Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cameroon and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $997 in Cameroon, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cameroon
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Cameroon Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇨🇲 Cameroon

$997

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cameroon and in China

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

A single person spends $997 per month in Cameroon vs $791 in China, rent included.

Cameroon $997
China $791

A couple spends around $1,617 per month in Cameroon vs $1,251 in China, rent included.

Cameroon $1,617
China $1,251

A family of three spends $2,236 per month in Cameroon vs $1,711 in China, rent included.

Cameroon $2,236
China $1,711

The regional cost range is wider in Cameroon ($348–$1,334) than in China ($465–$1,222), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Cameroon is about 26% higher than in China on average.

Both Cameroon and China are more affordable than the global median – Cameroon 27% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 FCFA 2,304

$2.98 ¥19.79

31.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 FCFA 50.2K

$22.09 ¥147

287.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 FCFA 3,416

$5.20 ¥34.56

12.12%

Cappuccino

$1.88 FCFA 1,102

$2.97 ¥19.72

-36.70%

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

$1.64 FCFA 958

$0.48 ¥3.19

241.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 380

$0.30 ¥2.00

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 705

$1.08 ¥7.17

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 FCFA 989

$2.28 ¥15.13

-25.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 FCFA 1,630

$1.80 ¥11.95

54.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 FCFA 390

$1.68 ¥11.14

-60.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 FCFA 1,050

$0.92 ¥6.13

94.57%

Eggs

$2.00 FCFA 1,172

$1.61 ¥10.72

24.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 FCFA 8,756

$13.38 ¥89.0

11.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 FCFA 3,022

$3.35 ¥22.25

54.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 FCFA 3,537

$11.35 ¥75.5

-46.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 FCFA 2,089

$1.82 ¥12.11

96.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 746

$1.31 ¥8.68

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 FCFA 909

$1.49 ¥9.88

4.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 FCFA 839

$1.27 ¥8.46

12.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 FCFA 1,249

$0.71 ¥4.73

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 FCFA 981

$0.93 ¥6.21

79.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 FCFA 457

$0.62 ¥4.11

25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 FCFA 413

$0.56 ¥3.74

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 FCFA 1,012

$3.78 ¥25.13

-54.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.67 FCFA 5,080

$12.13 ¥80.7

-28.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 FCFA 817

$0.83 ¥5.53

67.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 FCFA 1,062

$1.68 ¥11.20

7.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 FCFA 438

$0.29 ¥1.91

158.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.18 FCFA 10.1K

$17.83 ¥119

-3.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 FCFA 338

$1.49 ¥9.88

-61.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 FCFA 305

$0.37 ¥2.49

40.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 FCFA 3,514

$7.10 ¥47.19

-15.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 FCFA 814

$1.26 ¥8.36

10.32%

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

$30.4K FCFA 17.8M

$19.4K ¥129.3K

56.39%

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

$17.4K FCFA 10.2M

$17.5K ¥116.6K

-0.98%

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

$144 FCFA 84.1K

$54.6 ¥363

163.23%

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

$22.82 FCFA 13.4K

$8.73 ¥58.1

161.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$129 FCFA 75.8K

$11.07 ¥73.6

1069.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.71 FCFA 16.2K

$40.77 ¥271

-32.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.70 FCFA 3,339

$14.48 ¥96.3

-60.64%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 FCFA 4,982

$6.78 ¥45.07

25.52%

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

$506 FCFA 296.4K

$517 ¥3,434

-2.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,318 FCFA 1.9M

$19.8K ¥131.7K

-83.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 FCFA 36.7K

$46.53 ¥309

34.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 FCFA 35.7K

$35.66 ¥237

71.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 FCFA 78.3K

$77.0 ¥512

73.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 FCFA 71.1K

$80.3 ¥533

51.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 FCFA 201.0K

$386 ¥2,565

-11.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 FCFA 85.3K

$235 ¥1,559

-37.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 FCFA 486.4K

$822 ¥5,463

1.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 FCFA 156.5K

$453 ¥3,012

-40.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,979 FCFA 1.2M

$4,697 ¥31.2K

-57.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$951 FCFA 556.7K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-59.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$146 FCFA 85.2K

$1,093 ¥7,267

-86.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.96

3.46

447.98%

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

Last update for Cameroon: October 26, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cameroon

$296 29.7%

China

$74 9.4% 74.9% $222

Groceries & Markets

Cameroon

$227 22.7%

China

$210 26.5% 7.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cameroon

$171 17.1%

China

$108 13.6% 36.8% $63

Accommodation & Living

Cameroon

$146 14.6%

China

$235 29.6% 61% $89

Eating Out

Cameroon

$90 9%

China

$88 11.1% 2.2% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Cameroon

$45 4.5%

China

$54 6.9% 21.5% $9.6

Getting Around

Cameroon

$23 2.3%

China

$22 2.8% 4.3% $1

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $259 in Cameroon vs $298 in China. For reference, capital cities sit at $142 in Yaounde and $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

Average salary: $158 in Cameroon vs $873 in China. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 15% higher in China.

Dining out costs 377% more in Cameroon.

Salaries are about 5.5 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Cameroon

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

13:32 1:32 PM

7 h ahead of Cameroon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,372,687

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 586 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.45 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cameroon China 10,990 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cameroon
China

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

Cameroon vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

China is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 21% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Cameroon costs about 26% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Cameroon. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

China is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.