Dar es Salaam vs Lombok

Real cost of living, rent, internet, safety and visa terms for both cities, side by side — then open the interactive tool to weight them against your own priorities.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
🇹🇿Tanzania

Dar es Salaam

56Freedom Score#92Global rank$1,500Per month

Tanzania's Indian Ocean hub — warm Swahili coast, a booming port-city energy, and the gateway to Zanzibar and safari country with an easy e-visa.

Lombok, Indonesia
🇮🇩Indonesia

Lombok

70Freedom Score#47Global rank$536Per month

Bali's quieter, rawer neighbour — pristine beaches, world-class surf, volcano trekking, and a rapidly growing nomad scene at a fraction of Bali's prices.

The short answer

Compare these two in the full toolBoth cities pre-loaded — add your income and priorities to get a personal match score

Cost of living

Monthly figures for one person. Rent, meals and coworking are measured values, not shares of the total budget.

ExpenseDar es SalaamLombok
Comfortable budgetper month, all in$1,500$536✓
Rent, 1BR city centre$700$332✓
Meal, mid-range$12$10✓
Coworking deskper monthn.a.$49
Cost of living indexlower is cheaper60.022.0✓

Quality of life

Scored 0–100 on the same attributes the match engine weights, so these agree with the interactive tool.

MeasureDar es SalaamLombok
Safety
45
60
Healthcare
53
40
Walkability
42
40
English spoken
52
40
Food & dining
55
70
Nightlife
58
50
Outdoors
36
90
Nomad community
38
50
Climate quality
68
82
Public transit
40
30

Scores, connectivity and paperwork

MeasureDar es SalaamLombok
Freedom Score56/10070/100✓
Global rankof 100 cities#92#47✓
Internet25 Mbps46 Mbps✓
Average temperature79°F82°F
Air quality65/100✓48/100
Airport connectivity52/10060/100✓
Nomad visaE-visa 90d60 days
Headline tax rateon local income20%0%

Which should you choose?

Choose Dar es Salaam if it is more walkable and English is more widely spoken.

Choose Lombok if runs $964/mo cheaper, rent is $368/mo lower, internet is faster at 46 Mbps and it scores higher on safety (60 vs 45).

What each city is known for

Dar es Salaam

  • Indian Ocean Swahili coast
  • Gateway to Zanzibar and safaris
  • E-visa on arrival
  • Growing, bustling port city

Lombok

  • Lowest cost of living of any beach destination on this list
  • Selong Belanak: one of the world's most perfect surf breaks
  • Gili Islands 30 minutes by boat — no motorised vehicles
  • Mount Rinjani trek: one of Southeast Asia's best hikes

Frequently asked questions

Which is better for digital nomads: Dar es Salaam or Lombok?
Lombok scores higher on the Freedom Score (70/100 against 56/100), which makes it the stronger all-round base. That is an average, though — if cost, climate or community is what actually decides it for you, the tables above will point the other way as often as not.
Which is cheaper: Dar es Salaam or Lombok?
Lombok is cheaper. A comfortable monthly budget is $536 against $1,500, a difference of $964 a month or about $11,568 a year. Rent is the biggest single line: $700/mo in Dar es Salaam versus $332/mo in Lombok.
Which is safer: Dar es Salaam or Lombok?
Lombok scores higher on safety, 60/100 against 45/100. Safety scores blend crime levels, political stability and healthcare access, and they describe a city as a whole — individual neighbourhoods vary far more than the headline number suggests.
How fast is the internet in Dar es Salaam and Lombok?
Dar es Salaam averages 25 Mbps and Lombok averages 46 Mbps, so Lombok has the headroom if you push large files or run video calls all day.
What visa would I need for Dar es Salaam or Lombok?
Dar es Salaam sits in Tanzania (E-visa 90d) and Lombok in Indonesia (60 days). Requirements, income floors and processing times change often, so check the visa and residency guide before you commit to either.
Open the interactive comparison

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Cost, connectivity and quality-of-life figures come from the YourLifeMatch city dataset. Where a value is not confirmed it reads n.a. rather than an estimate. Figures are for planning, not professional advice.