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
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
ZAR14.10
|
$0.25
TZS607.10
|
|
Johannesburg vs. Dar Es Salaam - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.37
ZAR40.03
|
$2.12
TZS5,233.85
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.30
ZAR38.89
|
$2.67
TZS6,596.14
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.78
ZAR13.23
|
$1.23
TZS3,039.40
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.72
ZAR12.08
|
$0.44
TZS1,080.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
ZAR12.11
|
$0.49
TZS1,222.23
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.80
ZAR13.47
|
$0.44
TZS1,075.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.66
ZAR11.11
|
$0.44
TZS1,075.11
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR11.87
|
$0.65
TZS1,612.66
|
|
Johannesburg vs. Dar Es Salaam - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$11.24
ZAR189.72
|
$14.49
TZS35,802.53
|
|
Johannesburg vs. Dar Es Salaam - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$94.21
ZAR1,589.83
|
$67.97
TZS167,895.42
|
|
Johannesburg vs. Dar Es Salaam - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
|
|
Johannesburg vs. Dar Es Salaam - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.07
ZAR591.78
|
$85.86
TZS212,070.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.31
ZAR123.42
|
$4.92
TZS12,162.88
|
|
Johannesburg vs. Dar Es Salaam - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$82.91
ZAR1,399.08
|
$69.70
TZS172,151.52
|
|
Johannesburg vs. Dar Es Salaam - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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
Change currency:
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.