Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Gambia and the United States

Name: United States
Address: US

For one person, living is cheaper in the Gambia: $703 a month against $2,734 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $24,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in the Gambia
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Gambia Living Index
131

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

Jump to prices

🇬🇲 Gambia

$703

/mo nomad

🇺🇸 United States

$2,734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the Gambia 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 the Gambia and in the United States actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $703 in the Gambia versus $2,734 in the United States.

Gambia $703
United States $2,734

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,215 in the Gambia versus $3,985 in the United States.

Gambia $1,215
United States $3,985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,726 in the Gambia versus $5,235 in the United States.

Gambia $1,726
United States $5,235

Internal cost variation is higher in the United States: monthly costs span $979 to $5,160, compared to $56–$677 in the Gambia. City choice carries more weight in the United States.

Living in the Gambia costs about 74% less than in the United States on average.

The Gambia (48% below) and the United States (101% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 GMD 505

$20.03 $20.03

-66.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.8 GMD 5,542

$80.0 $80.0

-6.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.59 GMD 562

$11.80 $11.80

-35.68%

Cappuccino

$3.51 GMD 260

$5.55 $5.55

-36.76%

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

$2.19 GMD 163

$2.66 $2.66

-17.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 GMD 96.9

$2.17 $2.17

-39.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 GMD 424

$6.12 $6.12

-6.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 GMD 335

$7.94 $7.94

-43.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 GMD 102

$1.04 $1.04

32.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 GMD 53.4

$3.59 $3.59

-79.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 GMD 88.2

$4.52 $4.52

-73.67%

Eggs

$2.07 GMD 154

$4.28 $4.28

-51.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.92 GMD 439

$13.22 $13.22

-55.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.57 GMD 635

$12.60 $12.60

-31.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.55 GMD 411

$17.60 $17.60

-68.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 GMD 149

$5.30 $5.30

-62.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 GMD 114

$1.69 $1.69

-9.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 GMD 154

$4.44 $4.44

-53.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 GMD 131

$4.77 $4.77

-63.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 GMD 72.6

$2.97 $2.97

-67.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 GMD 67.3

$3.15 $3.15

-71.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 GMD 20.95

$2.20 $2.20

-87.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 GMD 28.75

$2.35 $2.35

-83.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.66 GMD 123

$10.98 $10.98

-84.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 GMD 506

$15.05 $15.05

-54.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 GMD 112

$2.06 $2.06

-26.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 GMD 117

$3.79 $3.79

-58.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 GMD 24.09

$1.94 $1.94

-82.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.63 GMD 491

$59.4 $59.4

-88.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 $3.58

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 GMD 48.22

$1.88 $1.88

-65.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 GMD 299

$29.84 $29.84

-86.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 GMD 76.6

$1.02 $1.02

0.98%

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

$2,672 GMD 198.0K

$28.8K $28.8K

-90.71%

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

$3,254 GMD 241.1K

$26.2K $26.2K

-87.58%

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

$30.48 GMD 2,258

$218 $218

-86.02%

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

$14.20 GMD 1,052

$62.5 $62.5

-77.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 GMD 3,830

$74.5 $74.5

-30.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.45 GMD 1,738

$41.86 $41.86

-43.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.63 GMD 1,010

$22.81 $22.81

-40.25%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 GMD 247

$14.70 $14.70

-77.35%

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

$6.61 GMD 490

$1,489 $1,489

-99.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$138 GMD 10.2K

$25.3K $25.3K

-99.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 GMD 4,212

$54.3 $54.3

4.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.94 GMD 3,330

$42.71 $42.71

5.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 GMD 7,247

$94.1 $94.1

3.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 GMD 6,490

$114 $114

-22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$102 GMD 7,587

$1,659 $1,659

-93.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$82.4 GMD 6,107

$1,348 $1,348

-93.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 GMD 16.2K

$2,682 $2,682

-91.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$104 GMD 7,684

$2,169 $2,169

-95.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,467 GMD 108.7K

$3,283 $3,283

-55.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,144 GMD 84.8K

$2,482 $2,482

-53.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$60.4 GMD 4,477

$4,296 $4,296

-98.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

129.01%

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

Last update for the Gambia: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Gambia

$183 26%

United States

$415 15.2% 128% $233

Eating Out

Gambia

$171 24.3%

United States

$328 12% 91.8% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Gambia

$129 18.4%

United States

$137 5% 6.1% $7.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gambia

$96 13.7%

United States

$355 13% 268% $259

Accommodation & Living

Gambia

$82 11.7%

United States

$1.3K 49.3% 1535% $1.3K

Sport & Entertainment

Gambia

$30 4.3%

United States

$71 2.6% 137% $41

Getting Around

Gambia

$11 * 1.6%

United States

$80 2.9% 617% $69

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $105 in the Gambia, $1,620 in the United States. Capital cities: $105 in Banjul vs $2,768 in Washington, DC.

National salary averages: $62 in the Gambia, $4,549 in the United States. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1443% higher in the United States.

Dining out costs 15% more in the United States.

Public transport is 800% more expensive in the United States.

Salaries are about 73 times higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇬🇲 Gambia

🇺🇸 United States

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

01:47 1:47 AM

4 h behind the Gambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,639,916

340,110,988

💱 Currency

Gambian Dalasi GMD D

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 GMD = 1.35 USD

100 GMD = 1.21 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GMD – Gambian Dalasi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇲 Gambian Dalasi (D)

Gambian Dalasi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 74.1 GMD (100 GMD = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 82.47 GMD (100 GMD = 1.21 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to GMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gambia United States 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gambia
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

Gambia vs United States: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $703 per month in the Gambia and $2,734 in the United States, there’s a 289% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in the Gambia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,620 in the United States and $105 in the Gambia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: the Gambia wins on affordability; the United States may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.