Is Zanzibar Expensive? Our Actual Travel Costs in 2026
Zanzibar was not the place where we could stop thinking about the budget. I loved the beaches and food, but between going out, getting around and booking a boat day, the little costs definitely had company!
We spent 17 nights between Paje and Nungwi in July into August 2026. We weren't doing an all-inclusive holiday, and we weren't trying to spend the absolute minimum either. There were gym mornings, cafés, meals out and some experiences I am so glad we made room for.
Here are the numbers I would actually use to plan a similar trip: daily spending per person, two real hotel bills, and examples of what we paid for food and activities. I will keep flights out of it because where you start makes such a difference.
Is Zanzibar expensive, my quick answer
For our travel style, Zanzibar needed a mid-range budget rather than a bargain-beach budget. Our recorded day-to-day spending was A$1,350.42 per person over 16 recorded days, or A$84.40 per person per day, excluding accommodation.
Separately, our nine nights at Chokoro House and Siri Beach Lodge averaged A$120.28 per room per night, shared between two people. That works out to A$60.14 each for those room nights.
Those are two useful planning figures, not an exact total for every day of our 17-night trip. The spending record covers 16–31 July, and the room comparison covers those two paid stays. All actual prices in this article are from our July 2026 visit; check your own dates before booking.
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| What the number covers | Amount in Australian dollars | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Day-to-day spending, excluding rooms | A$1,350.42 | Per person, 16 recorded days |
| Daily spending average | A$84.40 | Per person per recorded day |
| Chokoro House and Siri room bills | A$1,082.56 | Nine room nights, shared by two |
| Average for those room nights | A$120.28 | Per room, not per person |
| Equal share of those room nights | A$60.14 | Per person per night |
If you're still deciding which part of the island suits you, our Zanzibar planning guide is the place to start. The budget makes much more sense once you know whether you're staying mostly in Paje, Nungwi or both.
Accommodation costs in Zanzibar
This is where I would start the budget, because the room is a commitment you can price before you arrive. Our two examples were private accommodation for two, not dorm beds and not all-inclusive packages.
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| Our stay in July 2026 | Nights | Total room bill | Per room per night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chokoro House, Paje | 5 | A$638.56 | A$127.71 |
| Siri Beach Lodge, Nungwi | 4 | A$444.00 | A$111.00 |
Chokoro House in Paje
We spent five nights here. Having a pool was useful in Paje, where the water can be a very long way out at low tide. I would compare it if you want a base for getting out to cafés, restaurants and the beach rather than spending the whole trip inside a resort.
Chokoro House
A pool, garden and a walk to the beach. An easy base for days out and eating around Paje.
Siri Beach Lodge in Nungwi
Siri was our four-night northern base. The room was spacious, the air con was good, and we were about a minute's walk from the beach. It did the job I wanted: somewhere comfortable to come back to without giving up the town around us.
Siri Beach Lodge
A spacious room and a short walk to Nungwi beach. This is the base we used for exploring the town and heading out for meals.
For more options, including the places I would compare for a different style of stay, see our Zanzibar accommodation guide. If you're travelling solo and want a dorm rather than paying for a private room alone, you can also compare hostel options. Check whether the displayed price is for one bed or the whole room.
Food and drink prices: where the money went
We really enjoyed eating around Paje, so I wouldn't pretend our budget was built on the cheapest possible meals. Basil was good enough that we went twice. At al Casbah, Sharif talked us through the food, and the homemade bread and banana cake were part of why I loved it so much. I gave it 10 out of 10!
One price comparison that stuck with me was Bento's food court. The Carnival of Flavors sharing platter was 80,000 Tanzanian shillings, while two mains at 30,000 each would have totalled 60,000. A sharing dish isn't automatically the cheaper option, even when it sounds that way.
These are individual examples from July 2026, not an island-wide menu price list:
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| Food or drink | Price we recorded or quoted during the visit | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bento sharing platter | TZS80,000 | Whole platter, not per person |
| Two Bento mains at TZS30,000 each | TZS60,000 | The comparison we made at the time |
| Local beer in Nungwi | US$5 | Per bottle at the place we visited |
The sunset dinner in Nungwi was part of the experience for me, not just fuel between activities. We also loved Hanoi House, which felt like a little taste of Vietnam in the middle of Zanzibar. Daniel rescued a kitten from the roof there, and it followed him into the toilet. How were we supposed to leave it behind?
Normally, we also love finding an apartment with a kitchen and cooking for a bit of home normality. It is one of the ways we make full-time travel work, and we genuinely enjoy it. If that sounds like you, compare self-catering accommodation as well as hotels.
Tours and activities: what I would budget for
Maalum Cave
We paid US$20 each for a 90-minute session, recorded as A$28.67 for one person. Towels, a locker and rock shoes were provided during our visit. This was one of my favourite things we did near Paje. The light coming through that water was incredible!
Book directly with Maalum and check the current session details. It is a separate experience from the turtle caves, and I wouldn't swap one for the other.
Our Mnemba boat day
The recorded cost was A$108.66 per person. We organised the outing through Instagram, with a very early pickup, snorkelling, a sandbank stop and fruit on the boat. It was a cloudy day and the water still looked unreal!
I was very specific with our guide about avoiding crowded dolphin groups. That mattered more to me than finding the cheapest possible boat. If you're comparing trips, ask about the wildlife approach, group size, transfers and what is included before paying.
You can browse Mnemba tours here. Compare the inclusions and pickup location with the price, as we booked ours locally. You travel around the atoll, not onto the private island itself.
Gym days and the activities you repeat
Jumbo Fitness in Paje was US$5 per person for a day pass when we visited. We went almost daily. That sounds small next to a boat trip, but anything you repeat becomes a meaningful part of the budget.
For me, that routine was worth making room for. We aren't in holiday mode every day, and a gym session followed by lunch can be exactly the kind of day we want.
We also visited Stone Town and Prison Island with arrangements made through our taxi driver. I would ask for the full quote, including boat, transfers and entry charges, before comparing it with a packaged trip. You can browse Prison Island outings here, checking the inclusions rather than comparing only the headline price.
Getting around: the cost I wouldn't overlook
We used taxis and hired a scooter for exploring part of the southeast coast. On camera, we quoted the scooter at about A$40 for the day, which felt a lot less casual than hiring one in parts of Asia.
The hire also gave us a headache: we had been told the local permit would be organised, it wasn't ready, and we rode anyway. That was our mistake. We were stopped, and it turned into an extra expense and a frustrating conversation with the renter.
I wouldn't repeat that to save time or money. Have the required paperwork in hand, confirm your cover and the rental conditions, and don't treat a verbal promise as the finished job.
An easier saving is to reduce unnecessary driving. Group the nearby places you want to see instead of crossing the island for a single meal. We spent four nights in Nungwi rather than repeatedly travelling up from Paje, and I loved having time to settle into it.
Our Nungwi guide and Paje guide show how the outings fit around each base.
Cash, cards and what the daily figure includes
We used both card payments and cash. The A$1,350.42 figure includes cash withdrawn and then spent on things such as food, tours and tips. The activity examples above are already part of that spending, not extras to add to it again.
Some of that cash covered several different things, so we don't have a separate total for every meal or tour. The daily average is the more useful number here.
The recorded amount excludes accommodation, flights and the separately recorded visa and baggage charges. Think of it as our day-to-day spending example, not an all-inclusive quote for arriving in Zanzibar.
I use this Wise card for travel. Take a backup payment method, check any fee before accepting a transaction, and clarify the currency when someone quotes a price. During our visit we encountered prices in both shillings and dollars.
How much would I set aside for a similar trip?
For a couple sharing rooms like our two examples, I would use around A$145 per person per day as a starting planning estimate, then add a buffer. That combines roughly A$84 of daily spending with roughly A$60 for a shared room night.
It is an illustration based on two separate samples, not our exact full-trip average. At that pace, seven days with seven room nights would be about A$1,015 per person before flights, entry costs, insurance and a buffer, or an estimated A$2,030 for two people travelling at the same pace.
A shorter trip packed with tours could cost more per day. A slower trip with fewer outings could cost less. Solo travellers should price the whole room rather than halving it, or compare a dorm bed instead.
What I would change to bring the cost down:
- Compare the full room total for your dates, not just the first nightly price.
- Choose a base near the places you want to spend time.
- Keep some beach and walking days rather than booking an excursion every day.
- Check what a tour actually includes before deciding one is cheaper.
- Choose meals you genuinely want, rather than assuming a sharing platter is a bargain.
I wouldn't cut the whole trip down to the cheapest version just for a lower number. Maalum, the Mnemba outing and those lovely meals were a big part of why we enjoyed Zanzibar so much.
Watch the trip behind these costs
Our northern Zanzibar vlog shows Siri, meals in Nungwi, Stone Town and the Mnemba day. You can see what the spending actually bought us.
Watch our Nungwi and Mnemba vlog on YouTube, or our Paje vlog for Maalum and the southeast coast. Follow Ell's Passport for more of the trip.
FAQs about Zanzibar travel costs
Are these Zanzibar costs per person or for a couple?
The A$1,350.42 day-to-day total and A$84.40 daily average are per person. Accommodation totals are for the shared room. Chokoro House and Siri averaged A$120.28 per room per night, or A$60.14 each when split equally between two people.
How much spending money did you use in Zanzibar?
Our record covers A$1,350.42 per person over 16 recorded days, excluding accommodation, flights and the separately recorded visa and baggage charges. It includes both card purchases and cash that was withdrawn and spent.
Can you visit Zanzibar on a smaller budget?
Yes, but our figures aren't a tested minimum. You could compare dorm beds, reduce transfers and do fewer paid excursions. We chose private rooms, plenty of meals out and activities, so this is a guide to that style of trip.
How much did your Zanzibar hotels cost?
In July 2026, Chokoro House cost A$638.56 for five nights and Siri Beach Lodge cost A$444 for four nights. Those are total room bills for two people sharing, not per-person rates or current quotes.
Do I add the tours to your daily budget figure?
No. The named activities are examples within the recorded spending. Adding them again to a total that already includes the cash used to pay for them would count the same money twice.
Final thoughts: is Zanzibar worth the cost?
I loved Zanzibar, but I would go in with a realistic budget. It was the combination of the beach days, the food, the people and getting out to explore that made it so good, not spending every day at a resort.
Price your room first, give yourself room for the experiences you really want, and don't forget the ordinary daily spending. I would start by comparing Chokoro House in Paje and Siri Beach Lodge in Nungwi, then use our best time to visit Zanzibar guide to work through the dates.
