02 Feb2026
During my 7 weeks in Tanzania in early 2024 I also spent 4 days in Dar Es Salaam city. Find out more about Dar Es Salaam travel cost in this post. Do you want to know prices in Dar? How much is transportation, food, hotels there etc.? Keep reading…
Dar Es Salaam, historically called Mzizima, is the biggest city in Tanzania and at the same time the financial and administrative hub of the country. It’s also a very important port.
Some people just call it ”Dar”. It’s not the capital of Tanzania though. Dodoma is the capital.
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – Dar Es Salaam from up
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – Tanzanian shillings
Dar Es Salaam travel cost
Let me start by mentioning the exchange rate at that time because then I count how much it was in euros. Obviously, the exchange rate was not always the same.
tzs is Tanzanian shilling – the local currency in Tanzania.
I exchanged money at 3 different occassions while on Zanzibar and in Dar Es Salaam; and these were the exchange rates I got:
1 euro = 3,000 tzs (in Dar Es Salaam)
1 euro = 2,890 tzs (in Stone Town, Zanzibar)
1 euro = 3,020 tzs (in Dar Es Salaam)
Many things are cheaper in Tanzania mainland (where Dar Es Salaam is located) than in Zanzibar archipelago. Well, except for safari trips that are crazy expensive in general.
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – at Dar Es Salaam Rainbow hotel
Dar Es Salaam accommodation cost
I stayed at Dar Es Salaam in the beginning of my Tanzanian trip: the second week of February 2024, and then the last week of March.
Those 2 hotels were not luxurious at all but for such a short stay it was just fine. Basic accommodation but doable.
I spent 95.725 eur for 3 nights of accommodation in Dar Es Salaam. Out of which 2 with breakfast and 1 without breakfast.
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – Dar Es Salaam Rainbow hotel room
Dar Es Salaam transportation cost
After landing in Dar, I was lucky to get a free ride from the airport to the city. One of the girls on the same flight was getting picked up by her family so they gave me a lift. As we landed late at night, I was so grateful!
Bajaji riksha/tuk tuk via Bolt app from Rainbow hotel to ZanFast ferry terminal cost 2,000 tzs = 0.74 eur.
ZanFast ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar cost $35 (= 32.06 eur) or 98,000 tzs so it made more sense to me to pay in $ as based on their exchange rate it was cheaper for me than in tzs.
The ferry is 3 times more expensive for non-residents/tourists than for residents/locals. The price I mentioned above is for tourists.
Then in March after my Zanzibar trip, after getting back to Dar Es Salaam from Stone Town, the bajaji from Ferry terminal in Dar Es Salaam to Kibodya hotel cost 3,000 tzs = 1.04 eur. Initially they wanted 5,000 tzs but I knew that via Bolt it would cost maybe 2,000 or 3,000 tzs so in the end I bargained the price to 3,000 tzs (I paid in person directly to the driver).
Bajaji via Bolt from Dar Es Salaam hotel to the airport cost 7,500 tzs = 2.73 eur.
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – getting a free ride from the Dar Es Salaam airport
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – Dar Es Salaam traffic
However, in case you want to take bajaji to the airport as I did, bear in mind that bajaji in Dar Es Salaam is NOT allowed to go through the road security gate all the way to the airport terminal. So you’d need to walk from the security gate for a few minutes along the road. I hadn’t know about no gate trespassing for bajaji until I got there as Bolt app did NOT show it anywhere when I was booking the bajaji. I stopped a car that was passing by and asked them to take me to the terminal entrance instead of walking with my baggage. As they were on the way there, it was not a problem.
Bolt app works very well in Dar Es Salaam and it’s usually cheaper and of course safer than getting transportation right at the street. And Bolt won’t try to rip you off. Back in 2024 there was no Bolt on Zanzibar yet, though.
To register Bolt app on your phone, you can use my Bolt code: CJGN7
During 4 days in Dar Es Salaam I spent 36.57 eur on transportation. The ferry to Zanzibar included.
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – getting an Airtel Tanzanian SIM card
Other prices in Dar Es Salaam
What I spent on food, water and coconuts altogether during 4 days in Dar Es Salaam was 64,800 tzs = 21.60 eur.
Airtel SIM card I bought in Dar Es Salaam city center cost 2.000 tzs, plus another 50.000 tzs for 24GB mobile data for 60 days so altogether for the new SIM with data it was 17.34 eur. If you happen to visit Dar Es Salaam first and then go to Zanzibar, I highly recommend you to get a SIM while in Dar Es Salaam. It’s a lot cheaper and most probably you would not fall into any tourist trap when it comes to data package. You need your passport to buy a SIM card. And patience and time.
If you like local markets, then you should visit the Kariakoo Market in Dar Es Salaam. I was the only tourist there but it was lovely and felt safe. They sell fruit, veggies, spices etc.
I spent 38.94 eur on food and a local SIM card with data in Dar Es Salaam.
4 nights in Dar Es Salaam cost me 171.235 eur altogether (without souvenirs and with a local SIM with data for 2 months).
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – fruit at Dar Es Salaam Kariakoo Market
How much is food and clothes in Dar Es Salaam
Just to give you an idea about clothes and food prices in Dar Es Salaam in February and March 2024, here’s my list:
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a red colorful dress/long T-shirt cost 20,000 tzs = 6.63 eur (initially the seller wanted 40,000 tzs)
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500 grams of roasted salted cashew nuts at the Kariakoo Market cost 9,000 tzs = 2.98 eur
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small pack of cinnamon powder at the Kariakoo Market cost 3,000 tzs = 1 eur
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small pack of turmeric powder at the Kariakoo Market cost 5,000 tzs (initially she wanted 6,000 tzs) = 1.656 eur
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1.6 l water at a supermarket cost 800 tzs = 0.265 eur
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1 young coconut at the street from a street seller cost 1,000 tzs = 0.332 eur
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amazing vegan Indian dinner at veggie Swastik restaurant (rice + 2 curry plates) cost 28,000 tzs = 9.34 eur.
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – spices at Dar Es Salaam Kariakoo Market
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – Dar Es Salaam clothes shop
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – Dar Es Salaam Swastik restaurant veggie
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – a young coconut in Dar Es Salaam
Dar Es Salaam travel cost – drinking a young coconut in Dar Es Salaam Tanzania
Did you get a better idea of Dar Es Salaam travel cost thanks to my post? Are there some prices that surprised you?
Discussion about this post