Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Rio de Janeiro

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $782 a month against $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
Learn more

Yaounde Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Rio de Janeiro
Learn more

Rio de Janeiro Living Index

Jump to prices

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$782

/mo nomad

Rio de Janeiro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yaounde and in Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $782 in Yaounde versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro.

Yaounde $782
Rio de Janeiro $1,289

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,206 in Yaounde versus $1,868 in Rio de Janeiro.

Yaounde $1,206
Rio de Janeiro $1,868

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,629 in Yaounde versus $2,448 in Rio de Janeiro.

Yaounde $1,629
Rio de Janeiro $2,448

Living in Yaounde costs roughly 39% less than in Rio de Janeiro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Yaounde 42% lower, Rio de Janeiro 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.50 FCFA 2,040

$10.06 R$51.0

-65.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 FCFA 29.6K

$40.44 R$205

25.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 FCFA 2,896

$8.55 R$43.35

-41.87%

Cappuccino

$1.87 FCFA 1,089

$2.38 R$12.04

-21.43%

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

$1.46 FCFA 854

$1.61 R$8.18

-9.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 FCFA 324

$1.03 R$5.22

-45.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 FCFA 698

$2.47 R$12.54

-51.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 FCFA 980

$3.70 R$18.77

-54.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.62 FCFA 2,109

$1.19 R$6.05

204.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 FCFA 602

$2.05 R$10.38

-49.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 FCFA 743

$1.28 R$6.49

-0.78%

Eggs

$2.02 FCFA 1,179

$2.29 R$11.60

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 FCFA 8,080

$10.76 R$54.5

28.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,509

$4.41 R$22.36

36.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.42 FCFA 3,744

$9.84 R$49.86

-34.76%

Apples (1kg)

$4.97 FCFA 2,899

$2.81 R$14.25

76.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 FCFA 1,139

$1.78 R$9.03

9.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 FCFA 1,159

$1.60 R$8.13

24.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.35 FCFA 786

$1.80 R$9.11

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 FCFA 952

$1.22 R$6.17

33.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 FCFA 813

$1.04 R$5.26

33.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 FCFA 654

$0.77 R$3.92

45.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 FCFA 381

$0.67 R$3.38

-2.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 982

$3.01 R$15.27

-44.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 FCFA 4,808

$8.08 R$40.94

2.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$1.19 R$6.03

10.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 FCFA 1,132

$2.51 R$12.73

-22.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 FCFA 305

$0.99 R$5.00

-47.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.19 FCFA 10.0K

$50.1 R$254

-65.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$1.22 R$6.20

-49.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 261

$0.92 R$4.66

-51.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 FCFA 3,422

$8.97 R$45.45

-34.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 FCFA 848

$1.30 R$6.57

12.31%

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.0M

$23.9K R$121.0K

36.40%

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

$21.2K FCFA 12.4M

$32.9K R$166.6K

-35.50%

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

$80.1 FCFA 46.7K

$133 R$676

-39.94%

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

$17.16 FCFA 10.0K

$10.82 R$54.8

58.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.3 FCFA 29.9K

$22.90 R$116

123.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 FCFA 13.9K

$30.79 R$156

-22.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 FCFA 4,041

$31.85 R$161

-78.24%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 FCFA 4,849

$8.05 R$40.83

3.35%

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

$615 FCFA 358.4K

$598 R$3,029

2.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,333 FCFA 1.4M

$13.4K R$68.0K

-82.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.75 FCFA 9,767

$42.04 R$213

-60.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.41 FCFA 16.0K

$49.68 R$252

-44.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.17 FCFA 14.7K

$74.5 R$378

-66.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 FCFA 32.6K

$68.7 R$348

-18.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 FCFA 83.0K

$903 R$4,578

-84.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 FCFA 106.7K

$529 R$2,684

-65.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$408 FCFA 238.1K

$1,326 R$6,724

-69.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 FCFA 121.2K

$756 R$3,831

-72.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 FCFA 498.8K

$4,010 R$20.3K

-78.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 FCFA 343.7K

$1,560 R$7,910

-62.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 FCFA 107.8K

$640 R$3,242

-71.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.93

8.97%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 11, 2026

Last update for Rio de Janeiro: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$249 31.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$215 16.7% 13.8% $34

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$183 23.4%

Rio de Janeiro

$529 41.1% 189% $346

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 19%

Rio de Janeiro

$167 13% 12.5% $19

Eating Out

Yaounde

$83 10.6%

Rio de Janeiro

$165 12.8% 99.5% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$56 7.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$106 8.2% 87.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$40 5.2%

Rio de Janeiro

$47 3.6% 15.8% $6.4

Getting Around

Yaounde

$22 2.8%

Rio de Janeiro

$60 4.7% 170% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $142 in Yaounde and $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rio de Janeiro pays 246% 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 $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $249 vs $215 per month, with Rio de Janeiro cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇧🇷 Rio de Janeiro

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

17:47 5:47 PM

4 h behind Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

6,211,223

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yaounde Rio de Janeiro 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaounde
Rio de Janeiro

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 Rio de Janeiro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yaounde and Rio de Janeiro differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($782 vs $1,289 including rent). Yaounde is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 246% lower in Rio de Janeiro. 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 $903 in Rio de Janeiro. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Yaounde – a meal for two runs $51.0 versus $40.00 in Rio de Janeiro. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $782 per month in Yaounde versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro – a 65% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $782 in Yaounde versus $1,289 in Rio de Janeiro, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Yaounde but tight or insufficient in Rio de Janeiro. 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.

Expats usually find Yaounde gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Rio de Janeiro. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.