---
title: "Living in Lubumbashi as a digital nomad: cost, safety, visa, internet"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lubumbashi
description: "DR Congo's copper capital, near the Zambian border in the far south-east"
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Lubumbashi, DR Congo

Lubumbashi scores 33.9/100 for digital nomads under balanced weights, ranking 1468 of 1501 cities. There is no open cost-of-living figure yet; expect no dedicated nomad visa, and a measured median download speed of 7.7 Mbps.

Lubumbashi is DR Congo's second city and the hub of the Katanga copper and cobalt belt, with a grid of colonial-era avenues, a large mining expat community and road links to Zambia. Housing to expat standards is expensive, power cuts and poor roads are routine, nearly everyone needs a visa in advance, and foreign governments advise against travel to much of eastern DR Congo.

Known for: Copper and cobalt mining hub, Colonial-era avenues, TP Mazembe football club, Swahili and French.

## Scores (balanced weights, 0–100)

| Factor | Score |
| --- | --- |
| Overall | 33.9 |
| Cost of living | — |
| Safety | 18 |
| Healthcare | 34 |
| Internet | 39 |
| Visa ease | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 7 |
| Climate | 67 |
| Air quality | 58 |
| Quality of life | 16 |

## The numbers behind the scores

| Metric | Value | Level | As of | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | — | country | 2026-09 | [^2] |
| Central 1-bedroom rent | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Outskirts 1-bedroom rent (basis of the monthly total) | — | city | 2026-09 | [^3] |
| Homicide rate (per 100k) | 12.4 | country | 2021 | [^4] |
| Political stability (0–100) | 28.3 | country | 2025 | [^5] |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 41 | country | 2023 | [^6] |
| Life expectancy (years) | 62.1 | country | 2023 | [^7] |
| Median download (Mbps) | 7.7 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Median upload (Mbps) | 2.8 | city | 2024 | [^8] |
| Starlink residential service | Available | country | 2026-10 | [^9] |
| Nomad visa | none listed | country | 2026-07 | [^10] |
| Entry for US / EU / UK passports | e-visa required / e-visa required / e-visa required | country | 2026-02 | [^11] |
| Non-stop destinations (FBM) | 13 | city | 2026-08 | [^12] |
| Restaurants within 3 km of the centre (OpenStreetMap) | 17 | city | 2026-11 | [^16] |
| Walkability / transit (1–5) | 2 / 1 | editorial | 2026-09 | [^13] |
| Comfortable months | 8 of 12 | city | 2001–2020 | [^14] |
| Annual mean PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 23.7 | city | 2023 | [^15] |
| Human Development Index | 0.522 | country | 2023 | [^17] |
| English proficiency band | — | country | 2024 | [^18] |

## Tax on income from abroad

**Since 2026 residents pay 3%–40% on worldwide income, but total tax is capped at 30% of taxable income.** Since 1 January 2026 the DRC taxes residents on worldwide income under a new personal income tax (IRPP). A main home there, working from the DRC or 183 days in 12 months makes you resident. A foreign salary, freelance fees and foreign dividends, interest, gains and pensions are then taxed at 3%–40%, capped at 30% of taxable income. There is no wealth or inheritance tax and no nomad visa.

| Question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| How residents are taxed | worldwide income |
| Remote work for foreign clients or employers | taxed (3%–40% progressive, with total tax capped at 30% of taxable income; small freelancers 2% of turnover) |
| Investments and pensions from abroad | taxed (3%–40% progressive, capped at 30% of taxable income; 20% withheld when a Congolese payer pays) |
| Wealth | no wealth tax; no inheritance tax |
| Tax resident after | 183 days a year |
| Top income tax rate | 40% |

Residency: Under Article 60 of Law No 23/053 of 30 November 2023 you have your habitual residence in the DRC if any one of three tests is met: your permanent home (foyer d'habitation permanente) or place of main stay is there; you carry on a salaried or self-employed professional activity there, unless you show it is only incidental (à titre accessoire); or you stay at least 183 days, continuous or not, in any 12-month period. The activity test has no day count, so someone whose main work is done from the DRC can be resident from the start of a stay, even as a visitor. A short trip with no work done there should not make you resident. Residents are taxed on income from all sources whatever their nationality (Article 59). Non-residents are taxed only on Congolese-source income, and a non-resident's salary only when the work is done in the DRC for an employer resident or established there.

Remote work: The IRPP replaced the old schedular taxes (including the IPR on salaries) on 1 January 2026 (Law No 23/053, Articles 152–153). It is charged on the sum of a resident's net income in all categories, from Congolese or foreign sources (Articles 58–59). Because working from the DRC is itself a residence test, a remote employee or freelancer who lives and works there is normally resident and taxed on the foreign salary or fees. The scale is 3% up to CDF 1,944,000, 15% to CDF 21,600,000, 30% to CDF 43,200,000 and 40% above, and total tax can never exceed 30% of taxable income (Article 118). At the central bank's rate of CDF 2,261.60 per US dollar on 2026-10-28, the 40% band starts at about US$19,100. Tax is cut by 2% for each dependant, up to 9 (Article 123). A Congolese employer withholds the tax monthly (Article 119). A foreign employer does not, so you file a return by 30 April of the following year and pay with it. Freelancers are taxed as individual businesses: below CDF 25,000,000 of turnover a micro-enterprise pays a fixed amount, and up to CDF 300,000,000 a small business pays 2% of turnover for services (see regimes). Above that, net profit goes on the scale with a minimum of 1% of turnover (Article 122). Tax treaties prevail (Article 59), but this profile did not check which treaties are in force. Employers established in the DRC also pay a separate 25% levy on expatriates' gross pay (Articles 145–148); it does not reach foreign employers with no establishment there. Social security for people paid from abroad was not reviewed. The 2026 Finance Law (Law No 25/060 of 29 December 2025) amended Law No 23/053, but its text could not be found, so check for changes.

Investments: Capital income (dividends, bond interest, interest on loans and deposits whoever the depositary is) and capital gains on movable or immovable property, including shares, are IRPP categories (Articles 72–82). A resident is taxed on them from any source, as part of total income on the progressive scale with the 30% cap. A Congolese payer withholds 20% (Article 120), which counts towards the final tax (Article 121). Foreign dividends, interest and gains are paid gross, so you declare them on the 30 April return. The law exempts interest on savings accounts (it does not say whether foreign accounts count), Congolese government bond interest (Article 80) and the gain on selling your main home (Article 83). The IRPP chapter as read here has no credit for foreign tax outside treaties, so double taxation is possible. Pensions of any kind are taxed with salaries (Article 68). Pensions paid under old-age pension laws are exempt (Article 69), but the law does not say whether foreign state pensions qualify. Private rental income is not one of the IRPP categories: rent from property in the DRC bears the 22% rental income tax (IRL) under the 2023 Code des impôts, and how rent from property abroad is treated is unclear. Crypto-assets are not mentioned.

On the nomad visa: The DRC has no digital nomad or remote-work visa. The UK government says British visitors must get a visa before travelling, through the DRC embassy, and should allow 2 to 3 weeks. A visa has no tax status of its own: working from the DRC can make you resident from day one. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to the provinces of Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Maniema, Tanganyika and Haut-Lomami, within 50km of the Central African Republic border and to part of Mai-Ndombe. It advises against all but essential travel to the N'djili and Kimbanseke districts of Kinshasa south of the airport road.

Schemes for newcomers:

- **Petite entreprise (small business flat regime)** (no fixed end): IRPP of 2% of annual turnover for services, or 1% for sales, instead of the progressive scale on profit (Article 127), paid the following year in two instalments of 60% and 40%. You may opt for the normal regime before 1 February; the option binds you for 3 years (Article 110). Who qualifies: Individual businesses, including self-employed professionals, with annual turnover excluding tax from CDF 25,000,001 to CDF 300,000,000 (about US$11,050 to US$132,650) (Law No 23/053, Articles 105 and 109).
- **Micro-entreprise (fixed amount)** (no fixed end): A fixed annual amount set by order of the Minister of Finance replaces the IRPP on business income (Article 128); the DGI's October 2025 leaflet gives it as the CDF equivalent of US$30, paid by 30 April of the following year. Micro-enterprises are exempt from the 1% minimum tax (Article 122). Who qualifies: Individual businesses with annual turnover excluding tax up to CDF 25,000,000 (about US$11,050) (Law No 23/053, Article 107).

Official sources: [Loi n° 23/053 du 30 novembre 2023 relative à l'impôt sur les sociétés et à l'impôt sur le revenu des personnes physiques (Journal officiel, n° spécial, 29 December 2023)](https://dgi.gouv.cd/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/loi-is-et-Irpp.pdf) (Journal officiel de la République Démocratique du Congo (scan hosted by the Direction Générale des Impôts), read 2026-10-28); [Impôt sur le Revenu des Personnes Physiques (IRPP)](https://dgi.gouv.cd/impot-sur-le-revenu-des-personnes-physiques-irpp/) (Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI), Ministry of Finance, read 2026-10-28); [IRPP: notions essentielles à retenir (leaflet, October 2025)](https://dgi.gouv.cd/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/DEPLIANT-IRPP-BON.pdf) (Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI), Ministry of Finance, read 2026-10-28); [Participation de la DGI à la séance d'échanges consacrée aux innovations apportées par la Loi des finances n° 25/060 du 29 décembre 2025 pour l'exercice 2026](https://dgi.gouv.cd/participation-de-la-dgi-a-la-seance-dechanges-consacree-aux-innovations-apportees-par-la-loi-des-finances-n-25-060-du-29-decembre-2025-pour-lexercice-2026/) (Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI), Ministry of Finance, read 2026-10-28); [Code des impôts, mis à jour au 10 juillet 2023](https://dgi.gouv.cd/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CODE-DES-IMPOTS-2023.pdf) (Direction Générale des Impôts (DGI), Ministry of Finance, read 2026-10-28); [Ordonnances-lois n° 13/001 and 13/002 du 23 février 2013 fixant la nomenclature des impôts, droits, taxes et redevances des Provinces et des ETD et du Pouvoir central (Journal officiel, n° spécial, 27 February 2013)](https://dgi.gouv.cd/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dgrad-code.pdf) (Journal officiel de la République Démocratique du Congo (hosted by the Direction Générale des Impôts), read 2026-10-28); [Banque Centrale du Congo: cours de change indicatif](https://www.bcc.cd/) (Banque Centrale du Congo, read 2026-10-28); [Foreign travel advice: Democratic Republic of the Congo](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/democratic-republic-of-the-congo) (UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK), read 2026-10-28); [Foreign travel advice: Democratic Republic of the Congo, entry requirements](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/entry-requirements) (UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (GOV.UK), read 2026-10-28).

Not yet reviewed by a person. General information, not tax advice. US citizens are taxed by the US wherever they live.

## Climate (2001–2020 normals)

| Month | Mean °C | Rain mm | Humidity % | Comfortable |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Jan | 21.1 | 252 | 84 | no |
| Feb | 21.2 | 200 | 84 | no |
| Mar | 21.2 | 176 | 84 | no |
| Apr | 20.1 | 56 | 81 | yes |
| May | 18.4 | 4 | 73 | yes |
| Jun | 16.7 | 1 | 65 | yes |
| Jul | 16.8 | 1 | 58 | yes |
| Aug | 19.7 | 1 | 47 | yes |
| Sep | 23.4 | 3 | 38 | yes |
| Oct | 25.7 | 29 | 44 | yes |
| Nov | 23.8 | 131 | 66 | yes |
| Dec | 21.6 | 268 | 82 | no |

## Airports and nonstop flights

| Airport | IATA | Nonstop destinations | International | From US airports |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lubumbashi International Airport | FBM | 13 | 7 | 0 |

Unique destinations across all airports: 13, of which 7 international (Wikipedia, 2026-08).

## Similar cities

- [Kisangani](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/kisangani) (31.2) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/kisangani-vs-lubumbashi)
- [Conakry](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/conakry) (33.4) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/conakry-vs-lubumbashi)
- [Gondar](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/gondar) (34) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/gondar-vs-lubumbashi)
- [Maseru](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/maseru) (34.6) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/lubumbashi-vs-maseru)
- [Yamoussoukro](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/yamoussoukro) (39.5) — [compare](https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/lubumbashi-vs-yamoussoukro)

## FAQ

### How much does it cost to live in Lubumbashi as a digital nomad?

We do not have a reliable monthly cost figure for Lubumbashi yet.

### Is Lubumbashi safe for digital nomads?

Lubumbashi scores 18/100 on safety. DR Congo records 12.4 homicides per 100,000 people per year (WHO, 2021) and a political-stability score of 28.3/100 (World Bank WGI). Both figures are national, so neighbourhood-level risk can differ.

### Does DR Congo have a digital nomad visa?

No dedicated digital nomad visa was listed for DR Congo as of 2026-07. Visitors from the US need an e-visa, applied for online.

### How fast is the internet in Lubumbashi?

Measured median download speed in Lubumbashi was 7.7 Mbps (upload 2.8 Mbps) across 3,266 M-Lab tests in 2024. Measured speeds run below advertised plan speeds everywhere, so compare cities rather than reading the number as a plan.

### Is Starlink available in Lubumbashi?

Yes. Starlink's availability map lists residential service as available in DR Congo (checked 2026-10), so a dish can serve as a backup line in Lubumbashi. Check the exact address on starlink.com before ordering, since capacity varies by area.

### Which airports serve Lubumbashi and how many nonstop flights are there?

Lubumbashi is served by Lubumbashi International Airport (FBM) with 13 nonstop destinations, of which 7 are international. 0 US airports have a nonstop link. Source: Wikipedia, 2026-08.

### When is the best time of year to be in Lubumbashi?

The most comfortable months are Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov. Mean temperatures range from 62°F (17°C) in Jun to 78°F (26°C) in Oct (NASA POWER 2001–2020 climatology).

### Lubumbashi or Kisangani: which is better for digital nomads?

Kisangani is the city with the closest factor profile to Lubumbashi in this dataset. Which one wins depends on your weights; the comparison page puts every factor side by side with the numbers behind them.

## Plan a trip

[Plan a trip to Lubumbashi](https://dashboard.navoy.io/trip/new?utm_source=nostos&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=plan_trip&utm_content=lubumbashi&destination=Lubumbashi%2C+DR+Congo) on Navoy, the AI travel planner behind Nostos.

## Sources

[^1]: City population (latest census or official estimate), Wikipedia (citing national statistics offices). CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^2]: 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level), WhereNext. CC BY 4.0. https://getwherenext.com/data/cost-of-living-2026 (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^3]: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows), WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^4]: Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/estimates-of-rates-of-homicides-per-100-000-population (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^5]: Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100), World Bank. CC BY 4.0. https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^6]: UHC service coverage index, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/uhc-index-of-service-coverage (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^7]: Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes, World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO data policy). https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/life-expectancy-at-birth-(years) (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^8]: M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024), Measurement Lab. CC0 1.0. https://statistics.measurementlab.net/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^9]: Starlink availability map, SpaceX (Starlink). Factual status cited from starlink.com. https://www.starlink.com/map (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^10]: Digital Nomad Visas 2026, WhereToEmigrate. CC BY 4.0. https://github.com/0brien18/global-emigration-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^11]: Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations), Ilya Ilyankou (compiled from passportindex.org). MIT. https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^12]: Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables), Wikipedia contributors; countries via Wikidata. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/ (retrieved 2026-09-24)
[^13]: Walkability and transit ratings (editorial), Navoy. CC BY 4.0. https://nostos.navoy.io/methodology (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^14]: NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means), NASA Langley Research Center. Public domain (US Government). https://power.larc.nasa.gov/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^15]: SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04), Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group, Washington University in St. Louis. CC BY 4.0. https://sites.wustl.edu/acag/surface-pm2-5/ (retrieved 2026-10-07)
[^16]: OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API), OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL 1.0. https://overpass-api.de/ (retrieved 2026-10-02)
[^17]: Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023), United Nations Development Programme. CC BY 3.0 IGO. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/documentation-and-downloads (retrieved 2026-09-22)
[^18]: EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band), EF Education First. Proprietary; band cited as a fact with attribution. https://www.ef.com/epi/ (retrieved 2026-09-22)

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/lubumbashi