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Cape Town vs Zanzibar cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฟ๐ฆ Cape Town
๐น๐ฟ Zanzibar
At a glance
- Where Zanzibar is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (83%โ), Transit (82%โ), Haircut (81%โ)
- Where Cape Town is clearly cheaper: Taxi (40%โ), Cocktail & wine (25%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Cape Town is easier to travel (2.0 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: payments โ Cape Town 1 vs Zanzibar 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cape Town | Zanzibar | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | R 150$8.57 | TSh 12,000$4.55 | Zanzibar โ47% |
| Street food1 item | R 70$4 | TSh 6,000$2.27 | Zanzibar โ43% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | R 300$17.1 | TSh 40,000$15.2 | Zanzibar โ12% |
| Coffeeone cup | R 38$2.17 | TSh 5,500$2.08 | similar |
| Beerone bottle | R 45$2.57 | TSh 6,000$2.27 | Zanzibar โ12% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | R 90$5.14 | TSh 18,000$6.82 | Cape Town โ25% |
| Bottled water | R 15$0.86 | TSh 700$0.27 | Zanzibar โ69% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | R 18$1.03 | TSh 1,500$0.57 | Zanzibar โ45% |
| Taxi5 km in town | R 60$3.43 | TSh 15,000$5.68 | Cape Town โ40% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | R 40$2.29 | TSh 5,000$1.89 | Zanzibar โ17% |
| Transitone ride | R 18$1.03 | TSh 500$0.19 | Zanzibar โ82% |
| Scooter rentalper day | R 450$25.7 | TSh 50,000$18.9 | Zanzibar โ26% |
| Hotel night3-star | R 1,900$109 | TSh 200,000$75.8 | Zanzibar โ30% |
| Studio rent (month) | R 13,000$743 | TSh 550,000$208 | Zanzibar โ72% |
| Laundry | R 44$2.51 | TSh 6,000$2.27 | Zanzibar โ10% |
| SIM card1 week data | R 250$14.3 | TSh 15,000$5.68 | Zanzibar โ60% |
| Haircutcut | R 170$9.71 | TSh 5,000$1.89 | Zanzibar โ81% |
| Massage1 hour | R 650$37.1 | TSh 70,000$26.5 | Zanzibar โ29% |
| Half-day tourper person | R 900$51.4 | TSh 65,000$24.6 | Zanzibar โ52% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | R 400$22.9 | TSh 10,000$3.79 | Zanzibar โ83% |
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, Cape Town or Zanzibar?
Zanzibar is 41% cheaper than Cape Town. Daily budget $168 vs $127; a month $2,941 vs $1,263.
Which is easier to travel, Cape Town or Zanzibar?
Cape Town is easier: Cape Town 2.0/5 vs Zanzibar 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cape Town and Zanzibar?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cape Town is about $2,941 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.