---
title: "Douala vs Yaoundé for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/douala-vs-yaounde
description: "Under balanced weights Yaoundé edges it, 28 to 27, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Douala is stronger on nothing outright; Yaoundé on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Douala vs Yaoundé for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Yaoundé edges it, 28 to 27, winning 1 of the 9 factors. Douala is stronger on nothing outright; Yaoundé on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Air quality.** Yaoundé leads on air quality, 33 to 20, against Douala. PM2.5: 41.1 µg/m³ vs 35.3 µg/m³.

Where they are close: within five points on getting there & around, safety, healthcare, internet, visa ease, climate, quality of life.

**Pick Douala if you want** no clear edge over Yaoundé in the data.

**Pick Yaoundé if you want** cleaner air.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Douala | Yaoundé | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | no data | — |
| Safety | 31 | 31 | tie |
| Healthcare | 42 | 42 | tie |
| Internet | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 13 | 12 | Douala |
| Climate | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Air quality | 20 | 33 | Yaoundé |
| Quality of life | 24 | 24 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Douala | Yaoundé | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | no data | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Douala | Yaoundé | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 6.76 | 6.76 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 36 | 36 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 48 | 48 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 64.6 yrs | 64.6 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Douala | Yaoundé | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 3.7 Mbps | 3.7 Mbps | tie |
| Upload | 1.2 Mbps | 1.2 Mbps | tie |

## Visa

| Metric | Douala | Yaoundé | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data | — |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Douala | Yaoundé | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 21 | 17 | Douala |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Douala | Yaoundé | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 41.1 µg/m³ | 35.3 µg/m³ | Yaoundé |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Douala or Yaoundé?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Douala or Yaoundé safer?

Douala and Yaoundé score the same on safety (31), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Douala or Yaoundé?

The same in both: a measured median of 3.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Douala](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/douala) · [Yaoundé](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/yaounde). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/douala-vs-yaounde