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Accra vs Zanzibar cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฌ๐ญ Accra
๐น๐ฟ Zanzibar
At a glance
- Where Zanzibar is clearly cheaper: Transit (72%โ), SIM card (56%โ), Entry ticket (56%โ)
- Where Accra is clearly cheaper: Taxi (25%โ), Laundry (25%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Accra is easier to travel (2.4 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Accra 3 vs Zanzibar 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Accra | Zanzibar | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | GHโต 70$5.98 | TSh 12,000$4.55 | Zanzibar โ24% |
| Street food1 item | GHโต 35$2.99 | TSh 6,000$2.27 | Zanzibar โ24% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | GHโต 180$15.4 | TSh 40,000$15.2 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | GHโต 50$4.27 | TSh 5,500$2.08 | Zanzibar โ51% |
| Beerone bottle | GHโต 25$2.13 | TSh 6,000$2.27 | Accra โ6% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | GHโต 90$7.69 | TSh 18,000$6.82 | Zanzibar โ11% |
| Bottled water | GHโต 5$0.43 | TSh 700$0.27 | Zanzibar โ38% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | GHโต 10$0.85 | TSh 1,500$0.57 | Zanzibar โ33% |
| Taxi5 km in town | GHโต 50$4.27 | TSh 15,000$5.68 | Accra โ25% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | GHโต 25$2.13 | TSh 5,000$1.89 | Zanzibar โ11% |
| Transitone ride | GHโต 8$0.68 | TSh 500$0.19 | Zanzibar โ72% |
| Scooter rentalper day | GHโต 250$21.3 | TSh 50,000$18.9 | Zanzibar โ11% |
| Hotel night3-star | GHโต 850$72.6 | TSh 200,000$75.8 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | GHโต 4,000$342 | TSh 550,000$208 | Zanzibar โ39% |
| Laundry | GHโต 20$1.71 | TSh 6,000$2.27 | Accra โ25% |
| SIM card1 week data | GHโต 150$12.8 | TSh 15,000$5.68 | Zanzibar โ56% |
| Haircutcut | GHโต 40$3.42 | TSh 5,000$1.89 | Zanzibar โ45% |
| Massage1 hour | GHโต 300$25.6 | TSh 70,000$26.5 | similar |
| Half-day tourper person | GHโต 350$29.9 | TSh 65,000$24.6 | Zanzibar โ18% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | GHโต 100$8.54 | TSh 10,000$3.79 | Zanzibar โ56% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Accra or Zanzibar?
Zanzibar is 12% cheaper than Accra. Daily budget $126 vs $127; a month $1,647 vs $1,263.
Which is easier to travel, Accra or Zanzibar?
Accra is easier: Accra 2.4/5 vs Zanzibar 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Accra and Zanzibar?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Accra is about $1,647 and Zanzibar about $1,263 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.