Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Tanzania Property Pack
Get all the data you need about the real estate market in Dar es Salaam
We constantly update this blog post so you can follow fresh rent data in Dar es Salaam in 2026.
Dar es Salaam rents are very different from one neighborhood to another, so a citywide average only tells part of the story.
This guide focuses only on residential rentals, with simple estimates for studios, 1-bedroom apartments, 2-bedroom apartments, and landlord costs.
And if you’re planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Dar es Salaam.
Fact-checked and reviewed by our local expert
Grace Makoye 🇹🇿
Manager of Operations, Zinza Real Estate
What are typical rents in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
What's the average monthly rent for a studio in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, the average monthly rent for a studio in Dar es Salaam is about TZS 500,000, which is roughly USD 190 or EUR 175.
In practice, most studio rents in Dar es Salaam range from about TZS 250,000 to TZS 1.8 million per month, or roughly USD 95 to USD 690 and EUR 90 to EUR 640.
The main reason for this wide range is simple: a basic bedsitter in Sinza, Mwenge, Ubungo, Kimara, or Ukonga is not priced like a furnished studio in Masaki, Oyster Bay, Upanga, or Mikocheni.
What's the average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, the average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Dar es Salaam is about TZS 900,000, which is roughly USD 345 or EUR 320.
Most 1-bedroom apartments in Dar es Salaam rent for about TZS 400,000 to TZS 3 million per month, or roughly USD 155 to USD 1,150 and EUR 140 to EUR 1,070.
The cheapest 1-bedroom rents in Dar es Salaam are usually in areas such as Sinza, Mwenge, Kigamboni, Mbezi, and Ukonga, while the highest rents are usually in Masaki, Oyster Bay, Upanga, Mikocheni, and Msasani.
What's the average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, the average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Dar es Salaam is about TZS 1.55 million, which is roughly USD 595 or EUR 550.
Most 2-bedroom apartments in Dar es Salaam rent for about TZS 600,000 to TZS 6 million per month, or roughly USD 230 to USD 2,300 and EUR 215 to EUR 2,140.
The cheapest 2-bedroom rents in Dar es Salaam are usually in Tegeta, Mbezi, Kigamboni, Goba, Tabata, and Ukonga, while the most expensive 2-bedroom rents are usually in Masaki, Oyster Bay, Msasani, Upanga, and Mikocheni.
By the way, you will find much more detailed rent ranges in our property pack covering the real estate market in Dar es Salaam.
What's the average rent per square meter in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, the average rent per square meter in Dar es Salaam is about TZS 17,000 per month, which is roughly USD 6.50 or EUR 6.00 per sqm.
Across Dar es Salaam neighborhoods, a realistic rent range is about TZS 8,000 to TZS 45,000 per sqm per month, or roughly USD 3 to USD 17 and EUR 3 to EUR 16.
Dar es Salaam rents per square meter are usually higher than in many secondary Tanzanian cities because Dar es Salaam has stronger business demand, port activity, embassies, universities, and coastal expat areas.
In Dar es Salaam, furnished units, sea views, backup power, strong security, parking, modern kitchens, lifts, and reliable water systems usually push rent per square meter above the city average.
How much have rents changed year-over-year in Dar es Salaam in 2026?
as of 2026, average residential rents in Dar es Salaam appear to be up by about 6% to 9% year over year.
The main reasons are population growth, business activity, expat demand, limited good managed apartments, and the fact that traffic makes well-located Dar es Salaam rentals more valuable.
Compared with 2025, rent growth in Dar es Salaam looks a little stronger in prime furnished areas and more moderate in outer neighborhoods where local tenant affordability is tighter.
What's the outlook for rent growth in Dar es Salaam in 2026?
as of 2026, rents in Dar es Salaam are likely to grow by about 5% to 8% annualized through the rest of the year.
The biggest support comes from Dar es Salaam population growth, business activity, transport corridors, university demand, and demand for secure apartments with backup power and water.
The strongest rent growth in Dar es Salaam should be in Masaki, Oyster Bay, Msasani, Mikocheni, Upanga, Sinza, Kijitonyama, Mwenge, Ubungo, and areas close to BRT routes.
The main risks are weak tenant affordability, too many overpriced furnished units, slower job growth, and landlords asking rents that are too far above local incomes.
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Which neighborhoods rent best in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
Which neighborhoods have the highest rents in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, the top three high-rent neighborhoods in Dar es Salaam are Masaki, Oyster Bay, and Msasani, where many good apartments rent from about TZS 2.5 million to TZS 6 million per month, or roughly USD 960 to USD 2,300 and EUR 890 to EUR 2,140.
These neighborhoods command premium rents because they offer coastal lifestyle, embassies, international schools, restaurants, security, better roads, and more furnished apartments than most of Dar es Salaam.
The typical tenant in these high-rent Dar es Salaam neighborhoods is an expat employee, diplomat, NGO worker, business owner, senior manager, or high-income local family.
By the way, we’ve written a blog article detailing Sources and methodology: we reviewed Jiji Masaki rentals, BE FORWARD Homes, and Rentberry. We focused on repeated rent clusters, not rare luxury outliers. Our own area scoring helped rank the neighborhoods.
Where do young professionals prefer to rent in Dar es Salaam right now?
Young professionals in Dar es Salaam often prefer Sinza, Kijitonyama, and Mwenge, with Mikocheni, Upanga, Kariakoo, City Centre, and Ubungo also popular.
In these young professional areas of Dar es Salaam, typical monthly rents often range from about TZS 500,000 to TZS 1.8 million, or roughly USD 190 to USD 690 and EUR 175 to EUR 640.
Young professionals like these Dar es Salaam neighborhoods because they offer shorter commutes, BRT access, restaurants, gyms, shops, nightlife, and rents below Masaki and Oyster Bay levels.
By the way, you will find a detailed tenant analysis in our property pack covering the real estate market in Dar es Salaam.
Where do families prefer to rent in Dar es Salaam right now?
Families in Dar es Salaam often prefer Mikocheni, Mbezi Beach, and Tegeta, with Goba, Kunduchi, Kigamboni, Tabata, Mbezi, and Kijitonyama also common choices.
For 2- to 3-bedroom family apartments in these Dar es Salaam areas, typical rents range from about TZS 900,000 to TZS 3.5 million per month, or roughly USD 345 to USD 1,350 and EUR 320 to EUR 1,250.
Families choose these neighborhoods because Dar es Salaam family renters usually need more space, parking, quieter streets, security, schools, and easier daily routines.
Popular education options near these family-friendly areas include International School of Tanganyika, Haven of Peace Academy, Aga Khan schools, Feza schools, and University of Dar es Salaam for older students and staff demand.
Which areas near transit or universities rent faster in Dar es Salaam in 2026?
as of 2026, the fastest-renting transit and university areas in Dar es Salaam are Ubungo, Kimara, and the Mlimani or UDSM area, with Morocco, Gerezani, Kivukoni, Sinza, and Mwenge also strong.
Good apartments in these high-demand Dar es Salaam areas often stay listed for only about 10 to 25 days when the rent is realistic.
A unit close to BRT routes or University of Dar es Salaam demand can often earn a rent premium of about TZS 100,000 to TZS 400,000 per month, or roughly USD 40 to USD 155 and EUR 35 to EUR 140.
Which neighborhoods are most popular with expats in Dar es Salaam right now?
The top three expat rental neighborhoods in Dar es Salaam are Masaki, Oyster Bay, and Msasani, with Upanga, Mikocheni, Sea View, and Mbezi Beach also popular.
In these expat areas of Dar es Salaam, monthly rents usually range from about TZS 1.5 million to TZS 6 million, or roughly USD 575 to USD 2,300 and EUR 535 to EUR 2,140.
Expats choose these Dar es Salaam neighborhoods because they offer furnished homes, security, backup power, embassies, international schools, restaurants, sea access, and easier social life.
The most visible expat groups in these areas include diplomats, NGO workers, Indian and South Asian business families, European professionals, Middle Eastern workers, and regional African executives.
And if you are also an expat, you may want to read our Sources and methodology: we used Jiji Masaki rentals, BE FORWARD Homes, and Rentberry. We looked for furnished and high-service rental patterns. Our own expat demand checks helped refine the ranking.
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Who rents, and what do tenants want in Dar es Salaam right now?
What tenant profiles dominate rentals in Dar es Salaam?
The top three tenant profiles in Dar es Salaam are local salaried professionals, middle-income families, and expat or NGO tenants.
In simple terms, local professionals may represent about 40% of demand, families about 35%, and expat or NGO tenants about 10% to 15%, with students and small-business owners making up much of the rest.
Local professionals usually want studios and 1-bedroom apartments, families usually want 2- to 3-bedroom units, and expat tenants usually want furnished apartments or houses in secure coastal areas.
If you want to optimize your cashflow, you can read our Sources and methodology: we used NBS 2022 Census, World Bank, and Jiji rentals. We linked tenant profiles to rent bands and locations. Our own tenant segmentation helped estimate shares.
Do tenants prefer furnished or unfurnished in Dar es Salaam?
In Dar es Salaam, about 65% to 75% of long-term local tenants prefer unfurnished or semi-furnished rentals, while about 25% to 35% prefer furnished rentals.
A furnished apartment in Dar es Salaam can often rent for about TZS 300,000 to TZS 1.5 million more per month than a similar unfurnished unit, or roughly USD 115 to USD 575 and EUR 105 to EUR 535.
Furnished rentals in Dar es Salaam are mainly preferred by expats, diplomats, NGO workers, short-stay professionals, and higher-income tenants in Masaki, Oyster Bay, Msasani, Upanga, and Mikocheni.
Which amenities increase rent the most in Dar es Salaam?
The five amenities that increase rent the most in Dar es Salaam are backup power, 24/7 security, secure parking, reliable water storage, and air conditioning.
Depending on the neighborhood, these amenities can add about TZS 100,000 to TZS 1 million per month to rent, or roughly USD 40 to USD 385 and EUR 35 to EUR 355, with the biggest premiums in Masaki, Oyster Bay, Msasani, Upanga, and Mikocheni.
In our property pack covering the real estate market in Dar es Salaam, we cover what are the best investments a landlord can make.
What renovations get the best ROI for rentals in Dar es Salaam?
The five best rental renovations in Dar es Salaam are repainting, bathroom upgrades, kitchen upgrades, water tank or pump improvements, and inverter or generator backup.
Simple repainting may cost about TZS 500,000 to TZS 2 million and lift rent by TZS 50,000 to TZS 150,000 per month, while bigger kitchen, bathroom, water, and power upgrades can cost TZS 2 million to TZS 15 million and lift rent by about TZS 150,000 to TZS 800,000 per month, or roughly USD 60 to USD 310 and EUR 55 to EUR 285 in extra rent.
Poor-ROI renovations in Dar es Salaam usually include luxury finishes in cheap outer areas, expensive décor that tenants do not value, oversized pools, and upgrades that ignore basic water, power, security, and road-access problems.
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How strong is rental demand in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
What's the vacancy rate for rentals in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, the estimated vacancy rate for normal long-term rentals in Dar es Salaam is about 6% to 8%.
Across Dar es Salaam, vacancy is closer to 4% to 6% for well-priced small apartments near jobs, BRT routes, or universities, and closer to 10% to 15% for overpriced luxury furnished units.
Compared with the historical average, Dar es Salaam vacancy looks tight for clean affordable units, but still soft for landlords who overprice prime furnished apartments.
Finally please note that you will have all the indicators you need in our property pack covering the real estate market in Dar es Salaam.
How many days do rentals stay listed in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, a correctly priced apartment in Dar es Salaam usually stays listed for about 25 to 45 days.
The realistic range is about 10 to 25 days for good small units near transit, universities, or jobs, and about 60 to 120 days for overpriced luxury or poorly managed rentals.
Compared with one year ago, well-located Dar es Salaam rentals appear to be moving a little faster, while expensive furnished units still need realistic pricing to avoid sitting online.
Which months have peak tenant demand in Dar es Salaam?
The peak tenant demand months in Dar es Salaam are usually January to March and July to September.
January to March is strong because of post-holiday moves, school planning, job starts, and university activity, while July to September benefits from mid-year relocations and expat or NGO cycles.
The quietest rental months in Dar es Salaam are usually late November and December, when many households delay moving until after holidays and school planning becomes clearer.
Don't buy the wrong property, in the wrong area of Dar es Salaam
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What will my monthly costs be in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
What property taxes should landlords expect in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, a small apartment landlord in Dar es Salaam should often budget about TZS 50,000 to TZS 250,000 per year for local property-related rates and charges where applicable, or roughly USD 20 to USD 95 and EUR 18 to EUR 90.
For larger or prime Dar es Salaam properties, the realistic range can be much higher because property value, title structure, municipal treatment, service charge, and land rent can all change the final cost.
Property-related taxes and charges in Dar es Salaam depend on the property’s legal structure, valuation, location, and whether the owner also pays building management fees, land rent, or local service charges.
Please note that, in our property pack covering the real estate market in Dar es Salaam, we cover what exemptions or deductions may be available to reduce property taxes for landlords.
What utilities do landlords often pay in Dar es Salaam right now?
In Dar es Salaam, landlords most often pay or manage common-area lighting, security, generator servicing, water-pump maintenance, building service charge, garbage, and sometimes compound staff.
A simple landlord-paid utility and service budget can be about TZS 100,000 to TZS 500,000 per month, or roughly USD 40 to USD 190 and EUR 35 to EUR 180, while prime furnished buildings can cost more.
For normal unfurnished rentals in Dar es Salaam, tenants usually pay electricity, water, internet, and cooking gas directly, while furnished expat leases may include more utilities in the rent.
How is rental income taxed in Dar es Salaam as of 2026?
as of 2026, rental income in Dar es Salaam is taxable in Tanzania, and a simple landlord should often reserve about 10% of gross rent for tax planning before checking the exact TRA position.
Common deductions may include repairs, maintenance, management costs, service charges, insurance, loan interest where allowed, and other documented expenses linked to the rental property.
Common Dar es Salaam tax mistakes include not keeping rent receipts, ignoring withholding-tax rules when the tenant is a company or institution, mixing personal and rental expenses, and forgetting that payment timing affects cash flow.
We cover these mistakes, among others, in our Sources and methodology: we used TRA withholding tax, TRA Taxes and Duties at a Glance, and TRA Paying Taxes. We explain tax at planning level, not as personal tax advice. Our own landlord cash-flow models include tax reserves.
We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Tanzania versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it’s in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Dar es Salaam, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can … and we don’t throw out numbers at random.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we’ve listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why we trust it | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics CPI 2026 | It is Tanzania’s official statistics agency, so it is the best source for national inflation context. | We used it to check whether Dar es Salaam rent growth looked reasonable. We treated CPI as a macro cross-check, not as a direct rent index. |
| NBS 2022 Census | It is the official population and housing census source for Tanzania. | We used it to size the household base behind Dar es Salaam residential demand. We used it as a demand floor, not as a rent source. |
| NBS Dar es Salaam Population Projection Report 2023-2050 | It is the official regional demographic projection report for Dar es Salaam. | We used it to judge medium-term rental demand in Dar es Salaam. We linked population growth to the 2026 rent-growth outlook. |
| World Bank Tanzania Economic Update | The World Bank is a major macroeconomic source for Tanzania. | We used it to check income, jobs, construction, and demand momentum. We used it to avoid rent-growth estimates that were too optimistic. |
| IMF Tanzania country page | The IMF gives current macro forecasts for Tanzania. | We used it to cross-check GDP and inflation assumptions. We used it to keep the Dar es Salaam rent forecast aligned with affordability. |
| Tanzania Revenue Authority withholding tax | TRA is the official tax administrator in Tanzania. | We used it to explain rent-related withholding-tax treatment. We also used it to warn landlords that payer type can matter. |
| TRA Taxes and Duties at a Glance 2025/2026 | This is TRA’s official annual tax summary. | We used it for landlord tax and rental-income context. We preferred it over private tax calculators. |
| EWURA tariffs | EWURA regulates electricity, water, and utility tariffs in Tanzania. | We used it to understand utility-cost pressure. We counted utilities as landlord costs only when the landlord usually pays them. |
| DAWASA tariffs | DAWASA is the official Dar es Salaam water utility. | We used it for water and sewerage cost context. We separated tenant-paid water bills from landlord-paid water systems. |
| DART official site | DART is the official rapid-transit agency for Dar es Salaam. | We used it to identify transit-linked rental areas. We connected demand to corridors such as Kimara, Ubungo, Morocco, Gerezani, and Kivukoni. |
| UDART BRT system | UDART operates Dar es Salaam’s BRT service. | We used it to confirm BRT stations and terminals. We then linked those stations to faster-renting areas. |
| University of Dar es Salaam | It is the official site of Tanzania’s largest public university. | We used it to identify student, staff, and university-linked rental demand. We connected this demand to Mlimani, Ubungo, Sinza, and Mwenge. |
| Numbeo Dar es Salaam property prices | It is a transparent crowd-sourced cost database with visible market benchmarks. | We used it as one rent benchmark only. We cross-checked it against live portals because crowd-sourced data can skew toward expats. |
| Jiji Dar es Salaam rentals | It is one of Tanzania’s largest live listing marketplaces. | We used it to observe asking rents and inventory depth. We discounted obvious duplicates, luxury outliers, and unrealistic listings. |
| Rentberry Dar es Salaam apartments | It provides another set of apartment listings and bedroom-type references. | We used it as a secondary listing cross-check. We used it mainly to validate rent bands and inventory patterns. |
| BE FORWARD Homes Dar es Salaam rentals | It is a large Tanzania-facing property listing platform. | We used it to validate neighborhood patterns and furnished demand. We treated its prices as asking rents, not closed leases. |
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