Bafoussam

Cost of Living inBafoussam, Cameroon

West, Cameroon373KLower middle income

Image credit: Bamiboi

Purchasing Power vs. United States

Your money goes 2.84x further

Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Cameroon: $4,917/capita.

How Far Your Money Goes

Prices are 59% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).

Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.

Overall
2.5x further
Prices are 59% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
5.2x further
Prices are 81% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.6x further
Prices are 62% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
2.2x further
Prices are 54% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).

Income Category

Lower Middle
World Bank GNI

Happiness

4.9 / 10

#103 globally

GDP per Capita

$4,917
PPP, International $

City Population

373K

Child Education

Public-schooling rules and international-school pricing are not sourced for Cameroon yet. Quality, expat-access, instruction language, and tuition will appear here once verified.

Childcare & Domestic Help

Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Bafoussam. We publish this section only when we can tie it to local job-board, agency, or country fallback evidence.

Getting Around

Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Bafoussam is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.

Healthcare

System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Cameroon.

Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.

67 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 2 months ago

Healthcare system

Limited

Coverage looks thinner, doctor staffing is lighter, and households still pay a large share themselves weigh on this rating.

Public care

Limited

Public coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.

Private care

Limited

Self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.

UHC coverage

48/100

2023

Physicians

0.14/1k

2022

Hospital beds

2.65/1k

2016

Out of pocket

68%

2023

Outcome signals

Life expectancy

64.0 yrs

2024

Maternal mortality

258/100k

2023

Neonatal mortality

24.8/1k

2024

International patient readiness

Limited

There is visible specialty depth help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.

Pricing transparency

Limited

Published self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.

Facility coverage

Pharmacy: 24Doctor: 19Hospital: 18Clinic: 6

Self-pay pricing visibility

No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Cameroon yet.

This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.

Notable facilities

Hôpital Protestant de Mbouo
Hospital · Emergency
Hôpital Catholique de Djunang
Hospital · Emergency
Hôpital de Bandjoun
Hospital · Emergency
Hôpital Régional de Bafoussam
Hospital · Emergency
Centre de Soins Palliatifs et de Maladies de Lafe
Hospital · Emergency
Centre medico chirurgical maetur
Hospital · Emergency

System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01

Safety & Governance

City-level perceived-crime data is not sourced for Bafoussam yet. Showing Cameroon national safety and governance signals until a matched city row lands.

Street Safety

Safety Index26/100
Crime Index74/100

Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.

Political Stability

Political Stability-1.40

World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.

Wages by Sector

SectorMedian
Administrative & Support Services
Agriculture & Farming
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
Construction
Education
Finance & Insurance
Healthcare & Social Work
Hospitality & Food Service
Information & Technology
Manufacturing
Mining & Quarrying
Other Services
Professional & Scientific Services
Public Administration & Defence
Retail & Wholesale Trade
Transport & Logistics
Utilities

2014 annual wages in Bafoussam, Cameroon · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)

Price Comparison vs. US

budget hotel
$20.00Estimated45% cheaper
luxury hotel
$190.00Estimated60% cheaper

Visa Information (US passport)

Short-stay entry

evisa

US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.

Quick comparison FAQ

Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.

How far does your money go in Bafoussam compared with the US?

Your money goes about 2.8x further in Bafoussam than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Cameroon here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

Is Bafoussam cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?

Bafoussam is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 59% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Bafoussam. We are using the country-level cost index for Cameroon here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

How does rent in Bafoussam compare with New York City?

Rent in Bafoussam is about 81% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Cameroon here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Bafoussam?

Groceries in Bafoussam are about 62% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 55% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Cameroon here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.

About Bafoussam

Bafoussam is the capital of Cameroon's West Region and the largest city in the Grassfields highlands of the country, sitting at roughly 1,400 meters elevation in the western volcanic plateau. It functions as the commercial center for the Bamileke people, who dominate Cameroonian internal trade, and serves as the regional hub for coffee processing, market gardening, and transport between Douala and the Northwest. The climate is tropical highland with moderate temperatures year-round and a long wet season from March through October. French is the working language alongside numerous Bamileke languages and some English. Bafoussam has limited foreign presence beyond NGO workers and Catholic missionaries; relocators are typically diaspora returnees or French-speaking Africans connected to regional trade networks.