Cost of living in Tanzania
Summary of cost of living in Tanzania
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: 5,229,338 Shilling
- Single person estimated monthly costs: 2,464,466 Shilling WARNING! These estimates are based on only a few data points. At the moment, you should treat them only as a best guess.
Food | |||
---|---|---|---|
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | 18,115 Shilling | ||
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | 18,328 Shilling | ||
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | 12,456 Shilling | ||
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | 3,007 Shilling | ||
12 eggs, large | 4,612 Shilling | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | 4,009 Shilling | ||
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | 13,854 Shilling | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | 3,395 Shilling | ||
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | 4,439 Shilling | ||
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | 3,258 Shilling | ||
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | 21,391 Shilling | ||
2 liters of coca-cola | 3,082 Shilling | ||
Bread for 2 people for 1 day | 1,710 Shilling | ||
Housing | |||
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | 1,619,710 Shilling | ||
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | 1,382,090 Shilling | ||
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | 238,279 Shilling | ||
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | 2,207,460 Shilling | ||
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | 531,422 Shilling | ||
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | 151,280 Shilling | ||
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | 44,322 Shilling | ||
40” flat screen tv | 1,041,640 Shilling | ||
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | 311,381 Shilling | ||
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | 30,887 Shilling | ||
Hourly rate for cleaning help | - | ||
Clothes | |||
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | 7,000 Shilling | ||
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | 150,000 Shilling | ||
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | 139,650 Shilling | ||
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | 97,164 Shilling | ||
Transportation | |||
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | 42,500,700 Shilling | ||
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | 2,755 Shilling | ||
Monthly ticket public transport | 26,840 Shilling | ||
Personal Care | |||
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | 6,000 Shilling | ||
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | 10,000 Shilling | ||
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | 43,647 Shilling | ||
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | 4,402 Shilling | ||
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | 7,488 Shilling | ||
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | 6,309 Shilling | ||
4 rolls of toilet paper | 4,000 Shilling | ||
Tube of toothpaste | 3,299 Shilling | ||
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | 13,971 Shilling | ||
Entertainment | |||
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | 40,000 Shilling | ||
2 tickets to the movies | 15,881 Shilling | ||
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | - | ||
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | 72,855 Shilling | ||
1 cocktail drink in downtown club | 6,784 Shilling | ||
Cappuccino in expat area of the city | 6,891 Shilling | ||
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | 2,598 Shilling | ||
Ipad wi-fi 128gb | 300,000 Shilling | ||
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | 628 Shilling | ||
1 month of gym membership in business district | 38,039 Shilling | ||
1 package of marlboro cigarettes | 4,350 Shilling |
Map of Cost of Living in Tanzania

This map shows only the top cities in Tanzania. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Dar es Salaam is 60% cheaper than in Vancouver
- Cost of living in Dar es Salaam is 12% cheaper than in Nairobi
- Cost of living in Arusha is about the same as in Nairobi
- Cost of living in Dar es Salaam is 27% more expensive than in Lagos
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 13% cheaper than in Nairobi
- Cost of living in Arusha is about the same as in Rio de Janeiro
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 10% cheaper than in Johannesburg
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is about the same as in Pune
- Cost of living in Dar es Salaam is 43% cheaper than in Bakersfield, California
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 51% cheaper than in San Jose, California
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is about the same as in Tucumán
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 49% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 35% cheaper than in Cleveland, Ohio
- Cost of living in Dar es Salaam is 30% cheaper than in Basra
- Cost of living in Arusha is about the same as in Lusaka
- Cost of living in Dar es Salaam is 12% cheaper than in Windhoek
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 39% cheaper than in Manchester
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 6% cheaper than in Kigali
- Cost of living in Dar es Salaam is 58% cheaper than in Oslo
- Cost of living in Zanzibar is 44% cheaper than in Paris