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Dar es Salaam Prices & Cost of Living 2026
Tanzania · Big city · coast — Dar es Salaam is about 82% cheaper than New York. Not just exchange rates: what a fair price is, where it turns into a rip-off, and what that means in your money.
Dar es Salaam prices at a glance
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Dar es Salaam travel difficulty
Bajaj and taxi fares are haggled; Bolt gives a fixed price
Daily life runs in Swahili; English in hotels and business
Bolt is easy; DART rapid buses and SGR trains; heavy traffic
Cash and mobile money; cards at malls/hotels, often surcharged
Snatch thefts and home invasions reported; don't walk at night
Good to knowUse Bolt for fixed fares and keep phones away from open car windows
Handy apps: Bolt
Visas depend on your passport, so they are not scored. Felt different on the ground? Tell other travelers below. Travel difficulty in the Middle East & Africa › Difficulty ranking for 502 cities ›
In your money
Dar es Salaam is about 82% cheaper than New York
Based on 8 things travelers buy most, compared with New York. Each pair of bars is the same purchase in both cities, converted to your currency. Set your own city and currency in “My basis” above.
Dar es Salaam in numbers
- 🍜33 local meals
- ☕48 coffees
- 🍺66 beers
- 🚕26 5-km taxi rides
- 💆6.6 h of massage
- 🏨1.6 hotel nights
- Local meal2 h 31 min · New York 52 min
- Coffee1 h 44 min · New York 15 min
- Beer1 h 15 min · New York 23 min
- Taxi3 h 9 min · New York 59 min
- Haircut#18 cheapest
- SIM card#18 cheapest
- Bottled water#26 cheapest
- Hotel night#169 cheapest
- Taxi#167 cheapest
Dar es Salaam price guide & rip-off thresholds
Dar es Salaam travel budget
Per person per day, estimated. Flights and shopping not included.
See 4-day, 1-week and 1-month budget tables › · Plan a multi-city trip budget ›
How to spend money in Dar es Salaam
Live prices reported in Dar es Salaam
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FAQ
Is Dar es Salaam cheaper than New York?
Across 8 things travelers buy most (meals, coffee, beer, taxis, hotels…), Dar es Salaam is about 82% cheaper than New York. A local meal is about TSh 8,000 (≈ $3.03) and a coffee about TSh 5,500 (≈ $2.08).
How hard is Dar es Salaam to travel?
Averaging rip-offs, language, getting around, payments and safety, Dar es Salaam scores 3.0/5 — 'hard'. The main thing to watch is safety (4/5): Snatch thefts and home invasions reported; don't walk at night. Tip: Use Bolt for fixed fares and keep phones away from open car windows
Is Dar es Salaam good for first-time travelers?
It is doable, but go prepared (3.0/5). Safety: Snatch thefts and home invasions reported; don't walk at night. Tip: Use Bolt for fixed fares and keep phones away from open car windows
What is a realistic daily budget for Dar es Salaam?
Mid-range (3-star hotel, local meals plus a dinner out, two taxi rides) is about $97.3 a day. Guesthouses and street food bring it to about $29.3; 4-star and restaurants push it to about $212.
How much does it cost to live in Dar es Salaam for a month?
A short-term studio (about $773) plus food, transport and a SIM (about $512) comes to roughly $1,284 a month. A local long-term lease (studio about TSh 900,000) brings it down a lot.
How much should a taxi cost in Dar es Salaam?
For 5 km in town, expect TSh 8,000 – TSh 16,000; anything above TSh 19,200 is suspicious.
Where do these numbers come from?
Base prices start from public cost-of-living data; once 3+ traveler reports come in, the app blends in the median of what people actually paid.
Fair range & rip-off line — each item gets its own spread (tight for transit, wide for street food). Above 1.2× the top of the fair range is flagged as a likely rip-off.
Budgets add up item prices for the lifestyle described above. Peak season and prime tourist spots run higher.
Exchange rate as of October 2026: 1 USD = TSh 2,640. Last updated 2026-10-05.