The neighbourhoods
Masaki
TZS 2,500,000–5,000,000 / month for a good apartment; houses considerably moreThe tip of the Msasani peninsula — embassies, sea views, restaurants and the highest rents in the country
Commute: 20–45 minutes to the city centre depending entirely on the peninsula road
- The best restaurant and services cluster in Dar, much of it walkable
- Sea breeze that makes a genuine difference to the heat
- Highest security standards and most reliable utilities
- The most expensive part of Tanzania by a wide margin
- One road on and off the peninsula, so traffic is a chokepoint
- Heavily expatriate and quite separated from the city
Oyster Bay
TZS 2,000,000–4,500,000 / monthThe older, leafier half of the peninsula — big plots, mature trees and Coco Beach at the end of the road
Commute: 20–40 minutes to the centre; close to the main international schools
- Larger properties with gardens than anywhere else this central
- Close to Coco Beach and the seafront walk
- Established, quiet and well served
- Expensive and largely car-dependent
- Older housing stock can mean older wiring and plumbing
- Shares the peninsula's single-road traffic problem
Mikocheni
TZS 900,000–2,000,000 / monthMixed residential and light commercial just off the peninsula — the practical middle ground
Commute: 25–45 minutes to the centre; well placed for the Bagamoyo road corridor
- Materially better value than Masaki for a similar commute
- Good supermarkets, clinics and restaurants without peninsula prices
- Wide mix of apartment stock, so real choice
- Busier and dustier than the peninsula
- Quality varies enormously between buildings
- Less sea breeze, so noticeably hotter
Upanga
TZS 800,000–1,800,000 / monthCentral, old and dense — tree-lined streets between the CBD and the ocean, with a long-established South Asian community
Commute: 10–20 minutes to the CBD — the shortest on this list
- Genuinely close to the city centre and the hospitals
- Walkable in a way most of Dar is not
- Excellent and cheap food, especially South Asian
- Older buildings with variable maintenance and frequent water issues
- Denser and noisier than the peninsula
- Fewer of the amenities international arrivals expect
Mbezi Beach
TZS 1,000,000–2,500,000 / monthCoastal strip north of the city — beach access, newer compounds, and a long commute in
Commute: 45–90 minutes to the centre; better if you work along the northern corridor
- Beach on your doorstep and a real sea breeze
- Newer compounds with pools and gardens at reasonable rents
- Quieter and greener than anywhere closer in
- The commute into central Dar is the worst on this list
- You will need a car
- Services and restaurants are thinner than on the peninsula
Kinondoni & Sinza
TZS 400,000–1,000,000 / monthDense, ordinary, well-connected Dar — where a large share of the city's working population lives
Commute: 20–40 minutes; among the best served by the BRT and daladala routes
- By far the cheapest well-connected option
- On or near BRT corridors, which beats sitting in traffic
- Real neighbourhood life, markets and cheap eating
- Noisy, dense and hot
- Building standards are inconsistent — inspect carefully
- Water and power interruptions are more frequent than on the peninsula
How renting works in Dar es Salaam
Dar's rental market runs on agents, WhatsApp groups and introductions. Rents on the peninsula are frequently quoted in US dollars while payment happens in shillings, and six to twelve months up front is a standard opening ask. Negotiate the advance and the currency before you negotiate the rent.
- 1
Search the Tanzanian portals and the Dar housing groups
Zoom Tanzania, Jumia House and the local portals carry the formal market; Dar housing and expat WhatsApp and Facebook groups carry direct-from-landlord listings, usually cheaper.
- 2
Engage an agent for your target area
Agents are area-specific and will show several properties in a day. Agree the commission arrangement in writing before viewing — tenant-paid commission of around a month's rent is common.
- 3
Inspect the building, not just the apartment
Ask to see the water storage tank and the borehole if there is one, the generator, and how the security is staffed. In Dar these determine your quality of life far more than the finishes.
- 4
Settle the currency and the advance in writing
Peninsula rents are often quoted in dollars and paid in shillings. Agree which rate applies and when it is set, and agree the payment schedule — quarterly is achievable with a formal employment contract even when twelve months was the opening ask.
- 5
Get a written tenancy agreement
Term, notice period, deposit and how it is returned, who pays for repairs, and exactly what the rent includes. Deposit disputes are the most common tenancy problem here.
- 6
Test the commute and the heat
Drive the route at 8am on a weekday, and visit the apartment in the afternoon to feel how hot it actually gets. A unit with cross-ventilation and a sea breeze is a different life from one without.
Upfront cost
A deposit — commonly two to three months — plus a substantial advance. Six or twelve months up front is a routine opening ask in Dar, and negotiating down to quarterly is the highest-value move available to you. Agent commission of around one month's rent is often payable by the tenant. Get the all-in monthly figure, including service charge, security and water, in writing.
Where to search
Insider tips
- Negotiate the advance before the rent. A landlord who will not move on price will often accept quarterly instead of annual payment, and the cash-flow difference dwarfs any discount you would win.
- Agree the currency and the exchange rate mechanism in writing. Dollar-quoted, shilling-paid rents are normal on the peninsula and are the single most common source of monthly friction.
- Ask about water first. Mains supply is intermittent across much of Dar and a building with a borehole and large tanks is a materially different experience from one without. Look at the tank; do not just be told about it.
- Check the generator covers your unit, not only the lifts, gate and common areas. A generator that does not reach your air conditioning is of limited use in this climate.
- Visit in the afternoon heat. Cross-ventilation, ceiling fans, the direction the unit faces and whether it catches the sea breeze matter more in Dar than in any highland city on this list.
- Pay by traceable means — bank transfer or mobile money with a reference — and keep every receipt. Your documentation is your entire position in a deposit dispute.
Avoid these
- Paying an advance before viewing in person, or to anyone who cannot show they own or manage the property.
- Accepting a twelve-month advance because it was the opening ask, without testing quarterly.
- Leaving the currency and exchange rate of a dollar-quoted rent unwritten.
- Renting on the peninsula without accounting for the single-road traffic chokepoint at rush hour.
- Assuming the compound generator or water tank covers your unit — check both physically.
- Comparing rents without service charge, security, water and electricity included.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.