Cost of living comparison

compared to

Dar Es Salaam vs. Johannesburg Cost of Living Summary

Dar Es Salaam is 7.7% more expensive than Johannesburg.

Restaurants
pay 24.9% less in Dar Es Salaam
Groceries
pay 11.1% less in Dar Es Salaam
Transportation
pay 19.8% less in Dar Es Salaam
Housing
pay 13.8% less in Dar Es Salaam
Childcare
pay 2.6 times more in Dar Es Salaam
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.1% more in Dar Es Salaam
Clothing
pay 35.4% less in Dar Es Salaam

The cost of childcare and entertainment and sports in Dar Es Salaam are more expensive than in Johannesburg. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, transportation, housing, and groceries are lower in Dar Es Salaam. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Dar Es Salaam.

Dar Es Salaam vs. Johannesburg Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Dar Es Salaam instead of Johannesburg, you would:

pay 24.9% less for restaurants

 
Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $11.47
ZAR193.59
$3.23
TZS7,983.84
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.93
ZAR83.24
$10.10
TZS24,949.49
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.06
ZAR17.92
$0.40
TZS997.98

Improve prices ·

pay 11.1% less for groceries

 
Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam
Bread
1 loaf
$1.11
ZAR18.69
$0.81
TZS1,995.96
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.31
ZAR72.82
$4.78
TZS11,809.43
Milk (1 gallon) $4.73
ZAR79.91
$4.19
TZS10,337.34

Improve prices ·

pay 19.8% less for transportation

 
Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.84
ZAR81.63
$4.63
TZS11,427.74
Monthly public transit pass $86.04
ZAR1,451.94
$15.76
TZS38,921.21
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $22,943.68
ZAR387,185.15
$17,898.05
TZS44,208,183.75

Improve prices ·

pay 13.8% less for housing

 
Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$41.63
ZAR702.57
$35.62
TZS87,988.55
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $434.32
ZAR7,329.41
$519.76
TZS1,283,807.45
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $380.92
ZAR6,428.15
$257.24
TZS635,381.74

Improve prices ·

pay 2.6 times more for childcare

 
Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $218.24
ZAR3,682.87
$427.61
TZS1,056,195.29
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $5,560.97
ZAR93,844.00
$17,689.39
TZS43,692,803.03

Improve prices ·

pay 2.1% more for entertainment and sports

 
Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.58
ZAR43.56
$1.01
TZS2,494.95
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.24
ZAR37.84
$2.06
TZS5,089.70
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.15
ZAR53.24
$2.12
TZS5,239.39

Improve prices ·

pay 35.4% less for clothing

 
Johannesburg
Dar Es Salaam
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$53.86
ZAR908.96
$22.22
TZS54,888.89
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$41.32
ZAR697.37
$37.04
TZS91,481.48
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$92.73
ZAR1,564.87
$40.40
TZS99,797.98

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in South Africa vs. Tanzania. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within South Africa and Tanzania.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Dar Es Salaam or Johannesburg. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.