Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $577 in Zanzibar, rent and utilities included – about $680 less a year. The total is higher in Zanzibar despite lower rent and utilities.

28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
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Delhi Living Index

Jump to prices

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$577

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zanzibar and in Delhi

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

A single person spends $577 per month in Zanzibar vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Zanzibar $577
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $857 per month in Zanzibar vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Zanzibar $857
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $1,137 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Zanzibar $1,137
Delhi $1,195

Zanzibar costs about 11% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Zanzibar and Delhi are more affordable than the global median – Zanzibar 57% lower, Delhi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.78 TZS 12.5K

$3.67 ₹355

30.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.74 TZS 57.0K

$20.95 ₹2,027

3.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.54 TZS 14.5K

$3.74 ₹362

48.13%

Cappuccino

$2.21 TZS 5,810

$2.33 ₹226

-5.15%

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

$0.60 TZS 1,568

$0.37 ₹35.82

62.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 TZS 874

$0.20 ₹18.91

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 TZS 4,999

$2.02 ₹195

-5.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 TZS 7,135

$3.19 ₹308

-14.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 TZS 5,357

$0.68 ₹65.9

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 TZS 1,902

$0.52 ₹50.2

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 TZS 2,185

$0.83 ₹80.0

Eggs

$2.68 TZS 7,044

$1.07 ₹104

150.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.54 TZS 19.8K

$4.43 ₹428

70.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.21 TZS 5,803

$3.37 ₹326

-34.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.12 TZS 16.1K

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 TZS 7,493

$1.99 ₹192

43.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 TZS 2,918

$0.72 ₹70.1

54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 TZS 1,967

$1.02 ₹98.4

-26.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 TZS 1,556

$0.52 ₹50.1

13.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 TZS 2,581

$0.27 ₹25.96

262.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 TZS 3,871

$0.37 ₹35.42

300.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 TZS 1,960

$0.43 ₹41.64

74.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 TZS 1,283

$0.31 ₹30.39

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.06 TZS 5,403

$4.92 ₹476

-58.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.28 TZS 24.4K

$8.34 ₹808

11.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 TZS 4,043

$1.64 ₹159

-6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 TZS 3,428

$2.70 ₹261

-51.48%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 817

$0.46 ₹44.04

-32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₹1,480

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 TZS 9,701

$1.03 ₹99.8

259.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 TZS 2,073

$0.27 ₹26.38

192.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 TZS 6,862

$1.53 ₹148

71.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 TZS 3,339

$1.05 ₹102

20.95%

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

$10.5K ₹1.0M

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

$48.8K TZS 128.0M

$18.4K ₹1.8M

165.67%

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

$73.3 TZS 192.4K

$42.67 ₹4,129

71.83%

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

$11.35 TZS 29.8K

$4.04 ₹391

180.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.97 TZS 131.1K

$6.75 ₹653

640.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.66 TZS 77.8K

$19.40 ₹1,878

52.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 ₹780

Cinema Ticket

$9.71 TZS 25.5K

$5.08 ₹492

91.14%

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

$100 ₹9,696

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 ₹219.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.93 TZS 33.9K

$24.14 ₹2,336

-46.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.28 TZS 45.3K

$28.38 ₹2,747

-39.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.25 TZS 40.0K

$53.3 ₹5,160

-71.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.08 TZS 34.3K

$44.13 ₹4,271

-70.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$149 TZS 389.9K

$264 ₹25.5K

-43.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.0 TZS 259.8K

$154 ₹14.9K

-35.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 TZS 528.4K

$736 ₹71.2K

-72.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$150 TZS 393.4K

$397 ₹38.5K

-62.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$37.6K TZS 98.6M

$2,494 ₹241.4K

1406.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

$1,017 ₹98.4K

1027.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 TZS 820.4K

$585 ₹56.7K

-46.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.33

20.05%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: October 5, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$164 28.2%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 34.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$135 23.1%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 60.3% $81

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$100 17.2%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 12.8% $13

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$99 17%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 55.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$49 8.4%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 39.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.5%

Delhi

$67 13% 156% $41

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.9 * 1.5%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 120% $11

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 $264 in Delhi. 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 87% higher in Delhi, 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 $22.00 in Zanzibar versus $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

15:52 3:52 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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 = 2,940 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 108 INR (1,000 INR = 9.22 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zanzibar Delhi 5,620 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Zanzibar
Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $577 in Zanzibar, $520 in Delhi – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $865 per month in Zanzibar and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Delhi, 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 $21.00 in Delhi. 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 $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 11%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $577 in Zanzibar and $520 in Delhi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Delhi – 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 Delhi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zanzibar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.