ZanzibarBudget & Costs · Zanzibar
Zanzibar Trip Cost: What a Week Costs in 2026
Zanzibar trip cost in 2026: daily budgets, hotels, food, transfers, activities, visas and 7-day totals with USD and TZS prices.
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In this guide
A week in Zanzibar costs about USD 700 to 1,200 per person on a tight budget, USD 1,400 to 2,600 in mid-range comfort, or USD 3,000 to 7,000 plus at top resorts, always excluding international flights (2026 cost breakdown). This Zanzibar trip cost guide breaks down daily rates, hotels by coast, the fixed government fees every visitor pays, food, transfers and activities, then totals the standard seven-night trip in 2026 prices.
Key Takeaways
- Budget USD 40 to 90 a day, mid-range USD 120 to 250, comfort USD 300 plus.
- Fixed entry fees run about USD 110 to 150 per person: visa, insurance, hotel tax.
- Guesthouses USD 25 to 60, beach hotels USD 100 to 200, top resorts USD 250 plus.
- Forodhani dishes USD 1 to 2, beach dinners USD 10 to 25, diving days USD 90 to 180.
- Rainy months cut hotel rates 30 to 40 percent. Festive fortnight adds 20 to 30 percent.
What does a day in Zanzibar cost?
| Travel style | Per person per day | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | USD 40 to 90 | Guesthouse, street food, dala-dalas, one or two shared tours |
| Mid-range | USD 120 to 250 | Beach hotel with pool, restaurant meals, guided excursions |
| Comfort | USD 300 to 600 plus | Resort or villa, private transfers, diving and private boats |
Mid-range is where most first visits land. A planning figure near USD 150 per person per day covers a USD 75 share of a USD 150 beach hotel room, USD 40 to 60 of restaurant food, and a share of transfers plus two or three tours across the week (daily cost bands). Budget travellers who sleep in Stone Town guesthouses, eat at Lukmaan-style counters and join shared boats can hold USD 60 to 80 days. Comfort starts where rooms pass USD 250 and tours go private.
Price the trip as room plus everything else, not as one daily average. The room sets the band and barely moves once booked, while food and tours flex day by day. Travellers who fix the room first, then fit meals and activities to the remainder, land within 10 percent of budget. Travellers who average everything together overspend the room and starve the tours.
What do hotels cost on each coast?
| Area | Budget per room | Mid-range per room | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Town | USD 25 to 60 | USD 80 to 150 | Guesthouses and small hotels; walk to Forodhani |
| East coast (Paje, Jambiani) | USD 30 to 70 | USD 100 to 200 | Kite beaches, tidal flats, most restaurant choice in Paje |
| North coast (Nungwi, Kendwa) | USD 40 to 80 | USD 120 to 220 | Calm swim beaches, sunsets, priciest sun loungers |
| Quiet south-east (Michamvi, Pingwe) | USD 40 to 80 | USD 150 to 400 | Boutique lodges, sandbanks, honeymoon pricing |
| Luxury islands and villas | See text | USD 500 to 4,000 plus | Mnemba, private villas, full staff and boats |
Stone Town sleeps cheapest and eats cheapest, which makes two nights there the standard budget move before the beach, as our seven days in Zanzibar itinerary shows with two town nights first. The east coast suits kitesurfers and walkers who accept the tide timetable. The north suits swimmers who want depth all day and will pay for it. Shoulder months trim 20 to 30 percent off mid-range rooms, and the long rains of April and May cut 30 to 40 percent, though some east coast hotels close for maintenance then, so match the month to our guide to the best time to visit Zanzibar before booking. The Christmas and New Year fortnight reverses everything with festive rates 20 to 30 percent above December levels. Book that fortnight six months out or skip it.
Meal plans need the same maths as rooms. A room-only rate looks cheap until three beach dinners land. A half-board to all-inclusive upgrade can run USD 140 per person per night at top resorts, near USD 1,000 per adult over seven nights. Take the upgrade only if you will eat lunch on site daily and drink enough to cover it. Otherwise breakfast included plus local lunches and dinners wins every time.
A north coast beach with a beached dhow. Calm water here costs more per night.
Find experiences for your Zanzibar trip
If you book through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.Which fixed fees catch first-timers out?
Government charges land before the holiday starts, and older guides still miss the insurance line (fee summary). All figures in 2026:
| Charge | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania tourist visa | USD 50 per person | Single entry, 90 days; US passports USD 100 multiple entry |
| ZIC mandatory insurance | USD 44 adult, USD 22 child 3 to 17, free under 3 | Required since October 2024, even with your own cover; buy at visitzanzibar.go.tz before flying |
| Hotel infrastructure tax | USD 5 (4 to 5 star), USD 4 (2 to 3 star), USD 2 (1 star and others) | Per person per night; USD 14 to 35 per person over seven nights |
| Ferry Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar | About USD 35 economy | High-speed ferry near two hours; book the official counter or carrier site |
For two adults in a mid-range hotel, fixed fees total about USD 230 to 260: two visas at USD 50, two insurance certificates at USD 44, plus USD 28 to 35 each of hotel tax. Add card surcharges of 3 to 5 percent wherever you pay by card, and the single-use plastic bag ban that fines carrier bags at the airport. None of these is large alone. Together they add USD 100 to 200 per person to any week, which is exactly why thin budgets break on day one.
The House of Wonders in Stone Town. Entry fees here are small; the visa and insurance lines are not.
What do food, transport and activities cost?
Food splits three ways. Street and market food runs TZS 2,000 to 5,000 (USD 1 to 2) a dish, with a full Forodhani Gardens evening near TZS 10,000 to 20,000 (USD 4 to 8). Local restaurant mains sit near USD 4 to 8, Lukmaan-style meals about 5,000 TZS. Beachfront dinners run USD 10 to 25 per person, seafood platters TZS 60,000 to 120,000, and fine dining mains TZS 40,000 to 100,000. Our companion method for costing meals follows the Moroccan food guide approach of pricing dish by dish, and the Morocco trip cost breakdown shows the same room-plus-meals maths on another coast.
Transport rewards pre-booking. Private airport transfers run USD 15 to 25 to Stone Town and USD 35 to 70 to Paje, Jambiani, Nungwi or Kendwa. Short taxi hops cost USD 8 to 25 with the price agreed before boarding. A private car and driver for the day runs USD 80 to 160. Dala-dala minibuses cost USD 1 to 3 a ride, with Stone Town to Nungwi near TZS 2,000, but they run slow, crowded and without timetables.
| Activity | Shared per person | Private planning range |
|---|---|---|
| Stone Town walking tour | USD 15 to 35 | USD 50 to 140 total |
| Spice farm tour | USD 20 to 40 | USD 50 to 150 total |
| Prison Island and sandbank | USD 35 to 70 | USD 80 to 180 |
| Mnemba snorkelling | USD 50 to 90 | USD 65 to 150 plus |
| Safari Blue dhow day | USD 82 adult | USD 550 charter for two |
| Two-dive scuba day | USD 90 to 180 | USD 250 to 600 plus private |
| Jozani Forest entry | About USD 10 to 12 | USD 30 to 40 with transport |
Tour prices follow published 2026 operator lists (activity rates).
All in for seven nights, excluding international flights:
| Trip | Budget pp | Mid-range pp | Comfort pp |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 nights, two sharing | USD 700 to 1,200 | USD 1,400 to 2,600 | USD 3,000 to 7,000 plus |
| 7 nights, solo | USD 900 to 1,600 | USD 1,800 to 3,400 | USD 3,800 plus |
Solo travellers pay the room and the car alone, so hostels, shared boats and Stone Town nights close the gap, while our ten days in Zanzibar itinerary totals the slower ten-night version. Couples sharing cut both lines in half. Prices move with season and exchange rates, so confirm the visa, insurance and hotel tax on official pages before locking the budget. The Zanzibar hub holds the island guides, with the Africa collection and all budget guides behind them, plus the Morocco travel tips for the closest regional logistics companion.
A loaded mabasi bus. Public transport costs dollars per ride against private tens.
Know before you go
Zanzibar at a glance
Best time to visit
June to October, December to February
- January: hot, some showers
- February: hot, some showers
- March: hot, rainy
- April: warm, very wet
- May: warm, rainy
- June: warm, some showers
- July: warm, some showers
- August: warm, some showers
- September: warm, some showers
- October: hot, rainy
- November: warm, rainy
- December: hot, rainy
Some showers Rainy Very wet
- Capital
- Zanzibar City (Stone Town)
- Currency
- Tanzanian shilling (TZS); US dollars widely accepted
- Language
- Swahili, English
- Time zone
- EAT, UTC+3
- Plugs
- Type D / G, 230 V
- Driving
- On the left
Emergency112
Frequently asked questions
How much does a week in Zanzibar cost?
Excluding international flights, about USD 700 to 1,200 per person on a budget, USD 1,400 to 2,600 mid-range, or USD 3,000 to 7,000 plus in comfort for seven nights. The hotel tier moves the total most, followed by the meal plan and the number of private tours.
What fees does Zanzibar add on arrival?
A Tanzania tourist visa at USD 50 for most nationalities, mandatory ZIC inbound insurance at USD 44 per adult and USD 22 per child aged 3 to 17, and a hotel infrastructure tax of USD 2 to 5 per person per night by hotel class. Budget about USD 110 to 150 per person before the first meal.
Is Zanzibar expensive compared to other beach islands?
Mid-priced for the Indian Ocean: cheaper than the Seychelles or Mauritius, dearer than mainland Tanzania. Street food and buses cost little, while beachfront rooms, private transfers and diving match international prices. Travel in the rains for discounts of 30 to 40 percent.
Should you carry dollars or shillings?
Both. Hotels, tours and transfers quote in USD; markets, stalls and dala-dalas run in Tanzanian shillings near 2,500 to the dollar. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants with a 3 to 5 percent surcharge. Carry cash for Forodhani, taxis and tips.
How much are transfers and the ferry?
Airport to Stone Town USD 15 to 25, to the east or north coasts USD 35 to 70 by private car. The Dar es Salaam fast ferry costs about USD 35 in economy. Short island hops by taxi run USD 8 to 25, and a full-day private car USD 80 to 160.
What is the biggest budget mistake in Zanzibar?
Booking the room without checking the meal plan maths. A half-board upgrade can run USD 140 per person per night, or nearly USD 1,000 per adult over a week. Eat out locally instead unless you will genuinely use every included lunch and drink.
Useful links (4)
- How Much Does a Zanzibar Holiday Cost in 2026/2027, Jaynevy Tours— jaynevytours.com
- Zanzibar Budget Guide 2026, WildToSea— wildtosea.com
- Is Zanzibar Expensive in 2026? Daily Costs, Duma Explorer— dumaexplorer.com
- 5 Day Zanzibar Trip Cost in 2026, Joy Trekking— joytrekking.com
Photo credits
Thank you to Moongateclimber, Willem van der Horst and No machine-readable author provided. Esculapio assumed (base for sharing these beautiful photographs and helping bring this guide to life.
Editorial byline
Jack Roberts Africa editor
Jack covers Morocco and Zanzibar for Epic Trip Ideas: medinas, desert routes, street food and Indian Ocean islands, with the logistics and costs sorted. Jack Roberts is a pen name the Epic Trip Ideas editors use for Morocco and Zanzibar; every guide is checked against official sources before it goes live.
