Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Cameroon Property Pack
Yes, the analysis of Douala's property market is included in our pack
Douala is Cameroon's economic capital and the busiest port city in Central Africa, which creates strong and steady demand for rental apartments.
Whether you're eyeing a corporate-ready unit in Bonapriso or a middle-market apartment in Bonamoussadi, understanding realistic rental yields is essential before you invest.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know about rental returns, tenant budgets, and neighborhood performance in Douala's apartment market.
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 Douala.
What rental yields can I realistically get from an apartment in Douala?
What's the average gross rental yield for apartments in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the average gross rental yield for apartments in Douala sits between 8% and 12%, which is notably higher than what you would find in many European or North American markets.
The realistic range that covers most apartment investments in Douala goes from around 7% in premium expat neighborhoods like Bonapriso to as high as 14% in more affordable outer areas like Logpom or Yassa.
The main factor that causes gross rental yields to vary so much in Douala is whether your apartment has reliable power backup and water storage, because tenants in this city will pay significantly more (and move in faster) for units that protect them from the frequent utility interruptions that affect daily life.
Compared to other major cities in Cameroon, Douala typically offers stronger gross yields than Yaoundé because the port-driven economy creates deeper corporate and professional tenant demand, though purchase prices in prime Douala neighborhoods have also risen faster.
What's the average net rental yield for apartments in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the average net rental yield for apartments in Douala falls between 5% and 7%, dropping to around 4% to 6% if you use a property management company and face the full tax burden.
Most apartment investors in Douala can realistically expect net yields in the 5% to 6.5% range once they account for vacancy, maintenance, service charges, and taxes.
The single biggest expense that reduces gross yield to net yield in Douala is the 15% withholding tax on rental income that applies when your tenant is a formal company, public administration, or certain structured entities, which is common if you target the corporate rental market.
By the way, you will find much more detailed data in our property pack covering the real estate market in Douala.
What's the typical rent-to-price ratio for apartments in Douala in 2026?
As of early 2026, the typical rent-to-price ratio for apartments in Douala ranges from 0.7% to 1.0% per month, which translates to the 8% to 12% annual gross yields mentioned above.
The realistic range that covers most apartment transactions in Douala sees monthly rent sitting between 0.6% of purchase price in premium neighborhoods and up to 1.2% in more affordable areas with higher tenant turnover risk.
Apartments in middle-class neighborhoods like Bonamoussadi, Makepe, and Kotto tend to have the highest rent-to-price ratios in Douala because purchase prices remain moderate while strong local demand keeps rents competitive.
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How much rent can I charge for an apartment in Douala?
What's the typical tenant budget range for apartments in Douala right now?
The typical monthly tenant budget for renting an apartment in Douala in early 2026 ranges from about 60,000 FCFA (around 100 USD or 90 EUR) for basic units to over 1,500,000 FCFA (roughly 2,500 USD or 2,300 EUR) for top-tier furnished apartments.
Tenants targeting mid-range apartments in Douala typically budget between 150,000 and 350,000 FCFA per month (about 250 to 580 USD, or 230 to 530 EUR), which gets them a decent 1- to 2-bedroom unit in neighborhoods like Bonamoussadi or Makepe.
For high-end or luxury apartments in Douala, tenants in the corporate and expat segment usually budget between 350,000 and 1,500,000 FCFA per month (approximately 580 to 2,500 USD, or 530 to 2,300 EUR), especially for furnished units with generator backup and security in Bonapriso, Bonanjo, or Akwa.
We have a blog article where we update the latest data about rents in Douala here.
What's the average monthly rent for a 1-bed apartment in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the average monthly rent for a 1-bed apartment in Douala ranges from about 120,000 to 220,000 FCFA (200 to 370 USD, or 180 to 335 EUR) for unfurnished units, and from 250,000 to 700,000 FCFA (420 to 1,170 USD, or 380 to 1,070 EUR) for furnished corporate-style apartments.
At the entry level, you can find a decent 1-bed in Douala for around 100,000 to 150,000 FCFA per month (165 to 250 USD, or 150 to 230 EUR), which typically means an older building in areas like Deido or Bali with basic finishes and no power backup.
A mid-range 1-bed apartment in Douala goes for about 150,000 to 250,000 FCFA per month (250 to 420 USD, or 230 to 380 EUR), and at this price you usually get a unit in Bonamoussadi or Makepe with decent security, tiled floors, and reasonable road access.
At the high end, a luxury 1-bed in Douala costs between 400,000 and 700,000 FCFA per month (670 to 1,170 USD, or 610 to 1,070 EUR), which gets you a fully furnished apartment in Bonapriso or Bonanjo with reliable generator backup, water storage, air conditioning, and building security.
What's the average monthly rent for a 2-bed apartment in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the average monthly rent for a 2-bed apartment in Douala ranges from about 180,000 to 320,000 FCFA (300 to 530 USD, or 275 to 490 EUR) for unfurnished units, and from 350,000 to 900,000 FCFA (580 to 1,500 USD, or 530 to 1,370 EUR) for furnished corporate-ready apartments.
At the entry level, a decent 2-bed in Douala goes for around 150,000 to 200,000 FCFA per month (250 to 330 USD, or 230 to 305 EUR), which typically means an apartment in areas like Logpom or the PK corridors with basic finishes and possibly inconsistent water supply.
A mid-range 2-bed apartment in Douala costs about 220,000 to 350,000 FCFA per month (370 to 580 USD, or 335 to 530 EUR), and at this level you get a well-maintained unit in Kotto or Makepe with good security, decent plumbing, and proximity to main roads.
At the high end, a luxury 2-bed in Douala rents for between 500,000 and 900,000 FCFA per month (830 to 1,500 USD, or 760 to 1,370 EUR), and a concrete example is a furnished 2-bed in Bonapriso listed at around 700,000 FCFA with full corporate amenities.
What's the average monthly rent for a 3-bed apartment in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the average monthly rent for a 3-bed apartment in Douala ranges from about 250,000 to 450,000 FCFA (420 to 750 USD, or 380 to 685 EUR) for unfurnished family units, and from 500,000 to 1,700,000 FCFA (830 to 2,830 USD, or 760 to 2,590 EUR) for furnished executive apartments.
At the entry level, a decent 3-bed in Douala goes for around 220,000 to 300,000 FCFA per month (370 to 500 USD, or 335 to 460 EUR), which typically means an older building in areas like Deido or Bali with basic finishes and minimal building amenities.
A mid-range 3-bed apartment in Douala costs about 350,000 to 500,000 FCFA per month (580 to 830 USD, or 530 to 760 EUR), and at this price you get a family-sized unit in Bonamoussadi or Kotto with secure parking, reliable water, and decent road access.
At the high end, a luxury 3-bed in Douala rents for between 700,000 and 1,700,000 FCFA per month (1,170 to 2,830 USD, or 1,070 to 2,590 EUR), which gets you an executive-standard apartment in Bonapriso or Bonanjo with full furniture, generator, guards, and water storage.
How fast do well-priced apartments get rented in Douala?
A well-priced apartment in Douala typically rents within 1 to 6 weeks depending on the segment, with prime furnished units often finding tenants in just 1 to 3 weeks and standard middle-market apartments taking 3 to 6 weeks.
The typical vacancy rate for apartments in Douala runs around 1 month per year (roughly 8%) for well-located and well-maintained units, though overpriced or poorly equipped apartments can sit empty for 2 to 3 months or more.
The main factors that cause some apartments to rent faster than others in Douala are power backup (generator or inverter), water storage with a pump, and flood-resistant road access during rainy season, because tenants have learned to prioritize these practical features over cosmetic upgrades.
And if you want to know what should be the right price, check our latest update on how much an apartment should cost in Douala.
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 apartment type gives the best yield in Douala?
Which is better for yield between studios, 1-bed, 2-bed and 3-bed apartments in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, 1-bed and compact 2-bed apartments typically offer the best rental yields in Douala because they hit the sweet spot between strong tenant demand and moderate purchase prices.
The typical gross rental yield ranges by apartment type in Douala are roughly 8% to 11% for studios (when available), 9% to 12% for 1-beds, 9% to 13% for compact 2-beds, and 7% to 10% for larger 3-beds.
The main reason 1-beds and compact 2-beds outperform in Douala is that the city has a large population of young professionals, corporate juniors, couples, and small families who need affordable but decent housing, and these unit types match their budgets while keeping your purchase cost reasonable.
Which features are best if you want a good yield for your apartment in Douala?
The top features that most positively impact rental yield for apartments in Douala are reliable power backup (generator or inverter with proper wiring), water tank with pump, building security with guards, and flood-free road access, because these address the daily frustrations that drive tenant decisions in this city.
Middle and upper floors tend to rent more easily in Douala because they offer better ventilation, fewer mosquitoes, and reduced noise from the street, though ground-floor units with secure parking can also do well for tenants with vehicles.
Apartments with balconies or outdoor space do command slightly higher rents in Douala, but the premium is modest compared to the impact of power and water reliability, so investors should prioritize utilities over outdoor features when renovating.
Building amenities like elevators, concierge services, and dedicated parking can justify higher rents in Douala's premium neighborhoods like Bonapriso and Bonanjo, but only if the building actually maintains these features properly, since broken elevators or absent guards quickly become a liability rather than a selling point.
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Which neighborhoods give the best rental demand for apartments in Douala?
Which neighborhoods have the highest rental demand for apartments in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the neighborhoods with the highest rental demand for apartments in Douala are Akwa, Bonapriso, Bonanjo, Bonamoussadi, Makepe, Kotto, and Deido, each attracting different tenant profiles from corporate expats to middle-class families.
The main demand driver that makes these Douala neighborhoods attractive is their proximity to employment centers, with Akwa drawing commerce workers, Bonanjo pulling administrative and business tenants, and Bonamoussadi attracting professionals who want a balance of accessibility and neighborhood livability.
The typical vacancy rate in these high-demand Douala neighborhoods runs lower than the city average, with well-priced units often renting within 2 to 4 weeks compared to 6 weeks or more in less sought-after areas.
One emerging neighborhood gaining rental demand momentum in Douala is Logbessou, which offers newer construction at more affordable prices and benefits from improving road infrastructure connecting it to central employment zones.
By the way, we've written a blog article detailing what are the current best areas to invest in property in Douala.
Which neighborhoods have the highest yields for apartments in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the neighborhoods with the highest rental yields for apartments in Douala are Bonamoussadi, Makepe, and Kotto, with emerging yield potential also found in Logpom, Yassa, and the PK corridors.
The typical gross rental yield range in these top-yielding Douala neighborhoods runs from about 9% to 13%, compared to 7% to 10% in premium areas like Bonapriso where higher purchase prices compress returns.
The main reason these neighborhoods offer higher yields than others in Douala is that purchase prices remain accessible relative to the strong local demand from middle-class tenants, creating a favorable rent-to-price ratio that prime neighborhoods cannot match.
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.
Should I do long-term rental or short-term rental in Douala?
Is short-term rental legal for apartments in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, short-term rental operates in Douala in practice and is not explicitly banned, but you should assume you must comply with general tourism and accommodation regulations plus standard tax obligations on rental income.
The main legal requirements for operating a short-term rental apartment in Douala include registering your rental income with the tax authority and following the tourism and leisure framework that governs accommodation businesses in Cameroon.
While there is no single "Airbnb law" in Cameroon, the government has formal structures for tourism accommodation licensing, so investors targeting corporate short stays often operate as furnished accommodation providers to maintain a clearer legal and tax posture.
By the way, we also have a blog article detailing whether owning an Airbnb rental is profitable in Douala.
What's the gross yield difference short-term vs long-term in Douala in 2026?
As of early 2026, short-term rentals in Douala can potentially beat long-term rentals by 2 to 6 percentage points on gross yield, but this advantage depends heavily on maintaining decent occupancy and managing higher operating costs.
The typical gross yield range for short-term rentals in Douala is about 10% to 16% for well-run furnished units targeting corporate travelers, compared to 8% to 12% for standard long-term rentals.
The main additional costs that reduce the net yield advantage of short-term rentals in Douala are cleaning between guests, platform fees (around 3% to 15% depending on the platform), marketing, utilities you cover as the host, and potentially higher maintenance from frequent turnover.
A short-term rental in Douala typically needs to achieve at least 40% to 50% occupancy to outperform a long-term rental on net yield, which is achievable in corporate-friendly locations like Akwa, Bonapriso, and Bonanjo but harder in residential-only neighborhoods.
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What costs will eat into my net yield for an apartment in Douala?
What are building service charges as a % of rent in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, typical building service charges (common charges) for apartments in Douala run about 5% to 15% of monthly rent, which translates to roughly 10,000 to 50,000 FCFA per month (15 to 85 USD, or 15 to 75 EUR) depending on the building.
The realistic range of building service charges in Douala goes from minimal or zero in older buildings with no shared amenities, up to 15% or more of rent equivalent in well-maintained buildings with guards, generator for common areas, and water storage.
The services that typically justify higher-than-average service charges in Douala are shared generator fuel and maintenance, water tank and pump systems, and 24-hour security guards, because these directly protect tenants from the utility interruptions and security concerns that define daily life in the city.
What annual maintenance budget should I assume for an apartment in Douala right now?
A typical annual maintenance budget for an apartment in Douala in early 2026 is about 5% to 10% of annual rent, which works out to roughly 100,000 to 300,000 FCFA per year (165 to 500 USD, or 150 to 460 EUR) for a mid-market unit.
The realistic range of annual maintenance costs in Douala depends on apartment age and condition, going from around 5% of rent for newer well-built units up to 15% or more for older buildings or apartments with power backup equipment that needs regular servicing.
The most common maintenance expenses apartment owners face annually in Douala are plumbing repairs (especially water pump and tank maintenance), electrical work (inverter or generator servicing), repainting between tenants, and air conditioning upkeep, because the climate and utility infrastructure put heavy stress on these systems.
What property taxes should I expect for an apartment in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the annual property tax rate for apartments in Douala is 0.1% of the property's assessed value, which makes it a relatively small cost compared to vacancy or maintenance in your net yield calculation.
The realistic range of property taxes in Douala depends on your apartment's value and official assessment, but for a typical 30 to 60 million FCFA property (50,000 to 100,000 USD), you would pay roughly 30,000 to 60,000 FCFA per year (50 to 100 USD, or 45 to 90 EUR).
Property taxes for apartments in Douala are calculated based on the fiscal value of the property as assessed by the tax administration, with the 0.1% rate applied uniformly to residential real estate.
There are some exemptions and reductions available for property owners in Cameroon, including potential relief for certain social housing categories, though most standard apartment investors will pay the full rate.
If you want to go into more details, we also have a blog article detailing all the property taxes and fees in Douala.
How much does landlord insurance cost for an apartment in Douala in 2026?
As of early 2026, typical annual landlord insurance for an apartment in Douala costs roughly 0.5% to 1.5% of annual rent or insured value, which works out to about 50,000 to 200,000 FCFA per year (85 to 330 USD, or 75 to 305 EUR) depending on coverage.
The realistic range of annual landlord insurance costs in Douala depends on the coverage level (basic fire and theft versus comprehensive multi-risk) and the property's value, with premium policies for high-value apartments in Bonapriso costing more than basic coverage for mid-market units.
What's the typical property management fee for apartments in Douala as of 2026?
As of early 2026, the typical property management fee for apartments in Douala runs about 7% to 10% of rent collected, which means if you collect 200,000 FCFA per month (330 USD, 305 EUR), you would pay roughly 14,000 to 20,000 FCFA (23 to 33 USD, or 21 to 30 EUR) to your manager.
The realistic range of property management fees in Douala goes from around 7% for basic rent collection and tenant coordination up to 12% or more for full-service management including repairs coordination and regular property inspections.
Services typically included in standard property management fees in Douala are tenant finding, rent collection, basic coordination with tenants for maintenance issues, and periodic reporting to the owner, though hands-on repairs and major renovations are usually billed separately.
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 Douala, 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 (DGT) | It's the government's official consolidated tax law text. | We used it to pin down property tax rates and rental income withholding rules. We also used it to anchor net yield calculations with statutory tax obligations. |
| DGI Rental Income Explainer | It's the tax authority's plain-language guidance on property income. | We used it to confirm how rental income is defined and taxed in practice. We cross-checked it against the legal code to avoid misinterpretation. |
| Koutchoumi (Douala listings) | It's a large local classifieds platform with many visible Douala listings. | We used it to estimate real asking rents by unit size and neighborhood. We also used it to define tenant budget bands from the distribution of asking rents. |
| Locanto (Douala apartment sales) | It publishes an average price per square meter for apartment sales in Douala. | We used it as a price benchmark to convert rents into gross yield estimates. We only relied on it after cross-checking against other listing platforms. |
| Cari Africa Immo | It aggregates many sale listings and often includes surface area data. | We used it to cross-check the order of magnitude of prices versus other sources. We used it to make sure our price-per-square-meter range was not anchored on one site. |
| AirDNA (Douala STR data) | It's a specialized short-term rental analytics provider with defined methodology. | We used it to estimate Douala's STR occupancy, daily rates, and monthly revenue. We converted this data into comparable gross yield estimates versus long-term rental. |
| Airbnb Douala | It's the primary marketplace showing active STR supply in Douala. | We used it to verify what short-term rental actually looks like on the ground. We confirmed that Douala has meaningful STR supply in early 2026. |
| National Assembly (Tourism Law) | It's a primary legal text from an official institution. | We used it to frame the legal backdrop for tourist accommodation activity. We referenced it when discussing whether short-term rental is legal in Cameroon. |
| Presidency Decree (Tourism 2021) | It's published on the Presidency's official site. | We used it to confirm that tourism and leisure are governed through formal structures. We referenced it to support a cautious compliance approach for STR. |
| Ministry of Housing (MINHDU) | It's an official ministry page on housing affordability. | We used it to ground tenant budget discussions in housing affordability reality. We used it as macro context rather than a direct rent dataset. |
| Société Générale Cameroun (Insurance) | It's a major bank's local insurance offering page. | We used it to confirm that landlord and home insurance is available locally. We referenced it to justify including insurance as a real cost line item. |
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