Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Louis and Dakar

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $837 a month against $1,415 in Dakar, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index

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Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$837

/mo nomad

Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,415

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Saint-Louis versus $1,415 in Dakar.

Saint-Louis $837
Dakar $1,415

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,315 in Saint-Louis versus $2,220 in Dakar.

Saint-Louis $1,315
Dakar $2,220

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,792 in Saint-Louis versus $3,026 in Dakar.

Saint-Louis $1,792
Dakar $3,026

Living in Saint-Louis costs roughly 41% less than in Dakar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 F CFA 2,009

$5.23 F CFA 3,051

-34.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.3 F CFA 31.1K

$52.0 F CFA 30.3K

2.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 F CFA 6,484

$11.25 F CFA 6,561

-1.16%

Cappuccino

$3.34 F CFA 1,950

$3.43 F CFA 1,999

-2.62%

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

$1.24 F CFA 725

$1.25 F CFA 728

-0.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 F CFA 529

$0.92 F CFA 538

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$2.52 F CFA 1,469

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 F CFA 2,545

$4.24 F CFA 2,473

3.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.59 F CFA 1,509

$2.60 F CFA 1,513

-0.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.27 F CFA 158

$0.76 F CFA 445

-64.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 F CFA 963

$1.66 F CFA 967

-0.60%

Eggs

$2.40 F CFA 1,399

$2.52 F CFA 1,467

-4.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.50 F CFA 10.2K

$17.67 F CFA 10.3K

-0.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 F CFA 5,315

$9.03 F CFA 5,268

1.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 F CFA 6,378

$10.89 F CFA 6,349

0.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.24 F CFA 1,888

$3.27 F CFA 1,906

-0.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 F CFA 1,079

$1.86 F CFA 1,084

-0.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 F CFA 1,729

$2.99 F CFA 1,741

-0.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 F CFA 1,042

$1.71 F CFA 999

4.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 F CFA 791

$1.33 F CFA 776

2.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 F CFA 535

$0.97 F CFA 566

-5.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 F CFA 636

$1.13 F CFA 661

-3.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 F CFA 397

$0.69 F CFA 403

-1.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 F CFA 1,272

$2.20 F CFA 1,282

-0.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.00 F CFA 9,911

$17.00 F CFA 9,912

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 F CFA 891

$1.58 F CFA 923

-3.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 F CFA 1,942

$3.30 F CFA 1,923

0.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 F CFA 239

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.0 F CFA 44.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 F CFA 502

$2.13 F CFA 1,241

-59.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 F CFA 1,279

$2.20 F CFA 1,284

-0.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 F CFA 9,899

$17.16 F CFA 10.0K

-1.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 F CFA 939

$1.64 F CFA 956

-1.83%

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

$50.3K F CFA 29.3M

$49.7K F CFA 29.0M

1.32%

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

$47.3K F CFA 27.6M

$47.9K F CFA 27.9M

-1.23%

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

$204 F CFA 118.8K

$202 F CFA 117.7K

0.92%

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

$11.80 F CFA 6,883

$11.68 F CFA 6,811

1.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.79 F CFA 26.7K

$46.07 F CFA 26.9K

-0.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.29 F CFA 25.8K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.92 F CFA 13.4K

Cinema Ticket

$8.37 F CFA 4,882

$8.32 F CFA 4,852

0.60%

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

$326 F CFA 189.9K

$327 F CFA 190.5K

-0.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K F CFA 6.0M

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

-2.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.2 F CFA 34.5K

$58.6 F CFA 34.2K

1.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.50 F CFA 27.1K

$44.95 F CFA 26.2K

3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 F CFA 49.3K

$87.1 F CFA 50.8K

-2.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 F CFA 57.6K

$97.1 F CFA 56.6K

1.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 F CFA 252.2K

$827 F CFA 482.1K

-47.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$430 F CFA 250.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,724 F CFA 1.0M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$916 F CFA 534.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,838 F CFA 2.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,494 F CFA 871.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 F CFA 198.7K

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 Saint-Louis: October 18, 2026

Last update for Dakar: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Louis

$290 34.7%

Dakar

$296 21% 2% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Louis

$261 31.2%

Dakar

$260 18.4% 0.7% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Louis

$130 15.5%

Dakar

$129 9.2% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Saint-Louis

$127 15.1%

Dakar

$147 10.4% 15.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2%

Dakar

$61 4.3% 264% $44

Getting Around

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4%

Dakar

$92 6.5% 675% $80

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Louis

- * 0%

Dakar

$430 30.4%

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 $433 in Saint-Louis and $827 in Dakar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $53.0 in Saint-Louis vs $52.0 in Dakar. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $296, with Saint-Louis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Dakar

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

Same time as Saint-Louis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

176,000

2,396,800 Capital

💱 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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Saint-Louis
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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

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

Saint-Louis and Dakar differ by about 69% in total monthly costs ($837 vs $1,415 including rent). Saint-Louis is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,256 in Saint-Louis and $2,122 in Dakar 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: $433 in Saint-Louis versus $827 in Dakar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $326 in Saint-Louis versus $327 in Dakar. 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 $52.0 in Dakar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $837 in Saint-Louis versus $1,415 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 69% less than in Dakar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.