Mikocheni due west of Msasani is a slightly more downmarket but livelier alternative to the Peninsula and the area of choice for ex-pats who are paying their own rent and middle and upper-class Tanzanians.

Situated between the Old and New Bagamoyo roads, the neighbourhood is divided into two parts, A and B, corresponding to the different periods of construction, with poorer local residents living alongside their more wealthy compatriots and foreigners.

There is a greater variety of accommodation here than on the Peninsula, including apartments and smaller villas on smaller plots and houses for government and parastatal employees. Some of the buildings are used as headquarters for non-governmental organisations or offices for local businesses. Houses generally have inside parking and street parking is also good.

In the south of the area is Regent Estate, a planned residential area popular with politicians. Here there are large houses with gardens and the roads are surfaced; elsewhere in the area the roads are generally poor and potholed.
Mikocheni has several shopping centres and a large supermarket and there are also plenty of roadside stalls selling most essential items.

The neighbourhood also has a tidy industrial area including the local Coca-Cola factory, which generates heavy traffic during the day.

Dala dalas (public mini buses) heading into the city centre leave from the terminal at Mwenge on New Bagamoyo Road.