Costs in Cameroon

A realistic budget for a household (ménage) separates four areas: fixed housing and utility costs, variable expenses for food and mobility, regular costs for education and health, and irregular expenses for repairs, connections, and emergencies. A monthly budget should also be calculated as a seasonal model because food, transport, and utilities fluctuate by region and over time. A one-person household requires different planning from a household with children or care needs. The reviewed figures show continuing price increases in Cameroon. The National Institute of Statistics (INS) reported an increase of 0.6% month on month, 3.4% compared with the same month of the previous year, and 2.6% on a twelve-month average in July 2026. The increase was 3.4% for 2025, while prices rose cumulatively by 23.3% since 2022. Food became 41.8% more expensive from 2022 to 2025, and transport rose by 35.8%. In November 2025, the regional annual rate ranged from 2.5% in Bertoua to 4.6% in Bamenda. Prices used for a budget should therefore always be dated and checked locally. According to the fifth Cameroon household survey (ECAM5) 2022, the poverty rate was 37.7%. The poverty threshold reported there was 813 FCFA per day, or 24,724 FCFA per month per person. This figure describes a statistical threshold, not an adequate budget for housing, utilities, health care, or savings. The reported statutory minimum wage (SMIG) for civil servants was 43,969 FCFA per month under the Labour Code and the 2024 decree; this cannot be used to derive a general household budget. The reviewed primary material contains no reliable national official rent table. Rent, purchase prices, deposits, and additional costs depend strongly on city, location, housing standard, utility connections, season, and the formality of the contract. Some 56.8% of households lived in owner-occupied housing, and 47.0% lived in buildings made from permanent construction materials. These shares do not replace a local price check. For electricity, prepaid residential tariffs from the electricity provider (Eneo) were, according to the researched price level, 50 FCFA per kWh for 0 to 110 kWh without VAT, 94 FCFA per kWh for 111 to 220 kWh, and 94 FCFA per kWh for more than 220 kWh including VAT. Tariff information may change. Water may come from the water utility (CAMWATER), public standpipes (bornes-fontaines), wells, tanks, or bottles. In Ngaoundéré, CAMWATER figures for 2025 listed 293 FCFA per m³ without VAT for standpipes and 364 FCFA per m³ without VAT for households; a refundable connection advance of 108,000 FCFA without VAT and a meter price of 4,199 FCFA without VAT formed part of the connection conditions there. These figures do not automatically apply nationwide. Some 83.0% of households had access to an improved drinking-water source, but only 65.0% had access to electricity and 42.9% to a waste-collection point. Food costs depend on markets, supermarkets, own production, imports, logistics, and season. Fresh products became 11.1% more expensive in 2025 and remained a major price driver in July 2026. Own production or ownership can reduce direct cash needs in rural areas, but it can create additional time, transport, and supply requirements. Transport costs rose by 35.8% from 2022 to 2025 and by 12.3% in 2024 alone. The regulated fuel-price body (CSPH) influences the price structure and price support. For February 2026, depot prices including taxes at the Yaoundé depot were listed as 765.35 FCFA per litre for petrol, 768.56 FCFA per litre for diesel, and 301.54 FCFA per litre for kerosene. Depot prices are not uniform end-customer prices. Urban transport, intercity transport, motorcycle taxis, and seasonal fares must therefore be checked at the specific location. Health costs include consultations, treatment, medicines, transport, and possible availability problems. Health expenditure represented 5.5% of total consumption, and 58.6% of consultations took place with qualified personnel. Enrollment in Universal Health Coverage (CSU) is intended for every person living in Cameroon; preventive and promotive services are not payable nationally under this arrangement, and curative services for children aged 0 to 5 are also not payable. The health voucher (Chèque Santé) was extended to ten regions in September 2025. Package scope, facility, medicines, and local availability may create additional costs. Education expenditure represented 4.4% of total consumption. Net school attendance was 80.4% at primary level and 51.8% at secondary level. Costs differ according to public or private institution, education level, location, learning materials, uniform, transport, and boarding. The reviewed primary material contains no uniform national fee table for end consumers. For communication, 86.7% of households had a mobile device, while internet access was 2.3% according to ECAM5 2022. Prepaid data and voice tariffs are volatile; the device, electricity supply, and network availability belong in the budget as separate items. For USSD inquiries, the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART) lists, among others, Orange #145*2#, MTN *123*4*2#, *147#, and *157#, Viettel *865#, and CAMTEL through the current applicable tariff. Leisure and cultural spending depends on provider, event, city, and season and should be planned only after basic costs. Formal connections typically require a contract, meter, billing, and payment. Complaints and information requests should be directed to CAMWATER, Eneo, or ART depending on the service. Wells, public standpipes, informal transport services, and other non-formal solutions may be practically relevant, but they do not have the same legal force, quality assurance, or price stability as formal services. The budget should therefore show fixed, variable, regular, and irregular costs separately and document the assumptions for location, season, and household size.