Cost of Living inBissau, Guinea-Bissau
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Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Guinea-Bissau: $2,744/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 42% higher 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
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Bissau. 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.Bissau is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Guinea-Bissau.
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
LimitedA visible public hospital footprint help, but public coverage looks thinner and public funding looks lighter.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin, the private footprint is not very visible yet, and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
43/100
2023
Physicians
0.25/1k
2022
Hospital beds
1.00/1k
2009
Out of pocket
62%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
64.3 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
505/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
32.0/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedThe private footprint is still thin, price 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 Guinea-Bissau yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
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 |
|---|---|
| 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 | — |
2022 annual wages in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
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 Bissau compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.9x further in Bissau than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Guinea-Bissau here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Bissau cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Bissau is more expensive overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 42% more expensive than the global benchmark (New York City) for Bissau. We are using the country-level cost index for Guinea-Bissau here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Bissau compare with New York City?
Rent in Bissau is about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Guinea-Bissau here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Bissau?
Groceries in Bissau are about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 100% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Guinea-Bissau here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Bissau
Bissau is the capital of Guinea-Bissau, sitting at the mouth of the Geba River on the country's Atlantic coast. With around 440,000 residents, it concentrates the bulk of the country's administrative, commercial, and port activity, with the wider economy heavily reliant on cashew nut exports and limited industrial diversification. Relocators should approach the city with realistic expectations: political instability has been a recurring feature since independence, electricity supply is intermittent and largely diesel-backed, healthcare infrastructure is thin and serious cases typically require evacuation to Dakar or Lisbon, and the formal expatriate community is mostly tied to Portuguese-speaking diplomatic and NGO operations. Portuguese is official; Crioulo is the working lingua franca.
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