Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Douala and Buea

For one person, living is cheaper in Buea: $744 a month against $1,334 in Douala, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Douala
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Douala Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Buea
Learn more

Buea Living Index

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Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,334

/mo nomad

Buea

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Douala and in Buea

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 Buea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,334 in Douala versus $744 in Buea.

Douala $1,334
Buea $744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,136 in Douala versus $1,352 in Buea.

Douala $2,136
Buea $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,939 in Douala versus $1,960 in Buea.

Douala $2,939
Buea $1,960

Living in Douala is roughly 79% more expensive than in Buea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Douala 1% lower, Buea 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 FCFA 2,493

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

148.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 FCFA 68.5K

$119 FCFA 69.5K

-1.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.86 FCFA 3,999

$5.90 FCFA 3,441

16.27%

Cappuccino

$2.05 FCFA 1,194

$2.16 FCFA 1,258

-5.09%

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

$1.64 FCFA 958

$1.24 FCFA 725

32.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 FCFA 477

$0.46 FCFA 268

78.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 FCFA 679

$0.99 FCFA 577

17.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 FCFA 1,470

$1.52 FCFA 886

65.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.85 FCFA 1,661

$2.86 FCFA 1,667

-0.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.40 FCFA 234

$0.37 FCFA 214

8.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 FCFA 1,296

$1.54 FCFA 900

44.16%

Eggs

$1.85 FCFA 1,079

$1.90 FCFA 1,109

-2.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.80 FCFA 12.7K

$22.43 FCFA 13.1K

-2.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 FCFA 4,491

$7.64 FCFA 4,453

0.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.40 FCFA 3,732

$4.24 FCFA 2,471

50.94%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 FCFA 2,696

$3.36 FCFA 1,961

37.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 FCFA 1,171

$1.34 FCFA 780

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 FCFA 1,173

$0.82 FCFA 481

145.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 FCFA 768

$1.31 FCFA 763

0.76%

Potato (1kg)

$3.14 FCFA 1,830

$1.72 FCFA 1,004

82.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 FCFA 1,230

$1.34 FCFA 781

57.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 FCFA 450

$0.75 FCFA 437

2.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 FCFA 364

$0.67 FCFA 388

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 FCFA 1,452

$2.60 FCFA 1,516

-4.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.60 FCFA 5,014

$8.42 FCFA 4,911

2.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 818

$1.17 FCFA 685

19.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 FCFA 1,033

$1.67 FCFA 975

5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 FCFA 357

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.69 FCFA 9,730

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 FCFA 343

$0.25 FCFA 144

136.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 FCFA 482

$0.52 FCFA 306

59.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.17 FCFA 4,765

$5.02 FCFA 2,926

62.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 FCFA 842

$1.15 FCFA 670

25.22%

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

$29.9K FCFA 17.4M

$18.8K FCFA 11.0M

58.83%

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

$15.1K FCFA 8.8M

-0.24%

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

$163 FCFA 95.0K

$59.0 FCFA 34.4K

176.28%

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

$25.52 FCFA 14.9K

$16.82 FCFA 9,807

51.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$172 FCFA 100.5K

$169 FCFA 98.6K

1.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.07 FCFA 24.0K

$25.01 FCFA 14.6K

64.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.36 FCFA 2,540

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 FCFA 5,010

$8.48 FCFA 4,942

1.30%

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

$511 FCFA 297.9K

$515 FCFA 300.2K

-0.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,332 FCFA 1.9M

$3,416 FCFA 2.0M

-2.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.7 FCFA 45.9K

$34.11 FCFA 19.9K

130.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 FCFA 38.7K

$67.3 FCFA 39.3K

-1.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 FCFA 81.9K

$138 FCFA 80.3K

1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 FCFA 85.7K

$67.7 FCFA 39.5K

117.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 FCFA 324.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$323 FCFA 188.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 FCFA 756.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 FCFA 310.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,974 FCFA 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$950 FCFA 554.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 FCFA 129.5K

$125 FCFA 73.1K

77.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

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

Last update for Douala: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buea: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Douala

$361 27%

Buea

$245 32.9% 32.2% $116

Accommodation & Living

Douala

$323 24.2%

Buea

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Douala

$274 20.5%

Buea

$244 32.8% 10.9% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Douala

$195 14.6%

Buea

$138 18.6% 29% $57

Eating Out

Douala

$100 7.5%

Buea

$72 9.7% 27.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Douala

$58 4.4%

Buea

$42 5.6% 28% $16

Getting Around

Douala

$24 1.8%

Buea

$2.9 * 0.4% 88% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

Douala pays 77% 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: $117 in Douala vs $119 in Buea. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $244, with Buea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Douala

🇨🇲 Buea

🕒 Local time

06:21 6:21 AM

Same time as Douala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,000,000

1,325,000

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Douala Buea 54 km

From you

Douala
Buea

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 Buea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Douala and Buea differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,334 vs $744 including rent). Buea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 77% higher in Douala, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $511 in Douala versus $515 in Buea. 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 $117 in Douala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $744 in Buea versus $1,334 in Douala, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buea but tight or insufficient in Douala. The gap between the two cities makes Buea 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 Buea gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Douala. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.