Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Bucharest

For one person, living costs are similar in Douala and in Bucharest: $1,329 and $1,351 a month, rent and utilities included.

65

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
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Bucharest Living Index

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Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,329

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Douala and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,329 in Douala versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Douala $1,329
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,133 in Douala versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Douala $2,133
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,937 in Douala versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Douala $2,937
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Douala costs roughly 2% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Douala is 1% below, Bucharest is 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.41 FCFA 2,579

$14.46 RON 68.4

-69.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 FCFA 70.8K

$57.7 RON 273

109.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.92 FCFA 4,052

$7.50 RON 35.46

-7.73%

Cappuccino

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

$3.43 RON 16.20

-38.78%

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

$1.60 FCFA 937

$2.46 RON 11.63

-34.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 FCFA 458

$2.33 RON 11.01

-66.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 FCFA 710

$3.80 RON 17.97

-68.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 FCFA 1,469

$4.10 RON 19.41

-38.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.76 FCFA 1,618

$1.65 RON 7.79

67.27%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 FCFA 258

$1.35 RON 6.39

-67.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 FCFA 1,330

$1.78 RON 8.42

27.53%

Eggs

$1.93 FCFA 1,128

$3.66 RON 17.33

-47.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.83 FCFA 12.8K

$8.57 RON 40.54

154.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.91 FCFA 4,629

$6.80 RON 32.17

16.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.23 FCFA 3,643

$11.72 RON 55.4

-46.84%

Apples (1kg)

$4.78 FCFA 2,798

$1.29 RON 6.11

270.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 FCFA 1,233

$1.56 RON 7.37

35.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 FCFA 1,210

$1.54 RON 7.28

34.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 FCFA 804

$2.48 RON 11.75

-44.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.33 FCFA 1,950

$0.83 RON 3.92

301.20%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 FCFA 1,280

$0.80 RON 3.77

173.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 FCFA 441

$0.84 RON 3.98

-10.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 FCFA 391

$0.93 RON 4.39

-27.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.61 FCFA 1,526

$6.44 RON 30.45

-59.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.77 FCFA 5,133

$6.32 RON 29.91

38.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 FCFA 858

$1.26 RON 5.94

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 FCFA 1,058

$1.60 RON 7.59

13.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 FCFA 358

$0.81 RON 3.85

-24.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.37 FCFA 10.2K

$21.13 RON 99.9

-17.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 FCFA 340

$0.60 RON 2.86

-3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 FCFA 497

$0.61 RON 2.91

39.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 FCFA 4,763

$6.17 RON 29.19

31.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 FCFA 862

$1.96 RON 9.27

-25.00%

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

$30.5K FCFA 17.8M

$28.1K RON 133.1K

8.37%

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

$15.2K FCFA 8.9M

$26.3K RON 124.3K

-42.18%

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

$163 FCFA 95.1K

$197 RON 931

-17.43%

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

$25.53 FCFA 14.9K

$8.34 RON 39.44

206.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$175 FCFA 102.6K

$9.19 RON 43.47

1808.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 FCFA 24.1K

$49.87 RON 236

-17.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

Cinema Ticket

$8.38 FCFA 4,904

$8.46 RON 40.01

-0.95%

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

$507 FCFA 296.9K

$639 RON 3,023

-20.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,426 FCFA 2.0M

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-76.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.6 FCFA 46.0K

$90.6 RON 429

-13.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.9 FCFA 38.5K

$38.05 RON 180

73.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 FCFA 80.6K

$79.7 RON 377

72.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 FCFA 86.4K

$93.2 RON 441

58.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 FCFA 323.5K

$673 RON 3,184

-17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 FCFA 186.1K

$449 RON 2,123

-29.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 FCFA 787.5K

$1,098 RON 5,195

22.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$548 FCFA 320.8K

$729 RON 3,448

-24.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,989 FCFA 1.2M

$3,740 RON 17.7K

-46.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 FCFA 568.1K

$2,189 RON 10.4K

-55.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$225 FCFA 131.5K

$1,323 RON 6,259

-83.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

6.74

182.49%

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

Last update for Douala: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douala

$363 27.2%

Bucharest

$214 16% 41% $149

Accommodation & Living

Douala

$318 23.8%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 41.1% $131

Groceries & Markets

Douala

$278 20.8%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 20.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Douala

$193 14.5%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 29.9% $58

Eating Out

Douala

$102 7.6%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 122% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Douala

$58 4.3%

Bucharest

$67 5% 15.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Douala

$25 1.8%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 13.8% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $553 in Douala and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 489% 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: $121 in Douala vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $278 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Douala

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

04:48 4:48 AM

06:48 6:48 AM

2 h ahead of Douala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Douala Bucharest 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Douala
Bucharest

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

Douala vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Douala and Bucharest differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,329 vs $1,351 including rent). Douala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 489% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $553 in Douala versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,329 per month in Douala versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Douala runs roughly 22% less than in Bucharest. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,329 in Douala versus $1,351 in Bucharest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Douala but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Douala 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 Douala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.