Cost of living comparison

compared to

Central African Republic vs. United States Cost of Living Summary

Central African Republic is 37.5% more expensive than United States overall.

Restaurants: pay 11.2% less in Central African Republic
Groceries: pay 69.5% more in Central African Republic
Transportation: pay 3.0 times more in Central African Republic
Housing: pay 19.8% less in Central African Republic
Entertainment and Sports: pay 47.0% less in Central African Republic

The cost of transportation and groceries in Central African Republic are more expensive than in United States. Expenses including entertainment and sports, housing, and restaurants are lower in Central African Republic. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Central African Republic.

Central African Republic vs. United States Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Central African Republic instead of United States, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 11.2% less for restaurants

	United States	Central African Republic
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$19.45	??
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$11.12	??
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.56	??
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.00	$1.78 FCFA1,003	-11.2%
Average			-11.2%

United States vs. Central African Republic - Cost of restaurants

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pay 69.5% more for groceries

	United States	Central African Republic
Bread 1 loaf	$3.56	$4.45 FCFA2,508	+25.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.50	$4.45 FCFA2,508	-31.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$3.97	$20.22 FCFA11,391	+409.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.27	$5.34 FCFA3,009	+25.1%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$5.41	$4.04 FCFA2,275	-25.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.37	??
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.78	??
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.04	$3.23 FCFA1,820	+58.7%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$2.21	$2.42 FCFA1,365	+9.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.34	$2.02 FCFA1,137	+50.2%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.38	$2.83 FCFA1,592	+104.2%
Average			+69.5%

United States vs. Central African Republic - Cost of groceries

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pay 3.0 times more for transportation

	United States	Central African Republic
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.41	$10.11 FCFA5,696	+196.1%
Monthly public transit pass	$65.85	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$32,336.38	??
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$17.61	??
Average			+196.1%

United States vs. Central African Republic - Cost of transportation

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pay 19.8% less for housing

	United States	Central African Republic
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$68.97	??
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,664.59	$1,335.44 FCFA752,312	-19.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,416.15	??
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$150.19	??
Average			-19.8%

United States vs. Central African Republic - Cost of housing

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pay (unknown) more for childcare

	United States	Central African Republic
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,387.27	??
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$23,196.46	??

United States vs. Central African Republic - Cost of childcare

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pay 47.0% less for entertainment and sports

	United States	Central African Republic
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$5.84	$3.56 FCFA2,006	-39.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$5.15	??
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$9.90	$4.45 FCFA2,508	-55.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$51.45	??
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.64	??
Average			-47.0%

United States vs. Central African Republic - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay (unknown) more for clothing

	United States	Central African Republic
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$51.08	??
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$41.81	??
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$87.56	??
Men's business shoes (leather)	$112.04	??

United States vs. Central African Republic - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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