Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $17,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yaounde and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Yaounde versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Yaounde $782
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,206 in Yaounde versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Yaounde $1,206
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,629 in Yaounde versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Yaounde $1,629
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Yaounde costs roughly 65% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Yaounde is 42% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

$16.50 €14.67

-78.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

$61.3 €54.5

-17.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

$11.27 €10.03

-55.90%

Cappuccino

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

$3.06 €2.72

-38.89%

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

$1.46 FCFA 854

$2.26 €2.01

-35.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 FCFA 324

$1.73 €1.54

-67.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 698

$3.39 €3.02

-64.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 FCFA 980

$3.40 €3.02

-50.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

$1.12 €1.00

223.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 FCFA 602

$1.86 €1.65

-44.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 743

$1.53 €1.36

-16.99%

Eggs

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

$3.96 €3.53

-48.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

$12.76 €11.35

8.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

$7.90 €7.02

-23.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

$16.97 €15.09

-62.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

$2.27 €2.02

118.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

$1.75 €1.55

11.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

$1.85 €1.64

7.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 FCFA 786

$2.57 €2.28

-47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 FCFA 952

$1.86 €1.65

-12.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 FCFA 813

$2.02 €1.80

-31.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 FCFA 654

$1.44 €1.28

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 381

$0.82 €0.73

-20.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 982

$6.56 €5.83

-74.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

$5.62 €5.00

46.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$1.28 €1.14

3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

$2.07 €1.84

-6.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 FCFA 305

$2.35 €2.09

-77.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

$44.18 €39.30

-61.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$3.99 €3.55

-84.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 261

$1.09 €0.97

-58.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

$16.64 €14.81

-64.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 FCFA 848

$2.28 €2.03

-35.96%

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

$33.7K €30.0K

-3.29%

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

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

$39.3K €35.0K

-46.05%

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

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

$167 €149

-52.16%

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

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

$18.80 €16.72

-8.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

$33.09 €29.43

54.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

$46.01 €40.93

-48.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

$19.19 €17.07

-63.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

$9.84 €8.75

-15.45%

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

$615 FCFA 358.4K

$677 €602

-9.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

$16.9K €15.1K

-86.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

$101 €90.1

-83.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

$45.76 €40.70

-40.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

$100.0 €88.9

-74.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

$123 €109

-54.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 FCFA 83.0K

$1,614 €1,436

-91.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 FCFA 106.7K

$1,197 €1,065

-84.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 FCFA 238.1K

$2,862 €2,545

-85.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 FCFA 121.2K

$1,990 €1,770

-89.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 FCFA 498.8K

$7,577 €6,740

-88.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 FCFA 343.7K

$4,307 €3,831

-86.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 FCFA 107.8K

$1,588 €1,412

-88.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

237.66%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$249 31.8%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 8.3% $21

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$183 23.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 554% $1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 19%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 47.7% $71

Eating Out

Yaounde

$83 10.6%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 193% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$56 7.2%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 195% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$40 5.2%

Lisbon

$66 3% 62.2% $25

Getting Around

Yaounde

$22 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 184% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $142 in Yaounde and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 758% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $269 per month, with Yaounde cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

21:39 9:39 PM

Same time as Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yaounde Lisbon 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaounde
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaounde and Lisbon differ by about 184% in total monthly costs ($782 vs $2,223 including rent). Yaounde is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 758% lower in Lisbon. 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: $142 in Yaounde versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $615 in Yaounde versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $782 in Yaounde versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yaounde but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon 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 184% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.