Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $581 a month against $707 in Dar es Salaam, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Dar es Salaam
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Dar es Salaam Living Index

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Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$581

/mo nomad

Dar es Salaam

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zanzibar and in Dar es Salaam

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 Dar es Salaam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $581 per month in Zanzibar vs $707 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Zanzibar $581
Dar es Salaam $707

A couple spends around $866 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,121 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Zanzibar $866
Dar es Salaam $1,121

A family of three spends $1,151 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,535 in Dar es Salaam, rent included.

Zanzibar $1,151
Dar es Salaam $1,535

Zanzibar is about 18% cheaper than Dar es Salaam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam are more affordable than the global median – Zanzibar 57% lower, Dar es Salaam 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 TZS 12.2K

$1.93 TZS 5,066

141.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.44 TZS 56.1K

$19.16 TZS 50.2K

11.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.52 TZS 14.4K

$7.60 TZS 19.9K

-27.37%

Cappuccino

$2.15 TZS 5,632

$2.02 TZS 5,285

6.44%

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

$0.60 TZS 1,560

$0.37 TZS 975

62.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 TZS 807

$0.22 TZS 577

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 TZS 5,005

$0.94 TZS 2,452

103.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 TZS 6,900

$1.94 TZS 5,091

35.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 TZS 5,377

$0.81 TZS 2,121

153.09%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 TZS 1,900

$0.62 TZS 1,616

17.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 TZS 2,181

$1.09 TZS 2,861

-23.85%

Eggs

$2.70 TZS 7,065

$2.04 TZS 5,343

32.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.62 TZS 20.0K

$9.31 TZS 24.4K

-18.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 TZS 6,016

$4.77 TZS 12.5K

-51.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.14 TZS 16.1K

$3.98 TZS 10.4K

54.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 TZS 7,401

$2.50 TZS 6,544

13.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 TZS 2,936

$1.07 TZS 2,801

4.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 TZS 1,898

$1.04 TZS 2,724

-30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 TZS 1,564

$0.92 TZS 2,418

-34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 TZS 2,434

$0.95 TZS 2,491

-2.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 TZS 4,030

$1.03 TZS 2,702

49.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 TZS 1,935

$0.81 TZS 2,114

-8.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 TZS 1,172

$0.38 TZS 1,002

18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.15 TZS 5,643

$2.09 TZS 5,477

2.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 TZS 24.6K

$7.04 TZS 18.4K

33.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 TZS 3,893

$0.87 TZS 2,272

71.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 TZS 3,433

$1.58 TZS 4,138

-17.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 TZS 749

$0.26 TZS 681

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.62 TZS 38.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.78 TZS 9,895

$1.61 TZS 4,227

134.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 TZS 1,897

$1.49 TZS 3,907

-51.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 TZS 6,768

$13.34 TZS 34.9K

-80.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 TZS 3,210

$1.42 TZS 3,727

-13.38%

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

$17.1K TZS 44.8M

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

$48.9K TZS 128.0M

$26.4K TZS 69.2M

84.87%

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

$75.4 TZS 197.5K

$56.9 TZS 149.1K

32.47%

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

$11.30 TZS 29.6K

$9.17 TZS 24.0K

23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.16 TZS 128.7K

$33.48 TZS 87.7K

46.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.18 TZS 76.4K

$85.9 TZS 224.9K

-66.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.07 TZS 26.4K

Cinema Ticket

$9.68 TZS 25.3K

$5.05 TZS 13.2K

91.68%

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

$565 TZS 1.5M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K TZS 34.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

$15.27 TZS 40.0K

-14.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.26 TZS 45.2K

$25.42 TZS 66.6K

-32.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.13 TZS 39.6K

$44.19 TZS 115.7K

-65.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.42 TZS 35.2K

$59.5 TZS 155.7K

-77.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$153 TZS 400.6K

$572 TZS 1.5M

-73.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$98.7 TZS 258.5K

$196 TZS 513.6K

-49.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 TZS 519.2K

$1,312 TZS 3.4M

-84.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 TZS 392.7K

$442 TZS 1.2M

-66.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$37.7K TZS 98.8M

$1,556 TZS 4.1M

2323.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K TZS 29.5M

$1,069 TZS 2.8M

952.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$312 TZS 818.4K

$276 TZS 722.7K

13.24%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Dar es Salaam: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$164 28.3%

Dar es Salaam

$153 21.6% 7.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$136 23.4%

Dar es Salaam

$100 14.1% 26.7% $36

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$99 17%

Dar es Salaam

$196 27.7% 98.6% $97

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$98 16.9%

Dar es Salaam

$73 10.4% 25.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$49 8.4%

Dar es Salaam

$96 13.6% 97.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.6%

Dar es Salaam

$65 9.2% 145% $38

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.5 * 1.5%

Dar es Salaam

$25 3.5% 190% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $153 in Zanzibar versus $572 in Dar es Salaam. 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 13% 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 $21.00 in Zanzibar versus $19.00 in Dar es Salaam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $153 – making Dar es Salaam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Dar es Salaam

🕒 Local time

04:24 4:24 AM

Same time as Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

5,383,728

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Zanzibar Dar es Salaam 73 km

From you

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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 Dar es Salaam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dar es Salaam is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $871 per month in Zanzibar and $1,061 in Dar es Salaam. 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 8% cheaper in Dar es Salaam – 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 $21.00 in Zanzibar and $19.00 in Dar es Salaam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $581, than in Dar es Salaam at $707. In Zanzibar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dar es Salaam 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.

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