Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the Cameroon Property Pack
Get all the data you need about the real estate market in Yaoundé
As of June 2026, rents in Yaoundé are still affordable by regional standards, but good apartments with water, security and road access rent much faster.
We constantly update this blog post so that the rent estimates for Yaoundé in 2026 stay useful for buyers, landlords and long-term tenants.
Because official city-level rent data in Yaoundé is limited, the figures below combine public sources, market signals and our own property analysis.
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 Yaoundé.
What are typical rents in Yaoundé as of 2026?
What's the average monthly rent for a studio in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, the average monthly rent for a studio in Yaoundé is about 70,000 XAF, which is about $115 or €107 for a simple but decent long-term rental.
For most studios in Yaoundé in 2026, a realistic rent range is 45,000-120,000 XAF per month, or about $75-$200 and €69-€183.
This range is wide because studio rents in Yaoundé change quickly depending on the neighborhood, furniture, security, water reliability and access to roads or universities.
What's the average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, the average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Yaoundé is about 95,000 XAF, which is about $156 or €145 per month.
In practice, most 1-bedroom apartments in Yaoundé rent for 60,000-180,000 XAF per month, or about $98-$295 and €91-€274.
The cheapest 1-bedroom rents in Yaoundé are often found in Mimboman, Nsam, Etoug-Ebe, Nkoabang and parts of Emana, while Bastos, Golf, Dragages, Odza and Ngousso are usually more expensive.
What's the average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, the average monthly rent for a 2-bedroom apartment in Yaoundé is about 170,000 XAF, which is about $279 or €259 per month.
For most 2-bedroom apartments in Yaoundé, a realistic range is 100,000-300,000 XAF per month, or about $164-$492 and €152-€457.
Cheaper 2-bedroom rentals in Yaoundé are often found in Mimboman, Nsam, Emana and Nkoabang, while Bastos, Golf, Dragages, Odza and upper Nlongkak are usually the most expensive.
By the way, you will find much more detailed rent ranges in our property pack covering the real estate market in Yaoundé.
What's the average rent per square meter in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, the average rent per square meter in Yaoundé is about 3,000 XAF per month, which is about $4.90 or €4.60 per m² per month.
Across Yaoundé in 2026, most residential rents sit between 1,500 and 5,000 XAF per m² per month, or about $2.50-$8.20 and €2.30-€7.60.
Yaoundé is usually cheaper per square meter than Douala’s strongest business districts, but prime areas like Bastos and Golf can still feel expensive because tenants pay for security and services.
In Yaoundé, rent per square meter rises above average when an apartment has a paved-road location, parking, good water storage, a generator or inverter, modern bathrooms and strong security.
How much have rents changed year-over-year in Yaoundé in 2026?
As of 2026, average rents in Yaoundé are estimated to be up by about 5%-8% year over year in nominal terms.
The main drivers are higher living costs, population pressure, a shortage of secure formal apartments and the strong premium for water, power backup and easy road access in Yaoundé.
Compared with the previous year, rent growth in Yaoundé in 2026 looks similar or slightly stronger for good-quality units, while ordinary unfurnished rentals remain more limited by tenant incomes.
What's the outlook for rent growth in Yaoundé in 2026?
As of 2026, rent growth in Yaoundé is projected at about 4%-7% for the rest of the year, with stronger growth for well-located furnished apartments.
The key forces behind this outlook are population growth, inflation, limited formal housing supply and the steady demand for apartments near ministries, universities, hospitals and embassies.
The strongest rent growth in Yaoundé is expected in Bastos, Golf, Odza, Ngousso, Melen, Ngoa-Ekelle and selected parts of Nlongkak.
The main risk is that tenant incomes remain tight, so overpriced apartments in Yaoundé can stay empty even when the wider market looks strong.
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Which neighborhoods rent best in Yaoundé as of 2026?
Which neighborhoods have the highest rents in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, the three highest-rent neighborhoods in Yaoundé are Bastos, Golf and Bastos-Dragages, where good apartments often rent around 250,000-450,000 XAF per month, or about $410-$738 and €381-€686.
These Yaoundé neighborhoods command premium rents because they offer better security, embassy access, quieter streets, larger homes, parking and stronger demand from high-income tenants.
The typical tenants in these high-rent Yaoundé neighborhoods are diplomats, NGO workers, senior civil servants, consultants, business owners and families who can pay more for comfort and reliability.
By the way, we’ve written a blog article detailing Sources and methodology: we used Numbeo Yaoundé rents, Yaoundé neighborhood context and World Bank Cameroon Data. We ranked areas by rent levels, tenant income and location quality. We also used our own Yaoundé neighborhood scoring to avoid relying only on averages.
Where do young professionals prefer to rent in Yaoundé right now?
The top three neighborhoods for young professionals in Yaoundé are Biyem-Assi, Essos and Melen, because these areas balance rent, transport, services and access to work or study areas.
Young professionals in these Yaoundé neighborhoods usually pay 80,000-180,000 XAF per month, or about $131-$295 and €122-€274, depending on size and building quality.
These areas attract young professionals because they have transport options, shops, internet access, cafés, gyms, universities nearby and a more active daily life than quieter family districts.
By the way, you will find a detailed tenant analysis in our property pack covering the real estate market in Yaoundé.
Where do families prefer to rent in Yaoundé right now?
The top three family rental areas in Yaoundé are Odza, Biyem-Assi and Ngousso, because families often want more space, safer streets and easier access to schools and daily services.
Families in these Yaoundé neighborhoods usually pay 150,000-350,000 XAF per month for 2-3 bedroom apartments, or about $246-$574 and €229-€534.
These neighborhoods work well for families because they offer larger apartments, parking, water storage, quieter streets, schools, markets and better access to main roads.
Educational options near these family-friendly Yaoundé areas include the University of Yaoundé I zone, school clusters around Biyem-Assi and Melen, and private schools around Bastos, Odza and Ngousso.
Which areas near transit or universities rent faster in Yaoundé in 2026?
As of 2026, the fastest-renting areas near universities and transport in Yaoundé are Ngoa-Ekelle, Melen and the Soa axis, especially for small affordable units.
In these high-demand Yaoundé areas, well-priced studios and 1-bedroom apartments often stay listed for only 15-30 days before finding a tenant.
Properties within easy walking distance of universities, taxis or main roads in Yaoundé can earn a rent premium of about 10,000-30,000 XAF per month, or about $16-$49 and €15-€46.
Which neighborhoods are most popular with expats in Yaoundé right now?
The top three expat rental neighborhoods in Yaoundé are Bastos, Golf and Bastos-Dragages, with Mont Fébé, Nlongkak and secure compounds in Odza also attracting foreign tenants.
Expats in these Yaoundé neighborhoods usually pay 250,000-600,000 XAF per month, or about $410-$984 and €381-€915, depending on furniture, security and services.
These areas attract expats because they offer embassy proximity, quiet streets, guards, better roads, large homes, generator options, water tanks and easier access to international services.
The expat communities most visible in these Yaoundé areas include French, Belgian, American, UN, NGO, diplomatic and regional African professional communities.
And if you are also an expat, you may want to read our Sources and methodology: we used Yaoundé city context, Numbeo Yaoundé and IMF Cameroon. We ranked expat areas by security, embassy access and furnished-rental demand. We also checked these patterns against our own premium-rental analysis.
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Who rents, and what do tenants want in Yaoundé right now?
What tenant profiles dominate rentals in Yaoundé?
The top three tenant profiles in Yaoundé are local salaried workers and civil servants, students and young professionals, and higher-income expat or NGO tenants.
As a practical estimate for Yaoundé in 2026, local salaried tenants represent about 45% of demand, students and young professionals about 35%, and expat or senior professional tenants about 20%.
Local salaried tenants usually seek 1-2 bedroom unfurnished apartments, students seek studios or shared housing, and expat tenants seek furnished 1-3 bedroom apartments with security and services.
If you want to optimize your cashflow, you can read our Sources and methodology: we used World Bank Cameroon Data, Numbeo Yaoundé and World Bank Cameroon. We estimated tenant shares from income, institutions and neighborhood demand. We then checked these shares against our own Yaoundé landlord scenarios.
Do tenants prefer furnished or unfurnished in Yaoundé?
In Yaoundé in 2026, about 70% of long-term tenants prefer unfurnished rentals, while about 30% prefer furnished rentals.
A furnished apartment in Yaoundé often rents for 20%-50% more than an unfurnished one, which can add about 30,000-150,000 XAF per month, or about $49-$246 and €46-€229.
Furnished rentals in Yaoundé are mainly preferred by expats, short-stay consultants, diaspora returnees, NGO workers and tenants who want to move in quickly.
Which amenities increase rent the most in Yaoundé?
The five amenities that increase rent the most in Yaoundé are 24/7 security, water storage, backup power, parking and modern bathrooms or kitchens.
In Yaoundé, security can add 20,000-60,000 XAF per month, water storage 10,000-30,000 XAF, backup power 20,000-80,000 XAF, parking 10,000-25,000 XAF, and modern finishes 20,000-70,000 XAF, which is roughly $16-$131 and €15-€122 depending on the item.
In our property pack covering the real estate market in Yaoundé, we cover what are the best investments a landlord can make.
What renovations get the best ROI for rentals in Yaoundé?
The best rental renovations in Yaoundé are repainting, bathroom repairs, kitchen storage, water tank installation and security upgrades such as strong doors and outdoor lights.
In Yaoundé, these upgrades can cost about 100,000-2,000,000 XAF, or about $164-$3,279 and €152-€3,049, and each can raise rent by about 10,000-80,000 XAF per month when the location is right.
Landlords in Yaoundé should usually avoid expensive imported luxury finishes, oversized furniture packages and decorative upgrades if the apartment is not in Bastos, Golf, Odza or another proven premium pocket.
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How strong is rental demand in Yaoundé as of 2026?
What's the vacancy rate for rentals in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, the estimated vacancy rate for well-priced rental apartments in Yaoundé is about 5%-8%.
Across Yaoundé, realistic vacancy ranges from about 5% for well-priced small units in strong areas to 18% for overpriced premium units or poorly maintained apartments.
Compared with the likely historical average, vacancy in Yaoundé in 2026 looks low for affordable units but still high for premium apartments that are not priced carefully.
Finally please note that you will have all the indicators you need in our property pack covering the real estate market in Yaoundé.
How many days do rentals stay listed in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, the average rental listing in Yaoundé stays on the market for about 25-45 days when the price is realistic.
In Yaoundé, studios and 1-bedroom units can rent in 15-30 days, standard 2-bedroom units often take 25-45 days, and expensive furnished units can take 45-90 days.
Compared with one year ago, days on market in Yaoundé seem slightly shorter for good small units but still long for overpriced apartments without strong water, security or access.
Which months have peak tenant demand in Yaoundé?
Peak tenant demand in Yaoundé usually happens in August, September and October, with another active period from January to March.
This pattern is driven by university moves, school-year planning, job changes, administrative postings and the arrival of NGO or diplomatic staff in Yaoundé.
The lowest demand months in Yaoundé are often November, early December and parts of April or May, when fewer households want to move and many tenants delay decisions.
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What will my monthly costs be in Yaoundé as of 2026?
What property taxes should landlords expect in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, a landlord in Yaoundé should budget roughly 30,000-33,000 XAF per year for property tax-type exposure on a 30 million XAF apartment, or about $49-$54 and €46-€50.
Depending on property value and location in Yaoundé, a realistic annual property tax range is about 15,000-100,000 XAF, or about $25-$164 and €23-€152.
Property tax in Yaoundé is linked to declared property value and official tax rules, so landlords should verify the exact calculation with Cameroon’s tax administration before buying or renting out.
Please note that, in our property pack covering the real estate market in Yaoundé, we cover what exemptions or deductions may be available to reduce property taxes for landlords.
What utilities do landlords often pay in Yaoundé right now?
In Yaoundé, landlords often pay or manage common-area security, garbage collection, exterior lighting, water-pump maintenance and sometimes internet for furnished rentals.
Typical monthly landlord-paid costs in Yaoundé can be about 10,000-50,000 XAF for security, 2,000-10,000 XAF for garbage, 3,000-15,000 XAF for exterior lighting, 5,000-20,000 XAF for pump maintenance and around 30,000 XAF for internet, or about $3-$82 and €3-€76 depending on the item.
For ordinary unfurnished rentals in Yaoundé, tenants usually pay their own electricity, water and internet, while furnished or expat-style leases may include more services in the rent.
How is rental income taxed in Yaoundé as of 2026?
As of 2026, rental income in Yaoundé is taxable in Cameroon, so individual landlords should treat net rental income as reportable and reserve about 15%-25% of net rent until an accountant confirms the exact position.
Common deductions or charges in Yaoundé may include repairs, maintenance, management costs and allowed property-related expenses, but the exact treatment should be checked against current DGI rules.
Landlords in Yaoundé should avoid collecting rent informally without records, ignoring DGI updates, mixing personal and rental expenses, and assuming that small local leases are outside the tax system.
We cover these mistakes, among others, in our Sources and methodology: we used Direction Générale des Impôts Cameroun, DGI 2026 Finance Law Circular and DGI online tax services. We treated DGI as the primary source for tax compliance. We kept the tax estimate conservative because landlord situations can differ.
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.
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 Yaoundé, 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 this source matters | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| Direction Générale des Impôts Cameroun | It is Cameroon’s official tax administration, so it is the strongest starting point for landlord tax rules. | We used it to anchor property tax and rental income tax checks. We treated it as primary where tax compliance is involved. |
| DGI Cameroon 2026 Finance Law Circular | It is the official DGI page for the 2026 finance law circular. | We used it to confirm that 2026 landlord tax rules must be checked against DGI publications. We did not invent detailed rates where the public page was not enough. |
| DGI fiscal documentation portal | It is linked to Cameroon’s fiscal documentation system and helps verify tax documents. | We used it as a route to official fiscal documents. We kept tax estimates conservative because the exact property file matters. |
| DGI online tax services | It is Cameroon’s official online tax declaration platform. | We used it to confirm that rental taxation is an active compliance topic. We used it for tax context, not for rent prices. |
| World Bank Cameroon Data | It is a major public dataset for population, inflation and economic indicators. | We used it to understand demand pressure and cost pressure in Cameroon. We did not use it as a direct rent database. |
| World Bank Cameroon country page | It gives broader economic context from a major international institution. | We used it to cross-check the macro setting for Cameroon. We used this context to avoid relying only on property listings. |
| IMF Cameroon country page | It is the IMF’s official country page for Cameroon. | We used it to cross-check macro risk, inflation pressure and the growth backdrop. We used it qualitatively, not as a rent source. |
| African Development Bank Cameroon outlook | AfDB is a major African development institution with country economic outlooks. | We used it to cross-check Cameroon’s growth and inflation direction. We used it only for economic context. |
| Numbeo Yaoundé cost of living | It gives current crowd-sourced cost and rent data with visible sample limits. | We used it as a 2026 rent and utility anchor. We discounted it because Yaoundé’s sample size is small. |
| Numbeo Yaoundé property prices | It provides purchase-price and yield signals for Yaoundé. | We used it to check rent-to-price logic. We did not treat it as official statistics. |
| World Bank DataBank | It is the structured World Bank database behind many country indicators. | We used it as a source family for population, inflation and demand checks. We used these indicators to judge rental pressure in Yaoundé. |
| Yaoundé city context | It helps identify city structure, administrative role and known district context. | We used it only for background on Yaoundé’s geography and expat areas. We did not use it to set rent prices. |
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