Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Guangzhou (Canton)

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Guangzhou (Canton)
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Guangzhou (Canton) Living Index

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Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Guangzhou (Canton)

🇨🇳 China

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yaounde and in Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $782 per month in Yaounde vs $924 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Yaounde $782
Guangzhou (Canton) $924

A couple spends around $1,206 per month in Yaounde vs $1,433 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Yaounde $1,206
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,433

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Yaounde vs $1,942 in Guangzhou (Canton), rent included.

Yaounde $1,629
Guangzhou (Canton) $1,942

Yaounde is about 15% cheaper than Guangzhou (Canton), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Yaounde and Guangzhou (Canton) are more affordable than the global median – Yaounde 42% lower, Guangzhou (Canton) 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

$3.01 ¥20.15

16.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

$30.30 ¥203

67.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

$5.08 ¥33.94

-2.17%

Cappuccino

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

$3.11 ¥20.77

-39.87%

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

$1.46 FCFA 854

$0.53 ¥3.57

175.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 FCFA 324

$0.36 ¥2.41

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 698

$1.38 ¥9.23

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 FCFA 980

$2.61 ¥17.46

-35.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

$1.80 ¥12.04

101.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 FCFA 602

$1.88 ¥12.60

-45.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 743

$1.15 ¥7.68

10.43%

Eggs

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

$1.52 ¥10.15

32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

$16.43 ¥110

-15.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

$5.20 ¥34.78

15.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

$12.31 ¥82.3

-47.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

$2.22 ¥14.87

123.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

$1.24 ¥8.27

57.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

$1.44 ¥9.62

38.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 FCFA 786

$1.72 ¥11.48

-21.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 FCFA 952

$0.99 ¥6.63

64.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 FCFA 813

$1.23 ¥8.21

13.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 FCFA 654

$0.79 ¥5.29

41.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 381

$0.65 ¥4.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 982

$3.71 ¥24.83

-54.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

$10.53 ¥70.4

-21.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$1.02 ¥6.84

29.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

$1.91 ¥12.78

1.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 FCFA 305

$0.43 ¥2.86

20.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

$22.03 ¥147

-21.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$1.82 ¥12.20

-65.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 261

$0.41 ¥2.71

9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

$7.01 ¥46.90

-16.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 FCFA 848

$1.38 ¥9.24

5.80%

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

$19.2K ¥128.4K

69.60%

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

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

$17.9K ¥119.4K

18.73%

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

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

$61.5 ¥411

30.30%

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

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

$16.36 ¥109

4.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

$14.69 ¥98.2

249.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

$70.1 ¥468

-65.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

$12.38 ¥82.8

-44.02%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

$6.61 ¥44.22

25.87%

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

$615 FCFA 358.4K

$1,506 ¥10.1K

-59.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

$24.1K ¥161.0K

-90.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

$49.95 ¥334

-66.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

$41.83 ¥280

-34.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

$83.3 ¥557

-69.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

$71.3 ¥477

-21.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 FCFA 83.0K

$539 ¥3,602

-73.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 FCFA 106.7K

$278 ¥1,858

-34.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 FCFA 238.1K

$1,321 ¥8,832

-69.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 FCFA 121.2K

$466 ¥3,113

-55.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 FCFA 498.8K

$8,749 ¥58.5K

-90.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 FCFA 343.7K

$3,420 ¥22.9K

-82.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 FCFA 107.8K

$1,280 ¥8,558

-85.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

284.62%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Last update for Guangzhou (Canton): October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$249 31.8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$239 25.9% 4% $9.8

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$183 23.4%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$278 30.1% 51.8% $95

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 19%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$93 10% 37.7% $56

Eating Out

Yaounde

$83 10.6%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$92 10% 11.6% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$56 7.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$111 12% 96.8% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$40 5.2%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$83 9% 106% $43

Getting Around

Yaounde

$22 2.8%

Guangzhou (Canton)

$28 3% 24.6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $142 in Yaounde versus $539 in Guangzhou (Canton). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 592% higher in Guangzhou (Canton), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Yaounde versus $30.00 in Guangzhou (Canton). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $239 – making Guangzhou (Canton) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇨🇳 Guangzhou (Canton)

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

02:54 2:54 AM

7 h ahead of Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

14,043,500

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yaounde Guangzhou (Canton) 11,030 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaounde
Guangzhou (Canton)

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 Guangzhou (Canton): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $782 in Yaounde, $924 in Guangzhou (Canton) – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,173 per month in Yaounde and $1,385 in Guangzhou (Canton). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yaounde, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $782 in Yaounde and $924 in Guangzhou (Canton). That's a gap of about 18%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Yaounde. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yaounde, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Guangzhou (Canton) at $924. In Yaounde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guangzhou (Canton) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Yaounde – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Yaounde. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Guangzhou (Canton) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.