Cost of Living inMatadi, DR Congo
Image credit: MONUSCO Photos
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). DR Congo: $1,641/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 49% 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.
Income Category
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
International and private school tuition + curriculum mix for relocating families.
International & private schools
No schools in Matadi are confirmed yet by their own websites. The nearest city with confirmed schools is Kinshasa, 268 km away (1 school).
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Matadi. 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.Matadi is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in DR Congo.
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.
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, doctor staffing is lighter, and hospital capacity looks tighter weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedPublic coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
41/100
2023
Physicians
0.21/1k
2022
Hospital beds
0.80/1k
2006
Out of pocket
38%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
62.1 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
427/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
23.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedPrice transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in DR Congo yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
2016 annual wages in Matadi, DR Congo · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (sector aggregate) (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
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 Matadi compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.1x further in Matadi than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for DR Congo here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Matadi cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Matadi is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 49% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Matadi. We are using the country-level cost index for DR Congo here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Matadi compare with New York City?
Rent in Matadi is about 70% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for DR Congo here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Matadi?
Groceries in Matadi are about 49% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 37% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for DR Congo here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Matadi
Matadi is the principal port city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sitting on the Congo River about 150 kilometers upstream from the Atlantic at the head of navigation. With around 426,000 residents, it serves as the country's main seaport, handling the bulk of import and export traffic for the wider DRC including landlocked Kinshasa, with the local economy built on port services, logistics, and the Inga hydropower infrastructure nearby. Relocators should be candid: infrastructure outside the port is limited, road conditions on the Matadi-Kinshasa corridor have been historically poor though improving with Chinese-backed work, healthcare evacuation is common for serious cases, and foreign presence is largely tied to shipping, mining services, and diplomatic operations under significant security planning.
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