Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Cameroon Property Pack
Everything you need to know before buying real estate is included in our Cameroon Property Pack
Buying property in Cameroon as a foreigner comes with costs that can catch you off guard if you don't plan ahead.
Registration duties alone can reach 10% of the purchase price in Cameroon, which is higher than many other African markets.
We constantly update this blog post so you always have the freshest information on Cameroon property costs in 2026.
And if you're planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in Cameroon.
Overall, how much extra should I budget on top of the purchase price in Cameroon in 2026?
How much are total buyer closing costs in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, total buyer closing costs in Cameroon typically range from 13% to 17% of the purchase price, which means on a 50 million XAF property (around 83,000 USD or 77,000 EUR) you should budget an extra 6.5 to 8.5 million XAF.
The minimum extra budget possible for closing costs in Cameroon is around 9% of the purchase price (roughly 4.5 million XAF, 7,500 USD, or 6,900 EUR on that same property), but this only works if you buy land rather than a built home and avoid optional services.
The maximum extra budget buyers should realistically plan for in Cameroon can reach 18% to 25% of the purchase price (9 to 12.5 million XAF, 15,000 to 21,000 USD, or 14,000 to 19,000 EUR), especially when you add agent fees, mortgage setup costs, and VAT on new builds.
What determines whether your closing costs in Cameroon fall at the low or high end depends on four main factors: whether you're buying built property (10% duty) versus land (5% duty), your property's price bracket affecting notary fees, whether you hire an agent, and whether you buy new construction with potential VAT exposure.
What's the usual total % of fees and taxes over the purchase price in Cameroon?
The usual total percentage of fees and taxes over the purchase price in Cameroon is around 13% to 17% for most residential property transactions in cities like Douala and Yaoundé.
This range can stretch from a low of about 9% (for simple land purchases with minimal services) to a high of 25% (for complex transactions with agents, mortgages, and VAT on new builds) depending on your specific situation in Cameroon.
Of that total percentage in Cameroon, government taxes and duties typically represent the largest share at 10% to 12% of the price, while professional service fees like notary emoluments and legal checks add another 3% to 5%.
By the way, you will find much more detailed data in our property pack covering the real estate market in Cameroon.
What costs are always mandatory when buying in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, the mandatory costs when buying property in Cameroon include registration and transfer duties (5% to 10% depending on property type), notary emoluments (1.5% to 4%), title and land formality fees (around 2%), and small administrative stamps and filing fees.
Optional but highly recommended costs for buyers in Cameroon include independent lawyer due diligence (separate from the notary) to verify title chains and liens, a property survey to confirm boundaries, a professional valuation, and certified translation services if you are not comfortable with French legal documents.
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What taxes do I pay when buying a property in Cameroon in 2026?
What is the property transfer tax rate in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, the property transfer tax rate in Cameroon (called registration duty or droits d'enregistrement) is 10% for most built residential properties in urban areas, while land and some rural properties benefit from a reduced 5% rate.
There are no extra transfer taxes specifically targeting foreigners buying property in Cameroon, as the tax code defines rates based on property type and location rather than buyer nationality.
Buyers in Cameroon may pay VAT (19.25%) on residential property purchases when buying new-build homes directly from developers, but resale transactions between individuals are typically handled through registration duties rather than VAT.
Stamp duty in Cameroon is paid at the time of signing and registration, usually through the notary who collects and remits these small fixed fees as part of the overall transaction process.
Are there tax exemptions or reduced rates for first-time buyers in Cameroon?
There is no simple first-time buyer tax exemption or reduced rate available in Cameroon, so you should budget for the full registration duty (5% or 10%) regardless of whether this is your first property purchase.
If you buy property through a company in Cameroon instead of as an individual, your ongoing tax obligations change significantly, including corporate compliance requirements and different treatment of rental income withholding and property income taxation.
There is a meaningful tax difference between new-build and resale properties in Cameroon: new construction from developers may include VAT (19.25%) in addition to or instead of registration duties, while resale transactions are typically dominated by the standard registration duty rates.
Since Cameroon does not offer a standard first-time buyer exemption, there is no specific documentation to prepare for such a benefit, but you should always have your taxpayer identification card and complete property documents ready to avoid delays.
We did some research and made this infographic to help you quickly compare rental yields of the major cities in Cameroon versus those in neighboring countries. It provides a clear view of how this country positions itself as a real estate investment destination, which might interest you if you’re planning to invest there.
Which professional fees will I pay as a buyer in Cameroon in 2026?
How much does a notary or conveyancing lawyer cost in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, notary fees in Cameroon typically range from 1.5% to 4% of the purchase price, so on a 50 million XAF property you might pay between 750,000 XAF and 2 million XAF (1,250 to 3,300 USD, or 1,150 to 3,100 EUR) for notary emoluments alone.
Notary fees in Cameroon are charged as a percentage of the property price using tiered brackets, meaning higher-value properties may benefit from lower percentage rates on the portion above certain thresholds.
Translation and interpreter services for foreign buyers in Cameroon typically cost between 50,000 and 250,000 XAF (85 to 420 USD, or 77 to 385 EUR) depending on the number of documents and urgency of your transaction.
A tax advisor is not mandatory in Cameroon but is helpful if you plan to rent out the property or buy through a company, with typical advisory fees ranging from 150,000 to 600,000 XAF (250 to 1,000 USD, or 230 to 920 EUR) for a one-time consultation.
We have a whole part dedicated to these topics in our our real estate pack about Cameroon.
What's the typical real estate agent fee in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, real estate agent fees in Cameroon typically range from 3% to 10% of the purchase price, which on a 50 million XAF property means you could pay between 1.5 million and 5 million XAF (2,500 to 8,300 USD, or 2,300 to 7,700 EUR) in commission.
In Cameroon, the agent fee can be paid by the buyer, the seller, or split between both parties, so you should clarify this in your offer contract and budget conservatively for 0% to 5% as a buyer unless stated otherwise.
The realistic low-to-high range for agent fees in Cameroon runs from about 3% for simple transactions with established agents to 10% for complex deals or when you hire a dedicated buyer's finder or broker.
How much do legal checks cost (title, liens, permits) in Cameroon?
Legal checks including title search, liens verification, and permits review in Cameroon typically cost between 200,000 and 1,000,000 XAF (330 to 1,700 USD, or 310 to 1,540 EUR) depending on property complexity and whether you hire a law firm for deeper verification beyond standard notary services.
Property valuation fees in Cameroon range from 100,000 to 400,000 XAF (170 to 670 USD, or 155 to 615 EUR) for basic assessments in major cities, with higher costs for unusual properties or locations far from urban centers.
The most critical legal check you should never skip in Cameroon is independent title verification, because "paper looking fine" can still hide disputes, boundary issues, or liens that only a thorough due diligence process will uncover.
Buying a property with hidden issues is something we mention in our list of risks and pitfalls people face when buying real estate in Cameroon.
Get the full checklist for your due diligence in Cameroon
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What hidden or surprise costs should I watch for in Cameroon right now?
What are the most common unexpected fees buyers discover in Cameroon?
The most common unexpected fees buyers discover in Cameroon include category surprises that change your duty rate from 5% to 10%, extra administrative steps when documentation is incomplete, cash-transaction penalties on capital gains (10% instead of 5%), and additional document procurement costs.
Yes, you can inherit unpaid property taxes or local dues when purchasing in Cameroon, which is why you should require tax clearance certificates and recent payment receipts as conditions before completing your transaction.
Buyers do get scammed in Cameroon with fake reservation fees, fake owners, or properties with disputed titles, and the best protection is to pay through formal channels, verify identity and title independently, and keep all funds moving via notary or bank trails.
Fees that are usually not disclosed upfront in Cameroon include notary filing stamps, extra document procurement costs, certified translation charges, power of attorney notarization fees, and additional due diligence costs when the title history is messy.
In our property pack covering the property buying process in Cameroon, we go into details so you can avoid these pitfalls.
Are there extra fees if the property has a tenant in Cameroon?
Extra fees when buying a tenanted property in Cameroon typically range from 100,000 to 500,000 XAF (170 to 830 USD, or 155 to 770 EUR) to cover legal review of the lease, settlement of deposit and advance rent handling, and formal notice or attestation work.
When you purchase a tenanted property in Cameroon, you inherit the legal obligations of the existing lease agreement, including respecting the tenant's rights under that contract and managing the security deposit properly.
Terminating an existing lease immediately after purchase in Cameroon is generally not possible unless the lease has specific break clauses, the term is ending, or you can negotiate a mutual agreement with the tenant.
A sitting tenant in Cameroon typically affects the property's market value and negotiating position by potentially lowering the price for investors seeking rental income while reducing appeal for buyers who want to occupy the property themselves.
If you want to optimize your rental strategy, you can read our complete guide on how to buy and rent out in Cameroon.
We have made this infographic to give you a quick and clear snapshot of the property market in Cameroon. It highlights key facts like rental prices, yields, and property costs both in city centers and outside, so you can easily compare opportunities. We’ve done some research and also included useful insights about the country’s economy, like GDP, population, and interest rates, to help you understand the bigger picture.
Which fees are negotiable, and who really pays what in Cameroon?
Which closing costs are negotiable in Cameroon right now?
The negotiable closing costs in Cameroon include agent commission (the most flexible), who pays for translations and extra due diligence services, and sometimes notary emoluments can be discussed at the margin depending on your situation.
Closing costs that are fixed by law and cannot be negotiated in Cameroon include the statutory registration and transfer duties (5% or 10% depending on property type), which come directly from the General Tax Code.
On negotiable fees in Cameroon, buyers can typically achieve reductions of 1% to 3% on agent commissions and modest savings on administrative handling charges, but don't expect dramatic cuts on professional service fees.
Can I ask the seller to cover some closing costs in Cameroon?
The likelihood of a seller agreeing to cover some closing costs in Cameroon depends heavily on market conditions and the seller's motivation, but it's a reasonable negotiation request in a buyer's market or when the property has been listed for a long time.
Sellers in Cameroon are most commonly willing to cover costs for curing documentation gaps, providing tax clearance proof at their expense, and sometimes paying the full agent commission if it helps close the deal faster.
Sellers in Cameroon are more likely to accept covering closing costs when the property has been on the market for months, when they need to sell quickly, or when there are documentation issues that only they can resolve.
Is price bargaining common in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, price bargaining is very common in Cameroon real estate transactions, especially for individual-to-individual deals where listing prices often include room for negotiation.
Buyers in Cameroon typically negotiate 5% to 15% below the asking price (2.5 to 7.5 million XAF, 4,200 to 12,500 USD, or 3,850 to 11,500 EUR on a 50 million XAF property), though prime properties with clean titles and high demand may only see discounts of 0% to 5%.
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What monthly, quarterly or annual costs will I pay as an owner in Cameroon?
What's the realistic monthly owner budget in Cameroon right now?
A realistic monthly owner budget in Cameroon ranges from 50,000 to 350,000 XAF (85 to 580 USD, or 77 to 540 EUR) depending on your property type and level of services, not including any mortgage payments.
The main recurring expense categories that make up this monthly budget in Cameroon include building or compound security contributions, maintenance and repairs, utilities like electricity and water, possible generator costs, and insurance if available.
Monthly owner costs in Cameroon can range from a low of 50,000 to 150,000 XAF (85 to 250 USD) for a simple apartment with limited services, to a high of 350,000 XAF or more (580+ USD) for a villa with security, generator, and staff.
The monthly cost that tends to vary the most in Cameroon is electricity and generator fuel, because power supply can be inconsistent and running a backup generator significantly increases your monthly expenses.
You can see how this budget affect your gross and rental yields in Cameroon here.
What is the annual property tax amount in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, annual property tax in Cameroon is approximately 0.1% of the assessed property value, so a property assessed at 50 million XAF would owe roughly 50,000 XAF per year (around 85 USD or 77 EUR).
The realistic low-to-high range for annual property taxes in Cameroon depends on assessed value, but for typical residential properties you might pay anywhere from 30,000 to 200,000 XAF (50 to 330 USD, or 46 to 310 EUR) per year.
Property tax in Cameroon is calculated based on the assessed value of the property, which may differ from your purchase price and is determined by tax authorities rather than market prices.
Exemptions or reductions on property tax in Cameroon may exist for specific cases, but you should have your notary confirm whether any exemption articles apply to your particular situation before counting on reduced rates.
We created this infographic to give you a simple idea of how much it costs to buy property in different parts of Cameroon. As you can see, it breaks down price ranges and property types for popular cities in the country. We hope this makes it easier to explore your options and understand the market.
If I rent it out, what extra taxes and fees apply in Cameroon in 2026?
What tax rate applies to rental income in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, rental income tax in Cameroon ranges from about 11% to 15% depending on how the tax is collected, with a 10% discharge rate plus 10% council centimes (effectively 11%) for self-declared income, or 15% withholding when rent is paid by certain companies or public entities.
Landlords in Cameroon can deduct expenses from rental income taxes by choosing either a fixed 30% allowance on gross rent or actual documented costs, whichever method results in lower taxable income.
The realistic effective tax rate range after deductions for typical landlords in Cameroon is around 7% to 11% of gross rental income, depending on whether you use the standard 30% deduction or have higher actual expenses to document.
Foreign property owners in Cameroon follow the same rental income tax framework as residents, with rates determined by the collection mechanism (withholding versus self-declaration) rather than by nationality.
Do I pay tax on short-term rentals in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, short-term rentals in Cameroon are subject to the same rental income tax framework as long-term rentals (11% to 15%), but may also trigger VAT questions if your operation looks more like hospitality services than a standard lease.
Short-term rental income in Cameroon is not taxed differently than long-term rental income under the basic property income rules, but if you operate Airbnb-style with additional services, you should get professional advice because VAT (19.25%) might apply to certain elements.
If you want to optimize your rental strategy, you can read our complete guide on how to buy and rent out in Cameroon.
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If I sell later, what taxes and fees will I pay in Cameroon in 2026?
What's the total cost of selling as a % of price in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, the total cost of selling property in Cameroon typically ranges from 8% to 15% of the sale price, combining agent commission and capital gains levy.
The realistic low-to-high percentage range for total selling costs in Cameroon runs from about 8% (5% capital gains levy plus minimal agent involvement) to 20% or more (10% cash-transaction levy plus high agent commission).
The specific cost categories that make up the total selling expense in Cameroon include agent commission (3% to 10%), capital gains levy (5% or 10%), and any legal or documentation fees for preparing the sale.
The single cost that is usually the largest contributor to selling expenses in Cameroon is either the capital gains levy (5% to 10%) or the agent commission (3% to 10%), depending on whether you use an agent and how you structure the payment.
What capital gains tax applies when selling in Cameroon in 2026?
As of early 2026, the capital gains tax rate when selling property in Cameroon is 5% of the gain, but this rate doubles to 10% if the transaction is conducted in cash rather than through banking channels.
Exemptions to capital gains tax in Cameroon may exist for specific cases, but you should have your notary point you to the exact exemption article that applies to your situation rather than assuming any blanket exemption.
Foreigners selling property in Cameroon pay the same capital gains levy rates as residents, since the tax code ties the rate to the transaction method (cash versus non-cash) rather than the seller's nationality.
Capital gain in Cameroon is generally calculated as the sale price minus the purchase price, with the levy paid alongside registration duties through the notary at the time of sale.
We made this infographic to show you how property prices in Cameroon compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our property pack about Cameroon, we always rely on the strongest methodology we can ... and we don't throw out numbers at random.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why it's authoritative | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| Cameroon General Tax Code (CGI 2024) | It's the official consolidated tax code from Cameroon's tax authority. | We used it to extract legal tax rates for registration duties, transfer taxes, capital gains levies, and rental income taxation. We translated these statutory rates into practical budget ranges for buyers in early 2026. |
| Cameroon DGI English Tax Code (2023) | It's an official DGI publication providing English terminology. | We used it to cross-check how Cameroon describes property income taxation and rental withholding in English. We used it as a consistency check against the 2024 CGI PDF. |
| World Bank Doing Business - Cameroon | It's a widely used benchmark with transparent methodology. | We used it to verify real-world transaction cost components in Cameroon. We used it as a sanity check against CGI rates and local administrative steps. |
| eRegulations Yaoundé | It's a World Bank initiative documenting administrative procedures. | We used it to understand notary emolument tiers and common administrative fees buyers pay through notaries. We used it to show how costs differ by property price bands in Cameroon. |
| PwC Tax Summaries - Cameroon Corporate | It's maintained by a major global tax firm with regular reviews. | We used it to cross-check annual property tax treatment and indicative rates. We used it to translate ongoing ownership costs into simple annual budget lines. |
| PwC Tax Summaries - Cameroon Individual | It's an established, professionally curated summary of local tax rules. | We used it to understand how rental income and property income are treated for individuals. We used it as secondary confirmation alongside the CGI text. |
| Cameroon Ministry of Finance - VAT Guide | It's the Ministry's official explanation of VAT scope and rates. | We used it to anchor the standard VAT rate (19.25%) and confirm when VAT applies to real estate transactions. We explained when buyers are more likely to encounter VAT in Cameroon. |
| Business in Cameroon | It's a well-known national business outlet with specific 2026 policy reporting. | We used it to flag 2026-specific changes to social housing VAT treatment. We treat it as a policy signal while anchoring core VAT rates in official MINFI guidance. |
| Cameroon MINFI - 2025 Finance Law | It's the Ministry's official repository for finance law documents. | We used it to confirm that Cameroon's finance laws are published through MINFI channels. We use it as a pointer for readers who want primary texts behind 2026 rule changes. |
| Cameroon DGI - 2025 Finance Law Page | It's the tax authority's own publication channel for tax updates. | We used it to verify that finance law updates relevant in early 2026 are distributed via DGI. We use it as a reference for readers to verify information before signing. |
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