Compare cities › Dar es Salaam vs Zanzibar

Dar es Salaam vs Zanzibar cost of living 2026

Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026

Dar es Salaam is 12% cheaper than Zanzibar

Living on $1,284 a month in Dar es Salaam feels like about $1,263 in Zanzibar — same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.

Cheaper on how many of 20 items?

Dar es Salaam 15tie 2Zanzibar 3

One day's budget in Zanzibar ($127) lasts 1.3 days in Dar es Salaam

Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis — see your real monthly difference · free

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Per day

$97.3 vs $127

Per month

$1,284 vs $1,263

Local meal

TSh 8,000 vs TSh 12,000

$3.03 vs $4.55

Taxi 5 km

TSh 10,000 vs TSh 15,000

$3.79 vs $5.68

At a glance

FoodDar es Salaam 38% cheaper

Cafés & drinksDar es Salaam 19% cheaper

TransportDar es Salaam 18% cheaper

StayZanzibar 7% cheaper

FunDar es Salaam 28% cheaper

Where Zanzibar is clearly cheaper: Studio rent (month) (39%↓), Transit (29%↓)
Where Dar es Salaam is clearly cheaper: Street food (50%↓), Laundry (50%↓), Massage (43%↓)

By category

FoodZanzibar +41%

Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar

Cafés & drinksZanzibar +20%

Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar

TransportZanzibar +44%

Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar

StayZanzibar +25%

Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar

FunZanzibar +19%

Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar

Salary equivalence

Enter a monthly income in Dar es Salaam to see what gives the same standard of living in Zanzibar. Starts at the average Dar es Salaam salary.

TSh

Travel difficulty

Dar es Salaam

Zanzibar

Overall

Hard3.0

Hard3.2

Rip-offs & haggling

Language

Getting around

Payments

Safety

Dar es Salaam is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Dar es Salaam 3 vs Zanzibar 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›

Item by item

Item	Dar es Salaam	Zanzibar	Cheaper
Local mealper person	TSh 8,000$3.03	TSh 12,000$4.55	Dar es Salaam −33%
Street food1 item	TSh 3,000$1.14	TSh 6,000$2.27	Dar es Salaam −50%
Restaurant dinnerper person	TSh 30,000$11.4	TSh 40,000$15.2	Dar es Salaam −25%
Coffeeone cup	TSh 5,500$2.08	TSh 5,500$2.08	similar
Beerone bottle	TSh 4,000$1.52	TSh 6,000$2.27	Dar es Salaam −33%
Cocktail & wineone cup	TSh 15,000$5.68	TSh 18,000$6.82	Dar es Salaam −17%
Bottled water	TSh 600$0.23	TSh 700$0.27	Dar es Salaam −14%
Convenience store1 snack or drink	TSh 1,000$0.38	TSh 1,500$0.57	Dar es Salaam −33%
Taxi5 km in town	TSh 10,000$3.79	TSh 15,000$5.68	Dar es Salaam −33%
Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop	TSh 3,500$1.33	TSh 5,000$1.89	Dar es Salaam −30%
Transitone ride	TSh 700$0.27	TSh 500$0.19	Zanzibar −29%
Scooter rentalper day	TSh 40,000$15.2	TSh 50,000$18.9	Dar es Salaam −20%
Hotel night3-star	TSh 160,000$60.6	TSh 200,000$75.8	Dar es Salaam −20%
Studio rent (month)	TSh 900,000$341	TSh 550,000$208	Zanzibar −39%
Laundry	TSh 3,000$1.14	TSh 6,000$2.27	Dar es Salaam −50%
SIM card1 week data	TSh 11,000$4.17	TSh 15,000$5.68	Dar es Salaam −27%
Haircutcut	TSh 5,000$1.89	TSh 5,000$1.89	similar
Massage1 hour	TSh 40,000$15.2	TSh 70,000$26.5	Dar es Salaam −43%
Half-day tourper person	TSh 75,000$28.4	TSh 65,000$24.6	Zanzibar −13%
Entry ticketTourist town	TSh 6,500$2.46	TSh 10,000$3.79	Dar es Salaam −35%

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 — see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.

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FAQ

Which is cheaper, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar?

Dar es Salaam is 12% cheaper than Zanzibar. Daily budget $97.3 vs $127; a month $1,284 vs $1,263.

Which is easier to travel, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar?

Dar es Salaam is easier: Dar es Salaam 3.0/5 vs Zanzibar 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).

How do monthly costs compare between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar?

With a short-term studio and living costs, Dar es Salaam is about $1,284 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.

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Dar es Salaam trip cost Zanzibar trip cost Compare other cities ›