A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Zanzibar vs. Castries for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Zanzibar or Castries?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Zanzibar and Castries can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Zanzibar or Castries?

Zanzibar

Just off the coast of Tanzania lies an entrancing archipelago known as Zanzibar. This gorgeous string of islands is the land of sultans, palaces beaches and spice-filled markets. Once an important trading center, many restorations have been done in recent years to restore Zanzibar to its ancient grandeur - earning its capital city UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Eco Tours in Tanzania, and The Best Cultural Tours in Tanzania.


Which place is cheaper, Castries or Zanzibar?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.

The average daily cost (per person) in Zanzibar is $62, while the average daily cost in Castries is $186. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Zanzibar and Castries in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Zanzibar $24
    Castries $100
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Zanzibar $48
    Castries $200
Compare Hotels in Zanzibar and Castries

Looking for a hotel in Zanzibar or Castries? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Zanzibar


Hotels in Castries


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Zanzibar Hotel Prices and Castries Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Zanzibar $11
    Castries $25

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Zanzibar

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Zanzibar:

  • Zanzibar Taxi & Transfer Services – From Airport to All Resorts: $16
  • Private Transfer from Abeid Amani Karume Airport to Zanzibar: $20
  • Airport to Stown Town or Stown Town To Airport transfer: $20
  • Zanzibar Airport Transfers to Hotels: $20
  • Private Airport Transfers in Zanzibar To Stone Town: $20
  • Zanzibar Airport Hotel Transfer Private Taxi Service: $20
  • Private Airport Transfers to Stone Town and Beyond: $20
  • Private Zanzibar Airport Transfer: $20
  • Zanzibar Airport Transfer and Island Shuttle Service: $20
  • Zanzibar Aiport transfer services: $23
  • Zanzibar Airport Transfers Pickup and Drop off/departure: $25
  • Private Transfer from Zanzibar airport/port - Pick & Drop off: $25

Is it cheaper to fly into Zanzibar or Castries?

Prices for flights to both Castries and Zanzibar change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Zanzibar $28
    Castries $66

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Zanzibar

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Zanzibar.

  • Zanzibar Traditional Cooking Class: $49
  • Zanzibar Walking Spice Farm with Local Cooking Class: $50
  • Local Cooking Class with Spice Tour in Zanzibar: $60
  • Zanzibar Cooking Lesson: $70
  • Zanzibar Cultural Cuisines Cooking Class & Spice Farm Tour: $75
  • Spice Farm Tour with Traditional Cooking Lesson: $77
  • Cooking Class Tour: $90
  • 5 Hours Guided Spice Tour and Cooking Class in Zanzibar: $101
  • A Half Day Private Cooking Class At the Spice Farm: $107
  • Zanzibar Sunset Dinner Dhow Cruise Kendwa Nungwi: $130
  • Fully Day Private Tour Spice Tour Cooking Class and Stone town: $130
  • Zanzibar Full-Day Tour Jozani Forest and Swahili Cooking Class: $130

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Zanzibar $13
    Castries $27

Tours and Activities in Zanzibar

Here are a few actual costs in Zanzibar for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:

  • Private Zanzibar Stone Town Heritage Tour: $14
  • Guided Stone Town Tour In Zanzibar: $18
  • Stone Town Private Tour in Zanzibar: $18
  • Stone Town Walking Tour in Zanzibar: $18
  • Private Stone Town Walking Tour with a Local Guide: $18
  • Stone Town Guided Walking Tour: Shopping, Culture & History: $18
  • Stone town walking tour with Akash: $20
  • Zanzibar Stone Town Historical Walking Tour: $20
  • Stone Town History Tour and Spice Farm Experience: $20
  • Zanzibar Stone Town Walking Tour: $20
  • Zanzibar stone town city tour: $20
  • Private Electric Pedicabs Tour in Zanzibar: $25

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Zanzibar $6.70
    Castries $11


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Zanzibar and Castries, we can see that Castries is more expensive. And not only is Zanzibar much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Zanzibar is in Africa and Castries is in Caribbean Islands, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Zanzibar would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Zanzibar and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Castries would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Castries than you might in Zanzibar.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Zanzibar Expensive? and Is Castries Expensive?.