Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $789 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Yaounde

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Athens and in Yaounde actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $789 in Yaounde.

Athens $1,806
Yaounde $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,225 in Yaounde.

Athens $2,731
Yaounde $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,661 in Yaounde.

Athens $3,656
Yaounde $1,661

Living in Athens is roughly 129% more expensive than in Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Yaounde is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$3.51 FCFA 2,051

374.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$50.5 FCFA 29.5K

31.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$5.22 FCFA 3,053

111.88%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.96 FCFA 1,145

111.22%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.53 FCFA 898

83.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.54 FCFA 318

5.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.27 FCFA 744

344.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

215.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$3.66 FCFA 2,143

-46.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.09 FCFA 638

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.32 FCFA 772

114.39%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

140.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$13.54 FCFA 7,923

13.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$6.16 FCFA 3,605

67.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$6.70 FCFA 3,919

183.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$5.19 FCFA 3,037

-58.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$2.01 FCFA 1,178

-4.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.02 FCFA 1,180

-31.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.37 FCFA 803

60.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.64 FCFA 960

-32.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$1.45 FCFA 847

-22.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.09 FCFA 635

0.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.66 FCFA 388

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$1.68 FCFA 981

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$8.32 FCFA 4,869

22.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.37 FCFA 803

59.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.96 FCFA 1,146

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.58 FCFA 339

137.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$17.43 FCFA 10.2K

77.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.59 FCFA 343

640.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.45 FCFA 262

131.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$6.06 FCFA 3,546

182.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.41 FCFA 826

63.83%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.0K €25.0K

$32.4K FCFA 19.0M

-13.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$28.0K €25.0K

$21.3K FCFA 12.5M

31.58%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$210 €187

$80.3 FCFA 47.0K

161.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$26.70 €23.83

$17.09 FCFA 9,997

56.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$51.9 FCFA 30.4K

-41.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$23.33 FCFA 13.6K

134.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$7.27 FCFA 4,251

258.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$8.59 FCFA 5,025

25.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$575 €513

$610 FCFA 357.1K

-5.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$2,355 FCFA 1.4M

457.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$16.95 FCFA 9,915

449.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$27.00 FCFA 15.8K

50.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$25.98 FCFA 15.2K

300.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$55.7 FCFA 32.6K

130.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$140 FCFA 81.9K

439.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$185 FCFA 108.2K

252.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$409 FCFA 239.5K

216.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$211 FCFA 123.2K

452.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$847 FCFA 495.6K

373.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$593 FCFA 347.2K

481.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$190 FCFA 111.1K

554.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

-65.54%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Yaounde

$185 23.3% 71.6% $467

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Yaounde

$253 32% 19.5% $61

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Yaounde

$85 10.8% 68.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Yaounde

$149 18.8% 44% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Yaounde

$57 7.1% 65.7% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Yaounde

$41 5.1% 46.8% $36

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Yaounde

$23 2.9% 50.8% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $140 in Yaounde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 555% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $50.0 in Yaounde for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $253 per month, with Yaounde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

2 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,817,524 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Yaounde 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Athens vs Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaounde wins on cost – living expenses run 129% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yaounde the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 555% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $140 in Yaounde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Yaounde – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $789 in Yaounde – a 129% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $789 in Yaounde versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yaounde but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Yaounde the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Yaounde delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $789 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Yaounde hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Yaounde are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Yaounde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.