Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bamenda and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Bamenda: $670 a month against $1,334 in Douala, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bamenda
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Bamenda Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index

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Bamenda

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$670

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bamenda and in Douala

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

A single person spends $670 per month in Bamenda vs $1,334 in Douala, rent included.

Bamenda $670
Douala $1,334

A couple spends around $897 per month in Bamenda vs $2,160 in Douala, rent included.

Bamenda $897
Douala $2,160

A family of three spends $1,123 per month in Bamenda vs $2,985 in Douala, rent included.

Bamenda $1,123
Douala $2,985

Bamenda is about 50% cheaper than Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bamenda and Douala are more affordable than the global median – Bamenda 51% lower, Douala 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.05 FCFA 2,951

$4.37 FCFA 2,558

15.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 FCFA 71.1K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 FCFA 3,814

$6.93 FCFA 4,053

-5.92%

Cappuccino

$1.17 FCFA 682

$2.13 FCFA 1,246

-45.07%

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

$1.74 FCFA 1,018

$1.64 FCFA 960

6.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 FCFA 370

$0.76 FCFA 445

-17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 FCFA 912

$1.20 FCFA 704

30.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 FCFA 972

$2.61 FCFA 1,528

-36.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 FCFA 1,624

$2.90 FCFA 1,698

-4.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 FCFA 482

$0.41 FCFA 238

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 FCFA 1,138

$2.18 FCFA 1,277

-11.01%

Eggs

$2.96 FCFA 1,733

$1.85 FCFA 1,082

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 FCFA 13.1K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.74 FCFA 2,186

$7.87 FCFA 4,604

-52.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.75 FCFA 2,779

$6.18 FCFA 3,614

-23.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 FCFA 1,516

$4.60 FCFA 2,692

-43.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 FCFA 482

$2.03 FCFA 1,185

-59.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 FCFA 684

$2.08 FCFA 1,215

-43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 FCFA 755

$1.38 FCFA 809

-6.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.98 FCFA 1,741

$3.18 FCFA 1,860

-6.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 FCFA 886

$2.15 FCFA 1,260

-29.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 FCFA 455

$0.76 FCFA 443

2.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 FCFA 451

$0.67 FCFA 391

14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 FCFA 1,013

$2.53 FCFA 1,478

-31.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.62 FCFA 5,628

$8.59 FCFA 5,024

11.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 817

$1.40 FCFA 821

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 FCFA 967

$1.78 FCFA 1,041

-7.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 FCFA 764

$0.66 FCFA 388

98.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.99 FCFA 5,258

$17.06 FCFA 9,978

-47.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 FCFA 359

$0.58 FCFA 338

5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 FCFA 362

$0.81 FCFA 476

-23.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 FCFA 3,230

$8.33 FCFA 4,871

-33.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 FCFA 840

$1.41 FCFA 824

2.13%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

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

$15.6K FCFA 9.1M

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

$171 FCFA 100.2K

$162 FCFA 94.9K

5.67%

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

$30.03 FCFA 17.6K

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

19.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.80 FCFA 25.0K

$178 FCFA 103.9K

-75.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.19 FCFA 10.1K

$41.23 FCFA 24.1K

-58.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.48 FCFA 4,960

$8.77 FCFA 5,129

-3.31%

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

$169 FCFA 99.1K

$505 FCFA 295.5K

-66.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,387 FCFA 2.0M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.42 FCFA 14.9K

$80.1 FCFA 46.8K

-68.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.49 FCFA 24.9K

$68.1 FCFA 39.8K

-37.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.74 FCFA 27.3K

$136 FCFA 79.6K

-65.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.2 FCFA 29.9K

$147 FCFA 86.0K

-65.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$68.7 FCFA 40.2K

$567 FCFA 331.9K

-87.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$33.55 FCFA 19.6K

$313 FCFA 183.0K

-89.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,338 FCFA 782.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$542 FCFA 316.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 FCFA 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$952 FCFA 556.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$97.3 FCFA 56.9K

$222 FCFA 129.6K

-56.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

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

Last update for Bamenda: October 26, 2026

Last update for Douala: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bamenda

$244 36.4%

Douala

$365 27.4% 49.5% $121

Groceries & Markets

Bamenda

$171 * 25.6%

Douala

$277 20.8% 61.6% $106

Eating Out

Bamenda

$95 14.1%

Douala

$102 7.7% 8.1% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bamenda

$75 11.1%

Douala

$194 14.5% 160% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Bamenda

$34 5.1%

Douala

$59 4.4% 72.1% $25

Accommodation & Living

Bamenda

$34 5%

Douala

$313 23.4% 832% $279

Getting Around

Bamenda

$18 2.7%

Douala

$24 1.8% 35.9% $6.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $69 in Bamenda versus $567 in Douala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Douala are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Bamenda

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

16:04 4:04 PM

Same time as Bamenda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,735,000

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bamenda Douala 220 km

From you

Bamenda
Douala

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

Bamenda vs Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $670 in Bamenda, $1,334 in Douala – Bamenda comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,006 per month in Bamenda and $2,001 in Douala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bamenda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $69 there versus $567 in Douala.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $670 in Bamenda and $1,334 in Douala. That makes Bamenda about 50% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $169 per month in Bamenda and $505 in Douala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bamenda, where all-in costs run around $670, than in Douala at $1,334. In Bamenda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Douala it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bamenda – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Bamenda. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Douala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.