Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $579 a month against $633 in Tehran, rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tehran outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
Learn more

Zanzibar Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
Learn more

Tehran Living Index

Jump to prices

Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$579

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zanzibar and in Tehran

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

A single person spends $579 per month in Zanzibar vs $633 in Tehran, rent included.

Zanzibar $579
Tehran $633

A couple spends around $864 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,074 in Tehran, rent included.

Zanzibar $864
Tehran $1,074

A family of three spends $1,148 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,515 in Tehran, rent included.

Zanzibar $1,148
Tehran $1,515

Zanzibar is about 8% cheaper than Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Zanzibar and Tehran are more affordable than the global median – Zanzibar 57% lower, Tehran 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.70 TZS 12.3K

$3.77 $3.77

24.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.08 TZS 57.8K

$17.66 $17.66

25.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 TZS 14.6K

$3.90 $3.90

43.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cappuccino

$2.20 TZS 5,769

$1.34 $1.34

64.18%

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

$0.58 TZS 1,520

$0.49 $0.49

18.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 TZS 776

$1.70 $1.70

-82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 TZS 4,879

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 TZS 6,764

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 TZS 5,521

$0.66 $0.66

219.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 TZS 1,859

$0.60 $0.60

18.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 TZS 2,058

$3.41 $3.41

-76.83%

Eggs

$2.71 TZS 7,092

$1.24 $1.24

118.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.58 TZS 19.9K

$4.34 $4.34

74.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.21 TZS 5,776

$3.33 $3.33

-33.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.87 TZS 15.4K

$10.23 $10.23

-42.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 TZS 7,271

$1.32 $1.32

110.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 TZS 3,001

$1.87 $1.87

-38.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 TZS 2,050

$1.14 $1.14

-31.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 TZS 1,428

$0.68 $0.68

-19.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 TZS 2,351

$0.59 $0.59

52.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 TZS 4,063

$0.51 $0.51

203.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 TZS 2,003

$0.57 $0.57

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 TZS 1,274

$0.28 $0.28

75.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.76 $0.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.08 TZS 5,445

$2.44 $2.44

-14.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.55 TZS 25.0K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 TZS 3,921

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 TZS 3,536

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 825

$0.09 $0.09

244.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 $5.39

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 TZS 9,672

$0.52 $0.52

609.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 TZS 1,920

$0.31 $0.31

135.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 TZS 6,964

$2.98 $2.98

-10.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 TZS 3,180

$0.09 $0.09

1244.44%

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

$50.1K $50.1K

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

$48.9K TZS 128.1M

$46.2K $46.2K

5.93%

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

$74.3 TZS 194.6K

$12.77 $12.77

481.91%

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

$11.29 TZS 29.6K

$1.63 $1.63

592.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.43 TZS 126.8K

$3.74 $3.74

1194.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.77 TZS 75.3K

$24.64 $24.64

16.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 $13.67

Cinema Ticket

$9.26 TZS 24.3K

$2.02 $2.02

358.42%

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

$107 $107

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,597 $2,597

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.12 TZS 34.3K

$26.72 $26.72

-50.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.88 TZS 44.2K

$37.79 $37.79

-55.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.05 TZS 39.4K

$114 $114

-86.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.05 TZS 34.2K

$76.6 $76.6

-82.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$147 TZS 385.1K

$418 $418

-64.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 TZS 262.1K

$271 $271

-63.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$198 TZS 518.2K

$967 $967

-79.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 TZS 388.8K

$627 $627

-76.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$37.8K TZS 99.1M

$1,279 $1,279

2858.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.5K TZS 30.1M

$728 $728

1481.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$312 TZS 816.7K

$213 $213

46.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

-59.66%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: October 18, 2026

Last update for Tehran: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$164 28.3%

Tehran

$126 19.9% 23.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$134 23.2%

Tehran

$18 2.9% 86.5% $116

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$100 17.3%

Tehran

$271 42.8% 171% $171

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$99 17.1%

Tehran

$67 10.5% 32.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$47 8.2%

Tehran

$29 4.5% 39.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.5%

Tehran

$115 18.2% 340% $89

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.6 * 1.5%

Tehran

$7.8 1.2% 9.2% $0.8

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 $418 in Tehran. 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 47% 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 $22.00 in Zanzibar versus $18.00 in Tehran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $126 – making Tehran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

14:05 2:05 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

30 min ahead of Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

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).

USD exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zanzibar Tehran 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Zanzibar
Tehran

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 Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tehran is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $869 per month in Zanzibar and $949 in Tehran. 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 30% cheaper in Tehran – 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 $22.00 in Zanzibar and $18.00 in Tehran. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $579 in Zanzibar and $633 in Tehran, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Tehran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.