You ask three web designers in Dar es Salaam the same question. “How much is a website?” One sends TZS 350,000 in a WhatsApp image. One says TZS 1.5 million. The third says it depends. All three can be honest, because each price covers different work.
In late October and early November 2026, I read the public price pages of five web designers, studios, IT firms and hosting companies in Tanzania, plus a domain registrar and a website builder. Every figure in this article comes from one of those pages, with the date I checked it. None of them are my prices. I price each website after a short brief, and I explain why near the end. For prices outside Tanzania, see How much does a website cost in 2026?
What do businesses in Tanzania pay for a website?
The price pages I read fall into two groups.
The lower-priced group includes hosting companies that also build websites. One lists 5 pages for TZS 350,000 and 10 pages for TZS 750,000, both with a domain and hosting for the first year.
The higher-priced group is named designers, IT firms and studios. One IT firm lists up to 5 pages for TZS 1,127,000 and up to 12 pages for TZS 1,680,000. Two designers start at TZS 1,000,000 and TZS 1,500,000 for up to 10 pages. A studio in Dar es Salaam lists TZS 600,000 to TZS 1,200,000 for 5 to 6 pages. I checked all of these on 3 November 2026.
In my wider price research on 29 October 2026, I put seven published prices for a website of about 5 pages side by side, and the middle figure was TZS 600,000. That is a small sample, and these are asking prices. I found no figures for what clients finally paid.
Which kind of website are you paying for?
Two quotes for “5 pages” can mean very different work. These are the main kinds you will be offered.
- A website builder you set up yourself. One Tanzanian builder costs nothing to start on its own web address, and its paid plan is TZS 120,000 a year with your own domain, in its setup guide dated June 2026. It costs little, and you do the design and write the copy yourself.
- A ready package from a hosting company. A set number of pages on a ready-made design, often with the domain and hosting for the first year. The lower-priced packages above are this kind.
- A named designer or a small IT firm. On the pages I read, these sit between TZS 1,000,000 and TZS 1,680,000 for 5 to 12 pages.
- A studio or agency. One studio’s three packages run from TZS 600,000 to TZS 5,000,000, with more pages and more rounds of changes at each step.
- A custom website. Designed from scratch for one business, with no ready-made template. For comparison, the most expensive packages I found in Tanzania sit between TZS 3,790,000 and TZS 5,000,000, and several of them include an online shop. In Nairobi, one studio lists 3 to 5 pages from US$1,500 (29 October 2026).
What changes the price?
- The number of pages. All five design price pages I read are set by page count. Each extra page needs its own plan, copy, photos and checks.
- Copywriting. Of those five price pages, only one package includes copywriting, a TZS 5,000,000 package for up to 10 pages. Another seller charges TZS 50,000 a page for copywriting as an extra. On the other pages it is not listed. If your price leaves copywriting out, you write the text yourself or pay for it on top.
- Photos. Your own photos of your place, your team and your work show visitors what to expect. If you have none, a photographer is a separate cost. I did not find enough published shoot prices in Tanzania to give a fair figure, so ask a photographer for a quote early.
- Domain, hosting and email. At one Tanzanian registrar, a .co.tz domain costs TZS 22,500 for the first year and TZS 24,000 to renew. A short .tz domain costs TZS 90,000, then TZS 100,000 to renew. Both are before VAT (checked 3 November 2026). Hosting and business email come on top, unless the package includes them for the first year.
- A shop or payments. Taking orders and mobile money adds work. One e-commerce package with M-Pesa and card payments is TZS 1,500,000.
- Care once it’s live. One care plan I read starts at TZS 100,000 a month, or TZS 1,000,000 a year.
What will you pay in year two?
All five design price pages I read include the domain and hosting for the first year. In year two, those become a new bill.
One IT firm publishes its renewal prices. After the first year, the domain and hosting cost TZS 105,000, TZS 185,000 or TZS 300,000 a year, depending on the package.
Other costs come later too:
- small changes once it’s live, such as new prices, a new service or a new team member, unless you pay for care
- business email, if it was only included for the first year
- rewriting the text, if it was rushed to keep the first price low
Ask every designer for the year-two cost in writing before you pay a deposit. What does website maintenance cover? explains what care should include.
How do you plan a website budget?
- List the pages you need, and what each page should help a visitor do. What to prepare before a website project has a full list.
- Decide who writes the copy. If it is you, set the time aside before the design starts. If it is the designer, check that it is in the quote.
- Look at your photos. If they are old or blurry, plan a shoot.
- Add year two: domain, hosting, email and care.
- Keep some money aside for changes once it’s live.
Then compare your quotes line by line. A lower number may leave out the copy, the photos or year two. For the rest of the plan, from phones to domains, read What a business website in Tanzania needs in 2026.
How I price a website
I don’t publish prices. I price each website after a short brief, because two websites of 5 pages can need very different work. A law firm in Masaki and a lodge near Arusha need different pages, copy and photos.
The brief asks for your budget, because the budget sets what can be built. A smaller budget means fewer pages or fewer extras, and every page still goes through the same steps.
Those steps are research, strategy, copywriting, art direction, design, build, testing and handover. I build websites of up to 5, 10 or 20 pages, or a custom website designed from scratch, and Website Care looks after them each month once they are live. Services explains what each one includes, and Work shows the websites I designed and built as my own projects, and two redesigns I proposed.
Where these figures come from: the public price pages of five Tanzanian web designers, studios, IT firms and hosting companies, my wider price research of 29 October 2026, a Tanzanian domain registrar’s price list and a Tanzanian website builder’s plans. I read them all between 29 October and 3 November 2026. Prices change, so check each seller’s own page before you decide.
Quick answers on website prices in Tanzania
How much is a website of 5 pages in Tanzania?
On the price pages I read in 2026, from TZS 350,000 to TZS 1,200,000, with a middle figure of TZS 600,000. Check what each price leaves out before you compare.
Is the domain included?
Often for the first year only. Ask what it costs to renew in year two.
Why are quotes so different?
They include different things, such as copywriting, photos, rounds of changes, hosting and care. Compare them line by line.
Why does your brief ask for my budget?
Because your budget sets what can be built. With it, my quote fits the amount you have.
Do I pay for a website every year?
For the domain, hosting and email, yes. Care is paid monthly or yearly, if you choose it.
