Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buea and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Buea: $744 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Buea
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Buea Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Buea

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$744

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Buea and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $744 in Buea versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Buea $744
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Buea versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Buea $1,352
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,960 in Buea versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Buea $1,960
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Buea costs roughly 67% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buea is 45% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

$16.50 €14.67

-89.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 FCFA 69.5K

$61.3 €54.5

94.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 FCFA 3,441

$11.27 €10.03

-47.65%

Cappuccino

$2.16 FCFA 1,258

$3.06 €2.72

-29.41%

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

$1.24 FCFA 725

$2.26 €2.01

-45.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 FCFA 268

$1.73 €1.54

-73.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 FCFA 577

$3.39 €3.02

-70.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 FCFA 886

$3.40 €3.02

-55.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 FCFA 1,667

$1.12 €1.00

155.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 FCFA 214

$1.86 €1.65

-80.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 FCFA 900

$1.53 €1.36

0.65%

Eggs

$1.90 FCFA 1,109

$3.96 €3.53

-52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.43 FCFA 13.1K

$12.76 €11.35

75.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 FCFA 4,453

$7.90 €7.02

-3.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.24 FCFA 2,471

$16.97 €15.09

-75.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 FCFA 1,961

$2.27 €2.02

48.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 FCFA 780

$1.75 €1.55

-23.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 FCFA 481

$1.85 €1.64

-55.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 FCFA 763

$2.57 €2.28

-49.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 FCFA 1,004

$1.86 €1.65

-7.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 FCFA 781

$2.02 €1.80

-33.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 FCFA 437

$1.44 €1.28

-47.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 FCFA 388

$0.82 €0.73

-18.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 FCFA 1,516

$6.56 €5.83

-60.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.42 FCFA 4,911

$5.62 €5.00

49.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 FCFA 685

$1.28 €1.14

-8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 FCFA 975

$2.07 €1.84

-19.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.25 FCFA 144

$3.99 €3.55

-93.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 FCFA 306

$1.09 €0.97

-52.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 FCFA 2,926

$16.64 €14.81

-69.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 FCFA 670

$2.28 €2.03

-49.56%

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

$18.8K FCFA 11.0M

$33.7K €30.0K

-44.12%

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

$15.1K FCFA 8.8M

$39.3K €35.0K

-61.51%

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

$59.0 FCFA 34.4K

$167 €149

-64.79%

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

$16.82 FCFA 9,807

$18.80 €16.72

-10.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$169 FCFA 98.6K

$33.09 €29.43

410.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.01 FCFA 14.6K

$46.01 €40.93

-45.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 FCFA 2,540

$19.19 €17.07

-77.28%

Cinema Ticket

$8.48 FCFA 4,942

$9.84 €8.75

-13.82%

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

$515 FCFA 300.2K

$677 €602

-23.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,416 FCFA 2.0M

$16.9K €15.1K

-79.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.11 FCFA 19.9K

$101 €90.1

-66.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.3 FCFA 39.3K

$45.76 €40.70

47.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 FCFA 80.3K

$100.0 €88.9

37.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 FCFA 39.5K

$123 €109

-44.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 FCFA 73.1K

$1,588 €1,412

-92.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

3.85

394.55%

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

Last update for Buea: October 12, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buea

$245 32.9%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 10.4% $25

Groceries & Markets

Buea

$244 32.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 10.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Buea

$138 18.6%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 20.5% $28

Eating Out

Buea

$72 9.7%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 236% $170

Sport & Entertainment

Buea

$42 5.6%

Lisbon

$66 3% 56.6% $24

Getting Around

Buea

$2.9 * 0.4%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 2095% $60

Accommodation & Living

Buea

- * 0%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Lisbon pays 1166% 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: $119 in Buea vs $61.0 in Lisbon. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $269, with Buea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Buea

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

Same time as Buea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,325,000

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Buea Lisbon 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Buea
Lisbon

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

Buea vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buea and Lisbon differ by about 199% in total monthly costs ($744 vs $2,223 including rent). Buea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1166% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $515 in Buea versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buea – a meal for two runs $119 versus $61.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $744 in Buea versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buea but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Buea 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.

Safety-wise, Buea and Lisbon 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 Buea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 199% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.