Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $789 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$789

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yaounde and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $789 in Yaounde versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Yaounde $789
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Yaounde versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Yaounde $1,225
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,661 in Yaounde versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Yaounde $1,661
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Yaounde costs roughly 53% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yaounde is 41% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 FCFA 2,051

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-81.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 FCFA 29.5K

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-21.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 FCFA 3,053

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-59.47%

Cappuccino

$1.96 FCFA 1,145

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-50.75%

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

$1.53 FCFA 898

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-25.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 FCFA 318

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-65.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 FCFA 744

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-66.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-62.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.66 FCFA 2,143

$1.44 ARS 2,181

154.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 FCFA 638

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-55.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$1.63 ARS 2,467

-19.02%

Eggs

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

$2.89 ARS 4,385

-27.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 FCFA 7,923

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

27.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 FCFA 3,605

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-38.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 FCFA 3,919

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-51.24%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 FCFA 3,037

$2.75 ARS 4,166

88.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 FCFA 1,178

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-7.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 FCFA 1,180

$1.45 ARS 2,205

39.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 FCFA 803

$1.99 ARS 3,013

-31.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 FCFA 960

$1.24 ARS 1,885

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 FCFA 847

$1.27 ARS 1,921

14.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 FCFA 635

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-35.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 FCFA 388

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-61.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 981

$4.18 ARS 6,337

-59.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 FCFA 4,869

$5.80 ARS 8,790

43.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 FCFA 803

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-34.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 FCFA 1,146

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-29.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 FCFA 339

$0.75 ARS 1,132

-22.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.43 FCFA 10.2K

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-35.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 FCFA 343

$1.62 ARS 2,451

-63.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 262

$0.98 ARS 1,481

-54.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.06 FCFA 3,546

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-21.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 FCFA 826

$1.36 ARS 2,058

3.68%

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

$32.4K FCFA 19.0M

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

15.84%

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

$21.3K FCFA 12.5M

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-38.34%

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

$80.3 FCFA 47.0K

$216 ARS 326.9K

-62.75%

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

$17.09 FCFA 9,997

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-33.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 FCFA 30.4K

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

65.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.33 FCFA 13.6K

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-53.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.27 FCFA 4,251

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-57.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 FCFA 5,025

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-17.64%

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

$610 FCFA 357.1K

$466 ARS 706.7K

30.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,355 FCFA 1.4M

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-74.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.95 FCFA 9,915

$122 ARS 185.2K

-86.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.00 FCFA 15.8K

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-72.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.98 FCFA 15.2K

$117 ARS 177.4K

-77.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 FCFA 32.6K

$140 ARS 211.9K

-60.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 FCFA 81.9K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-81.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 FCFA 108.2K

$505 ARS 766.1K

-63.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 FCFA 239.5K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-74.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 FCFA 123.2K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-82.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$847 FCFA 495.6K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-68.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$593 FCFA 347.2K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-68.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$190 FCFA 111.1K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-80.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

-77.29%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$253 32%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 12.2% $31

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$185 23.3%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 173% $320

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 18.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 82.6% $123

Eating Out

Yaounde

$85 10.8%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 227% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$57 7.1%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 279% $158

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$41 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 74.5% $30

Getting Around

Yaounde

$23 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 62.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $140 in Yaounde and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 403% 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: $50.0 in Yaounde vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $284 per month, with Yaounde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

23:26 11:26 PM

4 h behind Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Yaounde Buenos Aires 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaounde
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaounde and Buenos Aires differ by about 114% in total monthly costs ($789 vs $1,685 including rent). Yaounde is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 403% lower in Buenos Aires. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $140 in Yaounde versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $610 in Yaounde versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $789 in Yaounde versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yaounde but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Yaounde 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.

Safety-wise, Yaounde and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Yaounde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 114% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.