Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $789 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index

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Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest 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 Bucharest and in Yaounde actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest versus $789 in Yaounde.

Bucharest $1,351
Yaounde $789

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,033 in Bucharest versus $1,225 in Yaounde.

Bucharest $2,033
Yaounde $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,715 in Bucharest versus $1,661 in Yaounde.

Bucharest $2,715
Yaounde $1,661

Living in Bucharest is roughly 71% more expensive than in Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bucharest is 1% above, Yaounde is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$3.51 FCFA 2,051

311.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$50.5 FCFA 29.5K

14.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$5.22 FCFA 3,053

43.68%

Cappuccino

$3.43 RON 16.20

$1.96 FCFA 1,145

75.00%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$1.53 FCFA 898

60.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.54 FCFA 318

331.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

$1.27 FCFA 744

199.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

136.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$3.66 FCFA 2,143

-54.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$1.09 FCFA 638

23.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.32 FCFA 772

34.85%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

74.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$13.54 FCFA 7,923

-36.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$6.16 FCFA 3,605

10.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$6.70 FCFA 3,919

74.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$5.19 FCFA 3,037

-75.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$2.01 FCFA 1,178

-22.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$2.02 FCFA 1,180

-23.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$1.37 FCFA 803

81.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.64 FCFA 960

-49.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$1.45 FCFA 847

-44.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$1.09 FCFA 635

-22.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.66 FCFA 388

40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$1.68 FCFA 981

283.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

$8.32 FCFA 4,869

-24.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

$1.37 FCFA 803

-8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$1.96 FCFA 1,146

-18.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.58 FCFA 339

39.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

$17.43 FCFA 10.2K

21.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.59 FCFA 343

1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.45 FCFA 262

35.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

$6.06 FCFA 3,546

1.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$1.41 FCFA 826

39.01%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$32.4K FCFA 19.0M

-13.25%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$21.3K FCFA 12.5M

23.47%

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

$197 RON 931

$80.3 FCFA 47.0K

145.17%

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$17.09 FCFA 9,997

-51.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$51.9 FCFA 30.4K

-82.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$23.33 FCFA 13.6K

113.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$7.27 FCFA 4,251

243.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$8.59 FCFA 5,025

-1.51%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$610 FCFA 357.1K

4.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$2,355 FCFA 1.4M

511.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$16.95 FCFA 9,915

434.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$27.00 FCFA 15.8K

40.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$25.98 FCFA 15.2K

206.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$55.7 FCFA 32.6K

67.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$140 FCFA 81.9K

380.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$185 FCFA 108.2K

142.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$409 FCFA 239.5K

168.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$211 FCFA 123.2K

246.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

$847 FCFA 495.6K

341.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

$593 FCFA 347.2K

268.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$190 FCFA 111.1K

596.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

-48.15%

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Yaounde

$185 23.3% 58.8% $264

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Yaounde

$85 10.8% 62.2% $140

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Yaounde

$253 32% 14.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Yaounde

$149 18.8% 30.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Yaounde

$57 7.1% 58.3% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Yaounde

$41 5.1% 39.3% $26

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Yaounde

$23 2.9% 19.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $673 in Bucharest and $140 in Yaounde. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 597% 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: $58.0 in Bucharest vs $50.0 in Yaounde. Groceries flip the comparison at $222 vs $253, with Bucharest cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🕒 Local time

13:24 1:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

2 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

1,817,524 Capital

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

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 RON in detail →

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Between locations

Bucharest Yaounde 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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

Bucharest vs Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bucharest and Yaounde differ by about 71% in total monthly costs ($1,351 vs $789 including rent). Yaounde is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 597% higher in Bucharest, 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: $673 in Bucharest versus $140 in Yaounde. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,351 per month in Bucharest versus $789 in Yaounde – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Yaounde runs roughly 21% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $789 in Yaounde versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yaounde but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Yaounde the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Yaounde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.