Average Cost of Living in Tanzania in US Dollars, Dar es Salaam – Markets, Transportation, Utilities and More (Year 2020)
Many people considering relocating to Tanzania, particularly Dar city are concerned about whether the amount of money they would earn will be sufficient to cater for their cost of living in Tanzania.
Tanzania is a nation where high wages are a pipe dream, and a high standard of living is a daily worry.
Dar is an extremely expensive city in Tanzania, and maintaining the lifestyle you are accustomed to in your native country would be challenging.
Restaurants
As a tourist who goes out on a regular basis and dines with relatives on a weekly or monthly basis, your primary concern here would be finding a restaurant that fits within your cost range and offers quality food at a fair price.
Markets
Food prices are pretty low if you don’t mind cooking your food at home, and they can even be reduced if you buy the products in the domestic food market.
Groceries consume more than 50% of the monthly payment; therefore, smart shopping is required to supplement your cost of living in Tanzania.
Transportation
If you want to commute by public transportation, transportation in Dar city is not costly.
The monthly pass is a mere $15, and going from one location to another only costs $0.17.
Otherwise, using a car would be costly and will consume a large portion of your budget causing your cost of living in Tanzania to be high.
Utilities [Monthly]
Although the price of rent is determined by where you’d like to stay and in which part of town, the cost of utilities is influenced by the magnitude of the apartment as well as the habits of the residents.
The cost of living in Tanzania in USD, especially in the city of Dar es Salaam is expensive utilities are pricey, particularly Internet connectivity.
Sports and Leisure
As a local, you will undoubtedly require some relaxation time after a long day at work, and what you decide to do will rely on your individual opinions, as interests differ from one person to the next.
A movie at the theatre will set you back less than $5 USD, but if you choose to work out at the fitness center, you will have to set aside more than $70 USD every month towards your cost of living in Tanzania.
Clothing and Shoes
Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s largest city, and it is projected that a large majority of tourists would visit there.
They will be delighted with the reality that branded clothing is affordable here, despite the fact that it is more expensive than in other Tanzanian cities.
Monthly Rents
When it comes to migrating, the very first item to think about is the rent.
You’ll need to find suitable accommodation, which is challenging to do due to the high cost of living in Tanzania, especially in Dar es salaam.
As a visitor, you will be capable of paying for your lodging, but it will be impossible to do so as a citizen.
Insight About Dar es Salaam
Tables of Dar City’s Average Cost of Living
| Average Restaurant Costs | |
| Meal [less pricey Restaurant] | $3.66 |
| Domestic Beer [0.5 L] | $1.08 |
| Water [0.33 L] | $0.28 |
| Average Market Costs | |
| Milk [1 L] | $4.02 |
| Loaf Bread [500gram] | $0.48 |
| Eggs [12] | $2.08 |
| Average Transport Costs | |
| One-Way Ticket | $0.17 |
| Monthly Pass | $15.05 |
| Gasoline | $3.63 |
| Average Utilities Cost | |
| Basic [Electricity, Water, Heating, Garbage, and Cooling] | $102.49 |
| 1 minute of pre-paid local Mobile Tariff | $0.14 |
| Internet [limited less Data, Cable/ADSL] | $59.27 |
| Average Leisure Cost | |
| The GYM, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $73.88 |
| Tennis Court Rentals [1 Hour] | $19.04 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, overseas Release | $4.73 |
| Average Clothing Cost | |
| A Jean [Levis 501 or similar] | $32.32 |
| A Summer outfit in a Chain-Store [Zara, and so on] | $31.74 |
| A Pair of Adidas sports\Walking Shoes [Mid-Range] | $37.63 |
| Average Rent Costs | |
| Apartment [A bedroom) located in the City Centre | $430.23 |
| Apartment [A bedroom) located outside of the city Centre | $380.20 |
| Apartment [A 3 bedrooms] located in the City Centre | $1290.12 |
In Dar es Salaam, How Would the Average Individual Spend Their Cash?
Despite the high cost of living in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam residents might not have outstanding salaries but still, manage to make ends meet.
The costs are enormous, and striving to live a good life is a regular phenomenon here.
If they are earning the minimum wage, they would not be required to pay for housing or foodstuffs.
Others would take care of necessities like utilities, groceries, and transportation.
Those who are fortunate enough to earn more than the average may have some cash left over to spend on clothing and sports.
Average Cost of Living in Tanzania per Month, in the City of Dar es Salaam
| 33.3% | Rent Per Mont |
| 10.9% | Sports & Leisure |
| 25.2% | Markets |
| 8.8% | Utilities (Monthly) |
| 9.4% | Transportation |
| 2.4% | Clothing & Shoes |
| 10.1% | Restaurants |
Dar es Salaam’s Minimum Wage, Average Salary, and Mortgages
If you’ve been offered work in Dar city make sure it pays well enough to meet all of your living needs.
The gap between the lowest and average salaries is enormous in this country, and it is projected that even the median income will not cover all of your expenses if you need to pay rent.
Given the enormous mortgage rates, which are approaching 20 percent, purchasing a property in this area to save money on rent will be a strenuous effort to accomplish.
| Average Salary $327.90 USD | Minimum Wage $43.02 USD | Mortgage Interest Rate19.94 percent |
In Dar es Salaam, How Safe is It to Travel?
| A Safety Overview of Dar es Salaam |
| OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM |
| WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: LOW |
| TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: MEDIUM |
| NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM |
| PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM |
| SCAMS RISK: LOW |
| MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM |
| TERRORISM RISK: MEDIUM |
In conclusion, this article focused more about the cost of living in Tanzania but used a benchmark of Dar es salaam. This is not true to all other cities, with an exception of cost of living in Arusha Tanzania which may be comparable to Dar es Salaam and Mwanza as they are big cities of the country.
Country to Country Comparisons with Tanzania
- Cost of living in Tanzania compared to India – https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/comparison/india/tanzania
- Cost of living in Tanzania compared to South Africa – https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/comparison/tanzania/south-africa
- Cost of living in Tanzania compared to Kenya – https://livingcost.org/cost/kenya/tanzania
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