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Compare cities โบ Dar es Salaam vs Mombasa
Dar es Salaam vs Mombasa cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐น๐ฟ Dar es Salaam
๐ฐ๐ช MombasaMombasa is 11% cheaper than Dar es Salaam
Living on $1,284 a month in Dar es Salaam feels like about $988 in Mombasa โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Dar es Salaam 11tie 7Mombasa 2
One day's budget in Dar es Salaam ($97.3) lasts 1.0 days in Mombasa
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$97.3 vs $97.8
Per month
$1,284 vs $988
Local meal
TSh 8,000 vs KSh 400
$3.03 vs $3.1
Taxi 5 km
TSh 10,000 vs KSh 400
$3.79 vs $3.1
At a glance
Foodsimilar
Cafรฉs & drinksDar es Salaam 20% cheaper
TransportDar es Salaam 31% cheaper
StayMombasa 24% cheaper
FunDar es Salaam 53% cheaper
- Where Mombasa is clearly cheaper: Studio rent (month) (50%โ), Taxi (18%โ)
- Where Dar es Salaam is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (74%โ), Transit (57%โ), Bottled water (41%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Dar es Salaam to see what gives the same standard of living in Mombasa. Starts at the average Dar es Salaam salary.
Travel difficulty
Dar es Salaam
Mombasa
Overall
Hard3.0
Hard3.0
Rip-offs & haggling
3
4
Language
3
2
Getting around
2
3
Payments
3
3
Safety
4
3
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Dar es Salaam 3 vs Mombasa 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Dar es Salaam | Mombasa | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | TSh 8,000$3.03 | KSh 400$3.1 | similar |
| Street food1 item | TSh 3,000$1.14 | KSh 150$1.16 | similar |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | TSh 30,000$11.4 | KSh 1,500$11.6 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | TSh 5,500$2.08 | KSh 300$2.33 | Dar es Salaam โ10% |
| Beerone bottle | TSh 4,000$1.52 | KSh 300$2.33 | Dar es Salaam โ35% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | TSh 15,000$5.68 | KSh 800$6.2 | Dar es Salaam โ8% |
| Bottled water | TSh 600$0.23 | KSh 50$0.39 | Dar es Salaam โ41% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | TSh 1,000$0.38 | KSh 80$0.62 | Dar es Salaam โ39% |
| Taxi5 km in town | TSh 10,000$3.79 | KSh 400$3.1 | Mombasa โ18% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | TSh 3,500$1.33 | KSh 200$1.55 | Dar es Salaam โ14% |
| Transitone ride | TSh 700$0.27 | KSh 80$0.62 | Dar es Salaam โ57% |
| Scooter rentalper day | TSh 40,000$15.2 | KSh 2,000$15.5 | similar |
| Hotel night3-star | TSh 160,000$60.6 | KSh 8,000$62 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | TSh 900,000$341 | KSh 22,000$171 | Mombasa โ50% |
| Laundry | TSh 3,000$1.14 | KSh 150$1.16 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | TSh 11,000$4.17 | KSh 800$6.2 | Dar es Salaam โ33% |
| Haircutcut | TSh 5,000$1.89 | KSh 250$1.94 | similar |
| Massage1 hour | TSh 40,000$15.2 | KSh 2,500$19.4 | Dar es Salaam โ22% |
| Half-day tourper person | TSh 75,000$28.4 | KSh 5,000$38.8 | Dar es Salaam โ27% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | TSh 6,500$2.46 | KSh 1,200$9.3 | Dar es Salaam โ74% |
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%+.
Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
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FAQ
Which is cheaper, Dar es Salaam or Mombasa?
Mombasa is 11% cheaper than Dar es Salaam. Daily budget $97.3 vs $97.8; a month $1,284 vs $988.
Which is easier to travel, Dar es Salaam or Mombasa?
About the same: Dar es Salaam 3.0/5, Mombasa 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Dar es Salaam and Mombasa?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Dar es Salaam is about $1,284 and Mombasa about $988 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.
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