Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United States and Chad

Name: Chad
Address: TD

For one person, living is cheaper in Chad: $1,074 a month against $2,701 in the United States, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in the United States
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United States Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Chad
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Chad Living Index

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🇺🇸 United States

$2,701

/mo nomad

🇹🇩 Chad

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United States and in Chad

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

A single person spends $2,701 per month in the United States vs $1,074 in Chad, rent included.

United States $2,701
Chad $1,074

A couple spends around $3,980 per month in the United States vs $1,430 in Chad, rent included.

United States $3,980
Chad $1,430

A family of three spends $5,258 per month in the United States vs $1,787 in Chad, rent included.

United States $5,258
Chad $1,787

The cost of living in the United States is about 152% higher than in Chad on average.

The United States sits 100% above the global median, while Chad is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.92 $19.92

$8.73 FCFA 5,089

128.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 $81.0

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

Cappuccino

$5.55 $5.55

$0.81 FCFA 472

585.19%

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

$2.67 $2.67

$0.89 FCFA 518

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.86 FCFA 504

143.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 $5.96

$1.32 FCFA 767

351.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.76 $7.76

$1.75 FCFA 1,019

343.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$3.69 FCFA 2,152

-71.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$0.35 FCFA 206

914.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.64 $4.64

$3.38 FCFA 1,971

37.28%

Eggs

$4.18 $4.18

$2.01 FCFA 1,171

107.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 $12.76

$3.32 FCFA 1,937

284.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 $12.63

$6.64 FCFA 3,870

90.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.22 $17.22

$3.51 FCFA 2,046

390.60%

Apples (1kg)

$5.15 $5.15

$4.76 FCFA 2,775

8.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 $1.64

$2.08 FCFA 1,214

-21.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.49 FCFA 1,455

79.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$2.41 FCFA 1,403

106.64%

Potato (1kg)

$2.84 $2.84

$1.62 FCFA 947

75.31%

Onion (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.57 FCFA 915

96.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.52 FCFA 304

321.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 $2.27

$2.15 FCFA 1,254

5.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 $10.61

$1.03 FCFA 599

930.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.71 $14.71

$7.81 FCFA 4,554

88.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.13 FCFA 657

85.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.72 FCFA 1,001

122.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.42 FCFA 245

459.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.1 $64.1

$85.1 FCFA 49.6K

-24.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 $3.57

$0.45 FCFA 262

693.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.41 FCFA 240

351.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.19 $30.19

$5.06 FCFA 2,950

496.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 $1.07

$1.30 FCFA 758

-17.69%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$11.8K FCFA 6.9M

198.46%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$11.0K FCFA 6.4M

134.75%

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

$217 $217

$42.11 FCFA 24.6K

414.32%

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

$61.4 $61.4

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

144.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$74.4 $74.4

$418 FCFA 243.5K

-82.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.08 $45.08

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.07 $23.07

Cinema Ticket

$14.79 $14.79

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

$1,480 $1,480

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K $25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 $53.0

$25.53 FCFA 14.9K

107.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$33.59 FCFA 19.6K

27.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 $94.3

$42.68 FCFA 24.9K

121.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 $115

$84.7 FCFA 49.4K

36.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,678 $1,678

$1,722 FCFA 1.0M

-2.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 $1,313

$84.6 FCFA 49.3K

1452.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,649 $2,649

$254 FCFA 148.1K

943.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,183 $2,183

$168 FCFA 98.1K

1197.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,374 $3,374

$186 FCFA 108.2K

1717.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,661 $2,661

$181 FCFA 105.5K

1371.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,404 $4,404

$343 FCFA 200.2K

1182.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.55

3.5

87.14%

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

Last update for the United States: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United States

$1.3K 48.6%

Chad

$85 7.9% 93.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

United States

$411 15.2%

Chad

$235 21.8% 42.9% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United States

$352 13%

Chad

$485 45.2% 37.6% $132

Eating Out

United States

$327 12.1%

Chad

$97 * 9% 70.4% $230

Clothing & Footwear

United States

$137 5.1%

Chad

$84 7.8% 38.9% $54

Getting Around

United States

$86 3.2%

Chad

$89 8.3% 3.5% $3

Sport & Entertainment

United States

$75 2.8%

Chad

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,609 in the United States vs $858 in Chad. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,730 in Washington, DC and $1,716 in N'Djamena.

Average salary: $4,533 in the United States vs $347 in Chad. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 88% higher in the United States.

Public transport is 59% more expensive in Chad.

Salaries are 1206% higher in the United States, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United States.

Good to know

🇺🇸 United States

🇹🇩 Chad

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

09:41 9:41 AM

5 h ahead of the United States

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,110,988

19,319,064

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

XAF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United States Chad 10,290 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

United States
Chad

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

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

Chad is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 152% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United States: a central one-bedroom averages $1,609 versus $858 in Chad.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Chad, but in the United States it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Chad is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.