Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buea and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Buea: $744 a month against $782 in Yaounde, rent and utilities included – about $460 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Yaounde outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Buea
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Buea Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index

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Buea

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$744

/mo nomad

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $744 in Buea versus $782 in Yaounde.

Buea $744
Yaounde $782

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Buea versus $1,206 in Yaounde.

Buea $1,352
Yaounde $1,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,960 in Buea versus $1,629 in Yaounde.

Buea $1,960
Yaounde $1,629

Living in Buea costs roughly 5% less than in Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Buea 45% lower, Yaounde 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

-50.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 FCFA 69.5K

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

135.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 FCFA 3,441

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

18.71%

Cappuccino

$2.16 FCFA 1,258

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

15.51%

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

$1.24 FCFA 725

$1.46 FCFA 854

-15.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 FCFA 268

$0.56 FCFA 324

-17.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 FCFA 577

$1.20 FCFA 698

-17.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 FCFA 886

$1.68 FCFA 980

-9.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 FCFA 1,667

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

-20.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 FCFA 214

$1.03 FCFA 602

-64.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 FCFA 900

$1.27 FCFA 743

21.26%

Eggs

$1.90 FCFA 1,109

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

-5.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.43 FCFA 13.1K

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

61.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 FCFA 4,453

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

26.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.24 FCFA 2,471

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

-33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 FCFA 1,961

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

-32.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 FCFA 780

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

-31.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.82 FCFA 481

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

-58.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 FCFA 763

$1.35 FCFA 786

-2.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 FCFA 1,004

$1.63 FCFA 952

5.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 FCFA 781

$1.39 FCFA 813

-3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 FCFA 437

$1.12 FCFA 654

-33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 FCFA 388

$0.65 FCFA 381

3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.60 FCFA 1,516

$1.68 FCFA 982

54.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.42 FCFA 4,911

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

2.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 FCFA 685

$1.32 FCFA 772

-11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 FCFA 975

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

-13.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 FCFA 305

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.25 FCFA 144

$0.62 FCFA 363

-59.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 FCFA 306

$0.45 FCFA 261

15.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 FCFA 2,926

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

-14.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 FCFA 670

$1.46 FCFA 848

-21.23%

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

$18.8K FCFA 11.0M

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

-42.22%

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

$15.1K FCFA 8.8M

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

-28.66%

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

$59.0 FCFA 34.4K

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

-26.39%

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

$16.82 FCFA 9,807

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

-1.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$169 FCFA 98.6K

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

229.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.01 FCFA 14.6K

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

4.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 FCFA 2,540

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

-37.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.48 FCFA 4,942

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

1.92%

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

$515 FCFA 300.2K

$615 FCFA 358.4K

-16.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,416 FCFA 2.0M

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

46.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$34.11 FCFA 19.9K

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

103.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.3 FCFA 39.3K

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

145.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 FCFA 80.3K

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

447.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 FCFA 39.5K

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

21.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 FCFA 83.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 FCFA 106.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 FCFA 238.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 FCFA 121.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 FCFA 498.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 FCFA 343.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 FCFA 73.1K

$185 FCFA 107.8K

-32.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

46.46%

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

Last update for Buea: October 12, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buea

$245 32.9%

Yaounde

$149 19% 39.3% $96

Groceries & Markets

Buea

$244 32.8%

Yaounde

$249 31.8% 2.1% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Buea

$138 18.6%

Yaounde

$56 7.2% 59.2% $82

Eating Out

Buea

$72 9.7%

Yaounde

$83 10.6% 14.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Buea

$42 5.6%

Yaounde

$40 5.2% 3.5% $1.5

Getting Around

Buea

$2.9 * 0.4%

Yaounde

$22 2.8% 672% $19

Accommodation & Living

Buea

- * 0%

Yaounde

$183 23.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Yaounde pays 47% 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 $51.0 in Yaounde. Groceries flip the comparison at $244 vs $249, with Buea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Buea

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🕒 Local time

17:07 5:07 PM

Same time as Buea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,325,000

1,817,524 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Buea Yaounde 260 km

From you

Buea
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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

Buea vs Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buea and Yaounde differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($744 vs $782 including rent). Buea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Yaounde. 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 $615 in Yaounde. 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 $51.0 in Yaounde. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Buea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Buea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Yaounde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.