 456

-37.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 TZS 5,357

$1.40 RSD 146

45.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 TZS 1,902

$1.17 RSD 122

-38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 TZS 2,185

$2.71 RSD 282

-69.37%

Eggs

$2.68 TZS 7,044

$2.78 RSD 289

-3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.54 TZS 19.8K

$11.36 RSD 1,184

-33.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.21 TZS 5,803

$7.01 RSD 731

-68.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.12 TZS 16.1K

$15.72 RSD 1,638

-61.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 TZS 7,493

$1.66 RSD 173

72.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 TZS 2,918

$1.81 RSD 188

-38.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 TZS 1,967

$1.83 RSD 190

-59.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 TZS 1,556

$3.13 RSD 326

-81.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 TZS 2,581

$0.88 RSD 91.3

11.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 TZS 3,871

$0.67 RSD 70.3

120.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 TZS 1,960

$0.81 RSD 84.4

-7.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 TZS 1,283

$0.68 RSD 70.9

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 TZS 5,403

$4.78 RSD 498

-56.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.28 TZS 24.4K

$8.54 RSD 889

8.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 TZS 4,043

$0.94 RSD 97.7

63.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 TZS 3,428

$1.44 RSD 150

-9.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 817

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 TZS 9,701

$3.09 RSD 322

19.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 TZS 2,073

$1.02 RSD 107

-22.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 TZS 6,862

$17.18 RSD 1,789

-84.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 TZS 3,339

$1.87 RSD 195

-32.09%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

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

$48.8K TZS 128.0M

$24.3K RSD 2.5M

101.07%

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

$73.3 TZS 192.4K

$218 RSD 22.7K

-66.32%

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

$11.35 TZS 29.8K

$25.24 RSD 2,629

-55.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.97 TZS 131.1K

$35.35 RSD 3,683

41.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.66 TZS 77.8K

$41.77 RSD 4,351

-28.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.80 RSD 2,375

Cinema Ticket

$9.71 TZS 25.5K

$8.47 RSD 882

14.64%

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

$426 RSD 44.4K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K RSD 1.2M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.93 TZS 33.9K

$111 RSD 11.6K

-88.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.28 TZS 45.3K

$45.99 RSD 4,791

-62.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.25 TZS 40.0K

$119 RSD 12.4K

-87.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.08 TZS 34.3K

$154 RSD 16.0K

-91.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$149 TZS 389.9K

$821 RSD 85.6K

-81.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.0 TZS 259.8K

$561 RSD 58.4K

-82.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 TZS 528.4K

$1,511 RSD 157.4K

-86.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 TZS 393.4K

$942 RSD 98.1K

-84.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$37.6K TZS 98.6M

$5,312 RSD 553.4K

607.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

$3,165 RSD 329.7K

262.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 TZS 820.4K

$1,228 RSD 127.9K

-74.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.61

116.92%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$164 28.2%

Belgrade

$246 15.6% 49.8% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$135 23.1%

Belgrade

$278 17.6% 107% $144

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$100 17.2%

Belgrade

$233 14.7% 132% $133

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$99 17%

Belgrade

$561 35.5% 466% $462

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$49 8.4%

Belgrade

$59 3.7% 19.6% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.5%

Belgrade

$194 12.3% 635% $167

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5%

Belgrade

$8.2 * 0.5% 7.6% $0.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $149 in Zanzibar versus $821 in Belgrade. 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 293% higher in Belgrade, 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 $22.00 in Zanzibar versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $246 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

1 h behind Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,943 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.6 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zanzibar Belgrade 5,970 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Zanzibar
Belgrade

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 Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $577 in Zanzibar, $1,538 in Belgrade – roughly 167% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $865 per month in Zanzibar and $2,307 in Belgrade. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Zanzibar and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $577 in Zanzibar and $1,538 in Belgrade. That's a gap of about 167%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $577, than in Belgrade at $1,538. In Zanzibar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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