Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cameroon and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in Cameroon: $997 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cameroon
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Cameroon Living Index
131

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index

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🇨🇲 Cameroon

$997

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cameroon and in the United States

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 the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $997 per month in Cameroon vs $2,734 in the United States, rent included.

Cameroon $997
United States $2,734

A couple spends around $1,617 per month in Cameroon vs $3,985 in the United States, rent included.

Cameroon $1,617
United States $3,985

A family of three spends $2,236 per month in Cameroon vs $5,235 in the United States, rent included.

Cameroon $2,236
United States $5,235

The regional cost range is wider in the United States ($979–$5,160) than in Cameroon ($348–$1,334), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Cameroon is roughly 64% lower than in the United States on average.

Cameroon sits 27% below the global median, while the United States is 101% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 FCFA 2,310

$20.03 $20.03

-80.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 FCFA 50.3K

$80.0 $80.0

7.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 FCFA 3,426

$11.80 $11.80

-50.59%

Cappuccino

$1.88 FCFA 1,106

$5.55 $5.55

-66.13%

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

$1.64 FCFA 960

$2.66 $2.66

-38.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 381

$2.17 $2.17

-70.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 708

$6.12 $6.12

-80.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 FCFA 992

$7.94 $7.94

-78.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.78 FCFA 1,634

$1.04 $1.04

167.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 FCFA 391

$3.59 $3.59

-81.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 FCFA 1,053

$4.52 $4.52

-60.40%

Eggs

$2.00 FCFA 1,175

$4.28 $4.28

-53.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 FCFA 8,782

$13.22 $13.22

13.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 FCFA 3,031

$12.60 $12.60

-59.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 FCFA 3,548

$17.60 $17.60

-65.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 FCFA 2,096

$5.30 $5.30

-32.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 748

$1.69 $1.69

-24.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 FCFA 912

$4.44 $4.44

-65.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 FCFA 842

$4.77 $4.77

-70.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 FCFA 1,253

$2.97 $2.97

-28.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 FCFA 984

$3.15 $3.15

-46.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 FCFA 458

$2.20 $2.20

-64.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 FCFA 415

$2.35 $2.35

-69.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.73 FCFA 1,015

$10.98 $10.98

-84.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.67 FCFA 5,095

$15.05 $15.05

-42.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 FCFA 819

$2.06 $2.06

-32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 FCFA 1,066

$3.79 $3.79

-52.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 FCFA 439

$1.94 $1.94

-61.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.18 FCFA 10.1K

$59.4 $59.4

-71.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 FCFA 339

$3.58 $3.58

-83.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 FCFA 306

$1.88 $1.88

-72.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 FCFA 3,524

$29.84 $29.84

-79.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 FCFA 817

$1.02 $1.02

36.27%

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

$30.4K FCFA 17.9M

$28.8K $28.8K

5.75%

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

$17.4K FCFA 10.2M

$26.2K $26.2K

-33.74%

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

$144 FCFA 84.4K

$218 $218

-34.11%

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

$22.82 FCFA 13.4K

$62.5 $62.5

-63.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$129 FCFA 76.0K

$74.5 $74.5

73.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.71 FCFA 16.3K

$41.86 $41.86

-33.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.70 FCFA 3,349

$22.81 $22.81

-75.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.51 FCFA 4,997

$14.70 $14.70

-42.11%

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

$506 FCFA 297.3K

$1,489 $1,489

-66.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,318 FCFA 1.9M

$25.3K $25.3K

-86.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 FCFA 36.8K

$54.3 $54.3

15.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 FCFA 35.8K

$42.71 $42.71

42.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 FCFA 78.6K

$94.1 $94.1

42.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 FCFA 71.3K

$114 $114

7.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 FCFA 201.6K

$1,659 $1,659

-79.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 FCFA 85.6K

$1,348 $1,348

-89.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 FCFA 487.8K

$2,682 $2,682

-69.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 FCFA 157.0K

$2,169 $2,169

-87.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,979 FCFA 1.2M

$3,283 $3,283

-39.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$951 FCFA 558.3K

$2,482 $2,482

-61.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$146 FCFA 85.5K

$4,296 $4,296

-96.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.96

6.55

189.47%

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

Last update for Cameroon: October 26, 2026

Last update for the United States: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cameroon

$296 29.7%

United States

$355 13% 19.9% $59

Groceries & Markets

Cameroon

$227 22.7%

United States

$415 15.2% 83.3% $189

Clothing & Footwear

Cameroon

$171 17.1%

United States

$137 5% 19.6% $33

Accommodation & Living

Cameroon

$146 14.6%

United States

$1.3K 49.3% 825% $1.2K

Eating Out

Cameroon

$90 9%

United States

$328 12% 264% $238

Sport & Entertainment

Cameroon

$45 4.5%

United States

$71 2.6% 59.3% $27

Getting Around

Cameroon

$23 2.3%

United States

$80 2.9% 243% $57

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $259 in Cameroon vs $1,620 in the United States. For reference, capital cities sit at $142 in Yaounde and $2,768 in Washington, DC.

Average salary: $158 in Cameroon vs $4,549 in the United States. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 525% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 40% more in Cameroon.

Public transport is 271% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 29 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Cameroon

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

11:02 11:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

6 h behind Cameroon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,372,687

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cameroon United States 10,530 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cameroon
United States

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 United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cameroon is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 64% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 versus $259 in Cameroon.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Cameroon, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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