Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Buea

For one person, living is cheaper in Buea: $744 a month against $782 in Yaounde, rent and utilities included – about $460 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Yaounde outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Buea
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Buea Living Index

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Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Buea

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$744

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yaounde 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 Yaounde and in Buea actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Yaounde versus $744 in Buea.

Yaounde $782
Buea $744

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,206 in Yaounde versus $1,352 in Buea.

Yaounde $1,206
Buea $1,352

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,629 in Yaounde versus $1,960 in Buea.

Yaounde $1,629
Buea $1,960

Living in Yaounde is roughly 5% more expensive than in Buea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yaounde 42% lower, Buea 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

103.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

$119 FCFA 69.5K

-57.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

$5.90 FCFA 3,441

-15.76%

Cappuccino

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

$2.16 FCFA 1,258

-13.43%

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

$1.46 FCFA 854

$1.24 FCFA 725

17.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 FCFA 324

$0.46 FCFA 268

21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 698

$0.99 FCFA 577

21.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 FCFA 980

$1.52 FCFA 886

10.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

$2.86 FCFA 1,667

26.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 FCFA 602

$0.37 FCFA 214

178.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 743

$1.54 FCFA 900

-17.53%

Eggs

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

$1.90 FCFA 1,109

6.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

$22.43 FCFA 13.1K

-38.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

$7.64 FCFA 4,453

-21.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

$4.24 FCFA 2,471

51.42%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

$3.36 FCFA 1,961

47.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

$1.34 FCFA 780

45.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

$0.82 FCFA 481

142.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 FCFA 786

$1.31 FCFA 763

3.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 FCFA 952

$1.72 FCFA 1,004

-5.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 FCFA 813

$1.34 FCFA 781

3.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 FCFA 654

$0.75 FCFA 437

49.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 381

$0.67 FCFA 388

-2.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 982

$2.60 FCFA 1,516

-35.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

$8.42 FCFA 4,911

-2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$1.17 FCFA 685

12.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

$1.67 FCFA 975

16.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 FCFA 305

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$0.25 FCFA 144

148.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 261

$0.52 FCFA 306

-13.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

$5.02 FCFA 2,926

16.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 FCFA 848

$1.15 FCFA 670

26.96%

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

$18.8K FCFA 11.0M

73.08%

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

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

$15.1K FCFA 8.8M

40.17%

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

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

$59.0 FCFA 34.4K

35.84%

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

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

$16.82 FCFA 9,807

2.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

$169 FCFA 98.6K

-69.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

$25.01 FCFA 14.6K

-4.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

$4.36 FCFA 2,540

58.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

$8.48 FCFA 4,942

-1.89%

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

$615 FCFA 358.4K

$515 FCFA 300.2K

19.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

$3,416 FCFA 2.0M

-31.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

$34.11 FCFA 19.9K

-50.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

$67.3 FCFA 39.3K

-59.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

$138 FCFA 80.3K

-81.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

$67.7 FCFA 39.5K

-17.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 FCFA 83.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 FCFA 106.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 FCFA 238.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 FCFA 121.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 FCFA 498.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 FCFA 343.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 FCFA 107.8K

$125 FCFA 73.1K

47.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.04

-31.72%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buea: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$249 31.8%

Buea

$244 32.8% 2% $5

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$183 23.4%

Buea

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 19%

Buea

$245 32.9% 64.8% $96

Eating Out

Yaounde

$83 10.6%

Buea

$72 9.7% 12.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$56 7.2%

Buea

$138 18.6% 145% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$40 5.2%

Buea

$42 5.6% 3.6% $1.5

Getting Around

Yaounde

$22 2.8%

Buea

$2.9 * 0.4% 87% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

Yaounde pays 47% 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: $51.0 in Yaounde vs $119 in Buea. Groceries flip the comparison at $249 vs $244, with Buea cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇨🇲 Buea

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

Same time as Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

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

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Yaounde Buea 260 km

From you

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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

Yaounde vs Buea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaounde and Buea differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($782 vs $744 including rent). Buea is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 47% higher in Yaounde, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $615 in Yaounde 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 $51.0 in Yaounde. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Buea gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 5% less than in Yaounde. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.