Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $579 a month against $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Zanzibar
🇹🇿 Tanzania
$579
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,270
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zanzibar and in Tbilisi

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

A single person spends $579 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,270 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Zanzibar $579
  • Tbilisi $1,270

A couple spends around $864 per month in Zanzibar vs $2,008 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Zanzibar $864
  • Tbilisi $2,008

A family of three spends $1,148 per month in Zanzibar vs $2,745 in Tbilisi, rent included.

  • Zanzibar $1,148
  • Tbilisi $2,745

Zanzibar is about 54% cheaper than Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Zanzibar and Tbilisi are more affordable than the global median – Zanzibar 57% lower, Tbilisi 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.70 TZS 12.3K
$11.51 ₾29.79
-59.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.08 TZS 57.8K
$38.27 ₾99.1
-42.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 TZS 14.6K
$9.80 ₾25.36
-42.96%
Cappuccino
$2.20 TZS 5,769
$3.55 ₾9.19
-38.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 TZS 1,520
$1.06 ₾2.74
-45.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 TZS 776
$0.62 ₾1.60
-51.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.86 TZS 4,879
$2.76 ₾7.16
-32.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 TZS 6,764
$3.00 ₾7.77
-14.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.11 TZS 5,521
$2.16 ₾5.59
-2.31%
White Bread (500g)
$0.71 TZS 1,859
$0.76 ₾1.96
-6.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.79 TZS 2,058
$1.74 ₾4.51
-54.60%
Eggs
$2.71 TZS 7,092
$2.79 ₾7.21
-2.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.58 TZS 19.9K
$9.20 ₾23.83
-17.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.21 TZS 5,776
$6.53 ₾16.89
-66.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.87 TZS 15.4K
$12.81 ₾33.17
-54.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 TZS 7,271
$1.67 ₾4.31
66.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.15 TZS 3,001
$1.85 ₾4.79
-37.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.78 TZS 2,050
$1.98 ₾5.13
-60.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.55 TZS 1,428
$2.51 ₾6.49
-78.09%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 TZS 2,351
$0.87 ₾2.26
3.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 TZS 4,063
$0.73 ₾1.89
112.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 TZS 2,003
$1.42 ₾3.67
-46.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 TZS 1,274
$0.72 ₾1.88
-31.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.08 TZS 5,445
$3.38 ₾8.74
-38.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.55 TZS 25.0K
$7.84 ₾20.31
21.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 TZS 3,921
$1.62 ₾4.19
-7.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 TZS 3,536
$2.38 ₾6.15
-43.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 TZS 825
$0.37 ₾0.96
-16.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$15.52 ₾40.16
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 TZS 9,672
$1.14 ₾2.94
223.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.73 TZS 1,920
$0.79 ₾2.05
-7.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.66 TZS 6,964
$11.57 ₾29.96
-77.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 TZS 3,180
$1.50 ₾3.87
-19.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$24.6K ₾63.7K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$48.9K TZS 128.1M
$22.4K ₾57.9K
118.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.3 TZS 194.6K
$88.3 ₾228
-15.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.29 TZS 29.6K
$13.08 ₾33.86
-13.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.43 TZS 126.8K
$19.53 ₾50.6
147.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.77 TZS 75.3K
$64.2 ₾166
-55.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$19.18 ₾49.66
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.26 TZS 24.3K
$6.99 ₾18.10
32.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$373 ₾966
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$10.7K ₾27.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.12 TZS 34.3K
$103 ₾266
-87.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.88 TZS 44.2K
$40.48 ₾105
-58.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$15.05 TZS 39.4K
$116 ₾301
-87.06%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$13.05 TZS 34.2K
$122 ₾316
-89.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$147 TZS 385.1K
$677 ₾1,753
-78.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$100 TZS 262.1K
$454 ₾1,176
-77.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$198 TZS 518.2K
$1,277 ₾3,305
-84.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$148 TZS 388.8K
$890 ₾2,304
-83.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$37.8K TZS 99.1M
$2,410 ₾6,238
1470.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.5K TZS 30.1M
$1,418 ₾3,670
711.86%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Zanzibar
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$312 TZS 816.7K
$703 ₾1,819
-55.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10
12.62
-20.76%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Zanzibar
$164
Tbilisi
$233 41.9% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Zanzibar
$134
Tbilisi
$121 9.8% $13
Accommodation & Living
Zanzibar
$100
Tbilisi
$454 354% $354
Eating Out
Zanzibar
$99
Tbilisi
$191 93% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Zanzibar
$47
Tbilisi
$78 65.3% $31
Clothing & Footwear
Zanzibar
$26
Tbilisi
$172 556% $145
Getting Around
Zanzibar
$8.6 *
Tbilisi
$22 156% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $147 in Zanzibar versus $677 in Tbilisi. 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 125% higher in Tbilisi, 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 $38.00 in Tbilisi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $233 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇿 Zanzibar
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
14:11 2:11 PM
15:11 3:11 PM
1 h ahead of Zanzibar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
709,809
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,944 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Zanzibar Tbilisi 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Zanzibar
  • Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Zanzibar and in Tbilisi compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $579 in Zanzibar, $1,270 in Tbilisi – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Zanzibar compared to Tbilisi?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $869 per month in Zanzibar and $1,906 in Tbilisi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Zanzibar and Tbilisi?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Zanzibar and $38.00 in Tbilisi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Zanzibar or Tbilisi?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $579 in Zanzibar and $1,270 in Tbilisi. That's a gap of about 119%.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Tbilisi at $1,270. In Zanzibar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tbilisi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Zanzibar and Tbilisi?
It depends on your priorities. Tbilisi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $579 in Zanzibar to $1,270 in Tbilisi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Zanzibar or Tbilisi safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Zanzibar and Tbilisi?
If budget matters most, go with Zanzibar. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tbilisi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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