Dar es Salaam vs Zanzibar City
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Dar es Salaam edges it, 38 to 32, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Dar es Salaam is stronger on internet, climate; Zanzibar City on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 45 | 45 |
| Healthcare | 40 | 40 |
| Internet | 33 ✓ | 6 |
| Visa ease | 6 | 6 |
| Getting there & around | 12 | 20 ✓ |
| Climate | 75 ✓ | 50 |
| Air quality | 72 ✓ | 71 |
| Quality of life | 19 | 19 |
Cost
| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 8.3 | 8.3 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 59.2 | 59.2 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 49 | 49 |
| Life expectancy | 66.8 yrs | 66.8 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 9.5 Mbps ✓ | 2.6 Mbps |
| Upload | 3.2 Mbps ✓ | 1.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Visa-free days, US passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
| Visa-free days, EU passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
| Visa-free days, UK passport | visa or e-visa required | visa or e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 50 ✓ | 32 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 4 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Dar es Salaam | Zanzibar City |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 9 ✓ | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 17.4 µg/m³ ✓ | 17.9 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar City?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar City safer?
- Dar es Salaam scores higher on safety (45 vs 45), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar City?
- Dar es Salaam: a measured median of 9.5 Mbps versus 2.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
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Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations). Dataset 2026.09.4. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.