Cost of Living inBamako, Mali
Image credit: Lyfengine
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Mali: $2,916/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 31% 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
Happiness
4.2 / 10
#121 globally
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 Bamako. 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.Bamako is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Mali.
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
MixedA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
41/100
2023
Physicians
0.19/1k
2023
Hospital beds
0.25/1k
2018
Out of pocket
47%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
60.7 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
367/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
28.0/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and there is visible specialty depth help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
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 Mali 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 | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2024 annual wages in Bamako, Mali · Source: ILO ILOSTAT (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 Bamako compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.8x further in Bamako than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Mali here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Bamako cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Bamako is more expensive overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 31% more expensive than the global benchmark (New York City) for Bamako. We are using the country-level cost index for Mali here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Bamako compare with New York City?
Rent in Bamako is about 58% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Mali here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Bamako?
Groceries in Bamako are about 8% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 5% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Mali here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and the country's overwhelming economic and political center, sitting on both banks of the Niger River in the southwest. It is one of West Africa's fastest-growing cities by population, though its growth has outpaced infrastructure investment significantly. For international relocators the practical reality is restrictive: since the 2020 and 2021 coups, most Western governments have advised against non-essential travel, the foreign community has contracted to UN, humanitarian, and a small number of mining-sector personnel, and security arrangements outside the city center are tightly managed. French is the working language with Bambara in daily life, the Sahelian climate brings intense heat and a defined June-to-October rainy season, and grid power is unreliable.
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