Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dakar and Saint-Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $840 a month against $1,406 in Dakar, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index

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Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,406

/mo nomad

Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$840

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dakar and in Saint-Louis

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Dakar versus $840 in Saint-Louis.

Dakar $1,406
Saint-Louis $840

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,203 in Dakar versus $1,316 in Saint-Louis.

Dakar $2,203
Saint-Louis $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,999 in Dakar versus $1,791 in Saint-Louis.

Dakar $2,999
Saint-Louis $1,791

Living in Dakar is roughly 67% more expensive than in Saint-Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dakar is 4% above, Saint-Louis is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.25 F CFA 3,061

$3.35 F CFA 1,954

56.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.6 F CFA 31.2K

$52.6 F CFA 30.7K

1.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 F CFA 6,430

$11.00 F CFA 6,413

0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.29 F CFA 1,920

$3.34 F CFA 1,948

-1.50%

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

$1.21 F CFA 704

$1.25 F CFA 727

-3.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 496

$0.91 F CFA 531

-6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 F CFA 1,521

$1.66 F CFA 971

57.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 F CFA 2,443

$4.17 F CFA 2,433

0.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.61 F CFA 1,523

$2.57 F CFA 1,500

1.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 F CFA 401

$0.25 F CFA 145

176.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 F CFA 988

$1.73 F CFA 1,011

-2.31%

Eggs

$2.47 F CFA 1,441

$2.49 F CFA 1,451

-0.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.16 F CFA 10.0K

$17.54 F CFA 10.2K

-2.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.04 F CFA 5,274

$9.19 F CFA 5,361

-1.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 F CFA 6,357

$10.94 F CFA 6,380

-0.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 F CFA 1,844

$3.18 F CFA 1,852

-0.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 F CFA 1,115

$1.94 F CFA 1,129

-1.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 F CFA 1,645

$2.88 F CFA 1,681

-2.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 F CFA 1,040

$1.79 F CFA 1,045

-0.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 F CFA 783

$1.40 F CFA 815

-4.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 F CFA 571

$0.97 F CFA 563

1.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 F CFA 636

$1.12 F CFA 654

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 F CFA 375

$0.70 F CFA 406

-8.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.10 F CFA 1,226

$2.10 F CFA 1,222

Wine (Bottle)

$17.14 F CFA 9,996

$17.20 F CFA 10.0K

-0.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 F CFA 933

$1.54 F CFA 896

3.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 F CFA 1,933

$3.38 F CFA 1,972

-2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 F CFA 238

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.6 F CFA 44.6K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.07 F CFA 1,206

$0.83 F CFA 485

149.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 F CFA 1,266

$2.17 F CFA 1,264

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.28 F CFA 10.1K

$17.08 F CFA 9,961

1.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 F CFA 938

$1.67 F CFA 975

-3.59%

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

$49.3K F CFA 28.8M

$50.1K F CFA 29.2M

-1.58%

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

$48.1K F CFA 28.0M

$47.9K F CFA 27.9M

0.39%

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

$202 F CFA 118.0K

$208 F CFA 121.0K

-2.52%

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

$11.58 F CFA 6,751

$11.57 F CFA 6,747

0.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.58 F CFA 26.6K

$46.11 F CFA 26.9K

-1.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.85 F CFA 25.6K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.41 F CFA 13.7K

Cinema Ticket

$8.41 F CFA 4,905

$8.78 F CFA 5,118

-4.21%

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

$326 F CFA 190.2K

$316 F CFA 184.3K

3.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K F CFA 6.0M

0.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 F CFA 34.1K

$57.3 F CFA 33.4K

2.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.32 F CFA 26.4K

$45.50 F CFA 26.5K

-0.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 F CFA 50.0K

$86.2 F CFA 50.2K

-0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 F CFA 55.4K

$96.2 F CFA 56.1K

-1.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 F CFA 463.7K

$435 F CFA 253.7K

82.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 F CFA 250.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 F CFA 990.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$898 F CFA 523.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,899 F CFA 2.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,479 F CFA 862.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$342 F CFA 199.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

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

Last update for Dakar: October 10, 2026

Last update for Saint-Louis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dakar

$429 30.5%

Saint-Louis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Dakar

$294 20.9%

Saint-Louis

$292 34.8% 0.4% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dakar

$259 18.5%

Saint-Louis

$265 31.6% 2.2% $5.7

Eating Out

Dakar

$144 10.3%

Saint-Louis

$125 14.9% 13.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Dakar

$128 9.1%

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3% 0.2% $0.2

Getting Around

Dakar

$91 6.5%

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4% 87.2% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Dakar

$61 4.3%

Saint-Louis

$18 * 2.1% 71.1% $43

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $795 in Dakar and $435 in Saint-Louis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $54.0 in Dakar vs $53.0 in Saint-Louis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $292 per month, with Saint-Louis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Dakar

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🕒 Local time

01:30 1:30 AM

Same time as Dakar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,396,800 Capital

176,000

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Dakar Saint-Louis 180 km

From you

Dakar
Saint-Louis

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

Dakar vs Saint-Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dakar and Saint-Louis differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,406 vs $840 including rent). Saint-Louis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,109 in Dakar and $1,260 in Saint-Louis to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $795 in Dakar versus $435 in Saint-Louis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $326 in Dakar versus $316 in Saint-Louis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Saint-Louis – a meal for two runs $53.0 versus $54.0 in Dakar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $840 in Saint-Louis versus $1,406 in Dakar, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Saint-Louis but tight or insufficient in Dakar. The gap between the two cities makes Saint-Louis 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 Saint-Louis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Dakar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.