How Much Does Zanzibar Cost? Complete 2026 Budget Guide

How much does a Zanzibar trip cost per day?

Budget travelers staying in guesthouses, eating street food, and taking dala-dalas instead of private transfers can get by on $40–90 per day. Mid-range travelers with a private beach hotel and occasional excursions spend $120–250 per day. All-inclusive resorts in Nungwi and Kendwa push costs to $300–600+, not counting activities outside the property.

These figures exclude international flights and three mandatory costs that apply to every visitor: a $50 tourist visa (for most nationalities — check evisa.go.tz for yours), $44 compulsory travel insurance introduced in October 2024, and a nightly tourism infrastructure tax of $2–5 depending on your hotel's star rating.

The single biggest cost lever is where you sleep. A Stone Town guesthouse costs $20–40 per night. A beach resort in Nungwi costs $150–300 per night, most of which is all-inclusive. That gap — roughly $130 per night — sets your entire budget tier before activities or food enter the equation.

Getting to Zanzibar: ferry vs flight

The ferry from Dar es Salaam is the standard route for travelers already on the mainland. Two operators serve the crossing: Zan Fast and Azam Marine. The journey takes approximately 2 hours, and tickets are sold in three classes:

• •Economy: TZS 30,000–35,000 per person
• •VIP: around TZS 70,000
• •Royal: around TZS 90,000

These are the prices you pay booking directly at the terminal — online booking platforms and agents often charge more. In peak periods (July–August and December–January), morning departures fill up quickly — buy tickets a day ahead if possible.

A domestic flight from Dar takes 20 minutes and costs $50–120 one way depending on airline and booking timing. Air Tanzania, Coastal Aviation, and Precision Air all serve the route. If your safari ends in Arusha, direct flights to Zanzibar with Coastal Aviation or Auric Air run $80–150 one way [unverified — varies by date]. Flying saves time but adds meaningful cost over a short trip.

Accommodation: where you stay shapes everything

Stone Town suits travelers who want to explore the UNESCO-listed old city, eat street food, and take day trips. Guesthouses here run $20–80 per night. It's the cheapest base and the most practical for arrival and departure nights given proximity to the ferry terminal.

Nungwi and Kendwa (north coast) have the calmest water year-round and the best sunset position. Most hotels in this area are all-inclusive at $150–300 per night — meaning food and basic drinks are covered. At that price point, your daily spend outside the resort drops sharply because meals are already paid for. It's worth comparing the all-inclusive total against a cheaper room with food paid separately before assuming one is better value.

Paje and Jambiani (east coast) attract kite-surfers and travelers wanting a quieter scene at lower prices — $40–120 per night for most options. The east coast faces stronger wind and tidal variation, which suits some activities and not others.

Season matters significantly. High season — June to September and December to February — pushes prices at beach resorts up 20–40% versus the green season (March to May). Some smaller properties close from April to May entirely. November typically sees the year's lowest prices.

Food: eating cheaply vs eating well

Street food in Zanzibar is genuinely cheap. At Forodhani Night Market in Stone Town, Zanzibar pizza (a stuffed fried flatbread), urojo (Zanzibar mix soup), and grilled seafood skewers run $1–3 per item. A full dinner at the market costs $5–8 for most people.

Mama lishe joints — local no-frills restaurants serving rice, beans, fish, and Swahili curry — charge $3–8 for a full meal. These are the most honest representation of what locals eat daily and are the best value on the island.

Tourist-facing restaurants in Nungwi and Stone Town charge $12–25 per main course. Beachside seafood dinners — grilled octopus, kingfish, or lobster — run $15–40 per person and are worth budgeting for at least once. If you are all-inclusive, outside food costs mainly apply to excursion days and market meals.

Activities and what they cost

• •Spice farm tour: $20–40 for a half-day with lunch, visiting a working spice plantation near Stone Town
• •Prison Island: $35–50 including the boat transfer from Stone Town and entrance to the Aldabra giant tortoise sanctuary
• •Snorkeling at Mnemba Atoll: $60–90 for a full-day trip with multiple snorkel stops, sandbank visit, and lunch — Mnemba is the best snorkeling on the island
• •Stone Town walking tour: $15–30 with a licensed guide; self-guided entry to individual sites runs $5–15 per attraction
• •Dolphin tour at Kizimkazi: $40–60 per person [unverified — varies by operator and season]
• •Kitesurfing lessons in Paje: $60–100 per 2-hour lesson [unverified]

A typical traveler spends $30–60 per day on activities. If staying all-inclusive with one excursion per day, budget $50–80 on top of accommodation for a realistic total.

Getting around the island

Private transfers are the most convenient but carry the biggest markup when booked through hotels. A journey from Stone Town (Forodhani area) to Nungwi costs TZS 100,000–140,000 negotiated directly with a driver — significantly less than what resort desks quote in USD for the same route. Agree on the TZS price before getting in.

Dala-dalas (shared minibuses) cover most routes across the island for a few hundred shillings per leg — the cheapest option, but slow and with limited space for bags. Scooter rental in popular beach areas runs $20–30 per day [unverified]. Most beach resorts can arrange bicycles for free or at minimal cost for exploring the immediate area.

Browse Zanzibar tour operators to find verified operators for island excursions at fair local prices.