Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam

🙂 Solo nomad: Zanzibar is 38.4% cheaper than Dar es Salaam without rent, and 48.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Zanzibar is 23.5% cheaper than Dar es Salaam without rent, and 50.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.80 TZS 12.5K
$2.86 TZS 7,441
67.83%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.36 TZS 58.3K
$19.21 TZS 50.1K
16.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.67 TZS 14.8K
$7.50 TZS 19.5K
-24.40%
Cappuccino
$2.25 TZS 5,859
$2.03 TZS 5,278
10.84%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 TZS 1,566
$0.38 TZS 996
57.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 TZS 862
$0.22 TZS 573
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.96 TZS 5,096
$1.04 TZS 2,715
88.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 TZS 6,874
$1.89 TZS 4,927
39.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 TZS 4,668
$1.03 TZS 2,675
73.79%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 TZS 1,894
$0.82 TZS 2,128
-10.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.88 TZS 2,287
$1.10 TZS 2,856
-20.00%
Eggs
$2.88 TZS 7,514
$1.99 TZS 5,181
44.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$9.47 TZS 24.7K
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.28 TZS 5,947
$5.72 TZS 14.9K
-60.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.67 TZS 12.2K
$4.38 TZS 11.4K
6.62%
Apples (1kg)
$2.83 TZS 7,375
$2.53 TZS 6,595
11.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.19 TZS 3,110
$1.05 TZS 2,743
13.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.79 TZS 2,053
$1.01 TZS 2,629
-21.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.61 TZS 1,584
$1.08 TZS 2,814
-43.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 TZS 2,646
$0.88 TZS 2,300
15.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 TZS 4,078
$1.52 TZS 3,964
2.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.74 TZS 1,921
$0.91 TZS 2,361
-18.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 TZS 1,287
$0.44 TZS 1,146
11.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.02 TZS 5,263
$2.08 TZS 5,429
-2.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.48 TZS 24.7K
$6.39 TZS 16.7K
48.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 TZS 4,563
$0.95 TZS 2,464
84.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 TZS 3,465
$1.62 TZS 4,232
-17.90%
🚌 Getting Around
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 TZS 1,589
$0.26 TZS 681
134.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$17.38 TZS 45.3K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.44 TZS 3,746
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.52 TZS 3,959
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.79 TZS 7,263
$13.65 TZS 35.6K
-79.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 TZS 3,017
$1.20 TZS 3,116
-3.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$17.0K TZS 44.2M
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$17.0K TZS 44.3M
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$97.3 TZS 253.5K
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.46 TZS 27.3K
$10.61 TZS 27.7K
-1.41%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.01 TZS 60.0K
$31.58 TZS 82.3K
-27.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.50 TZS 56.0K
$93.3 TZS 243.2K
-76.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$4.78 TZS 12.5K
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.58 TZS 25.0K
$4.74 TZS 12.4K
102.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$257 TZS 669.6K
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$19.2K TZS 50.0M
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.56 TZS 35.3K
$25.83 TZS 67.3K
-47.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.17 TZS 44.7K
$42.38 TZS 110.4K
-59.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$15.27 TZS 39.8K
$45.98 TZS 119.8K
-66.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$13.50 TZS 35.2K
$83.9 TZS 218.7K
-83.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$149 TZS 389.0K
$589 TZS 1.5M
-74.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$99.8 TZS 260.1K
$259 TZS 674.6K
-61.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$200 TZS 521.7K
$1,304 TZS 3.4M
-84.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$147 TZS 383.2K
$644 TZS 1.7M
-77.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$37.8K TZS 98.4M
$1,534 TZS 4.0M
2361.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.5K TZS 30.1M
$1,101 TZS 2.9M
947.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zanzibar
Dar es Salaam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$321 TZS 836.7K
$272 TZS 709.8K
17.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
19.67
-49.16%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: April 12, 2026

Last update for Dar es Salaam: April 11, 2026

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

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