Lagos vs Yaoundé
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Lagos edges it, 36 to 28, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Lagos is stronger on internet, quality of life; Yaoundé on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Cameroon's green, hilly capital, calmer and more administrative than Douala
Full Yaoundé profile →Plan a trip to Yaoundé →Where they differ
- Internet. Lagos leads on internet, 47 to 25, against Yaoundé. Measured download: 11.2 Mbps vs 3.7 Mbps.
- Quality of life. Lagos leads on quality of life, 40 to 24, against Yaoundé.
- Safety. Yaoundé leads on safety, 31 to 20, against Lagos. Homicides per 100,000: 15.75 vs 6.76.
Where they are close. Within five points on healthcare, air quality, visa ease.
Pick Lagos if you want
- faster internet (11.2 Mbps measured)
Pick Yaoundé if you want
- the safer country figures
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Lagos | Yaoundé |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 75 | no data |
| Safety | 20 | 31 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 39 | 42 ✓ |
| Internet | 47 ✓ | 25 |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 7 | 12 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 34 ✓ | 33 |
| Quality of life | 40 ✓ | 24 |
Cost
| Metric | Lagos | Yaoundé |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $991 | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | $523 | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Lagos | Yaoundé |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 15.75 | 6.76 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 35.1 | 36 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 47 | 48 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 62.9 yrs | 64.6 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Lagos | Yaoundé |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 11.2 Mbps ✓ | 3.7 Mbps |
| Upload | 4.7 Mbps ✓ | 1.2 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Lagos | Yaoundé |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Lagos | Yaoundé |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 50 ✓ | 17 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 2 ✓ |
Climate and air
| Metric | Lagos | Yaoundé |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 34.6 µg/m³ ✓ | 35.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Lagos or Yaoundé?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Lagos or Yaoundé safer?
- Yaoundé scores higher on safety (31 vs 20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Lagos or Yaoundé?
- Lagos: a measured median of 11.2 Mbps versus 3.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
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); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.