Moving to Tanzania from South Africa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Africa to Tanzania — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Africa to Tanzania, you would find that Tanzania is 34.9% cheaper than South Africa overall. A ZAR1,200,000 salary in South Africa would need to be roughly TZS125,000,000 in Tanzania to maintain the same lifestyle.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from South Africa to Tanzania.
What does your salary buy?
ZAR1,200,000 → TZS125,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Tanzania
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 43.9% less
Groceries
pay 22.3% less
Transportation
pay 42.5% less
Housing
pay 44.1% less
Childcare
pay 2.5 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.0% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from South Africa to Tanzania, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Tanzania?
Top countries of origin for Tanzania's foreign-born residents.
- 222,115
- 70,736
- 24,274
- 22,287
- 13,052
- 7,637
- · · ·
-
16.633
South Africa
Key Indicator Comparison
How South Africa and Tanzania stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Tanzania performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Tanzania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Tanzania performs significantly better than South Africa across all environment metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
South Africa generally does better on infrastructure, though Tanzania leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Tanzania generally does better on employment & economy, though South Africa leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
South Africa generally does better on family life, though Tanzania leads in life expectancy.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), South African Revenue Service (2017), Tanzania Revenue Authority (2016). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Pretoria | Dodoma |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) | 85°/65°F (29°/18°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 82°/61°F (28°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 82°/58°F (28°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 79°/60°F (26°/15°C) | 87°/64°F (30°/18°C) |
View all months
| Month | Pretoria | Dodoma |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84°/65°F (29.0°/18.1°C) | 85°/65°F (29.4°/18.6°C) |
| Feb | 84°/64°F (28.7°/18.0°C) | 85°/65°F (29.4°/18.6°C) |
| Mar | 81°/62°F (27.3°/16.6°C) | 84°/65°F (29.0°/18.3°C) |
| Apr | 77°/56°F (24.8°/13.1°C) | 84°/64°F (28.7°/17.9°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.4°/8.7°C) | 82°/62°F (28.0°/16.5°C) |
| Jun | 67°/41°F (19.6°/5.2°C) | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) |
| Jul | 68°/42°F (19.8°/5.3°C) | 80°/56°F (26.5°/13.6°C) |
| Aug | 72°/47°F (22.3°/8.2°C) | 81°/58°F (27.3°/14.2°C) |
| Sep | 76°/53°F (24.4°/11.8°C) | 84°/60°F (29.0°/15.3°C) |
| Oct | 77°/57°F (25.2°/14.0°C) | 87°/62°F (30.5°/16.9°C) |
| Nov | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.3°C) |
| Dec | 82°/63°F (27.9°/17.0°C) | 87°/66°F (30.4°/18.8°C) |
Data:
South African Weather Service,
Tanzania Meteorological Agency
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Africa and Tanzania. To live, work, or study long-term in Tanzania, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Tanzania's immigration authority.
South Africa passport holder visiting Tanzania
Visa Free
Tanzania passport holder visiting South Africa
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Tanzania than South Africa?
Generally yes: Tanzania runs about 35% cheaper than South Africa on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to Tanzania?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ZAR1,200,000 comparable salary, that's around TZS31,250,000 in Tanzania for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Tanzania?
With 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Tanzania can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in South Africa and Tanzania.
Is Tanzania safe for expats?
Tanzania performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Tanzania is 3.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 43.7 in South Africa.
How is healthcare in Tanzania compared to South Africa?
Tanzania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people in Tanzania, compared to 7.9 in South Africa. Tanzania scores 43 on the WHO universal health coverage index (South Africa: 71).
What's the weather like in Tanzania compared to South Africa?
The average high temperature in Dodoma is 84°F, compared to 77°F in Pretoria. Dodoma receives around 23.9 in of rainfall per year, while Pretoria gets 27.0 in.
What language do they speak in Tanzania?
The official languages in Tanzania are English and Swahili. In South Africa, the official languages are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
Compare further: South Africa vs. Tanzania
At a Glance
ZA
|
TZ
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 64,747,319 | 70,545,865 |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu | English, Swahili |
| Driving side | Left | Left |
| Calling code | +27 | +255 |
| Time zones | 1 | 1 |
| Emergency number | 10111 | 112 |