Little where you are,
a lot in Yaoundé
€5 is a coffee in Brussels, an espresso in Milan, or less than one coffee in New York. In Yaoundé, it is a day’s labour, a fruit basket, basic care. Pick your local reference — then join the Circle of 5.
How far can a small amount go?
Pick €5 (Circle of 5), €20 or another amount, and your reference city. We show what it concretely funds in Yaoundé — not just a CFA conversion.
Curated metro anchors (coffee, meal, short ride). Not national averages, not rent — orders of magnitude.
The key takeaway
What you put in
€5
In CFA francs · 3,280 XAF
What it funds in Yaoundé
1
Days of informal labour
Labourer, laundry, garden help… In Belgium, ~1 day at minimum wage.
Equivalent in New York (United States)
~$123
$120 / unit · 3,200 XAF / unit
Comparison unit: 3,200 XAF on the ground vs $120.00 in New York (United States) for the same kind of unit. Not an exchange rate — a real price gap.
BEAC peg: 1 EUR = 655.957 XAF
With €5 in Yaoundé, you can fund…
Labour, health, energy, data…
1
Days of informal labour
Labourer, laundry, garden help… In Belgium, ~1 day at minimum wage.
3,200 XAF · $120.00 New York (United States)
1
Local fruit baskets
Mfoundi-style market haul — eating local changes everything.
3,280 XAF · $40.00 New York (United States)
1
Malaria tests + treatment
Pharmacy / neighbourhood clinic — without mutual cover in Belgium.
3,200 XAF · $80.00 New York (United States)
16
Days of electricity (modest household)
ENEO social tariff 50 XAF/kWh (~3–5 kWh/day) → ~150–250 XAF/day. Above that ≈ middle class (~750 XAF/day).
200 XAF · $3.00 New York (United States)
1
Mobile data packs (~1 week)
MTN / Orange — about 3–5 GB depending on promos.
3,280 XAF · $15.00 New York (United States)
Meals, transport, groceries
- 01
3
Small street meals
~1,000 XAF: baguette + skewers, beignets, boiled plantain… — not a tourne-dos.
1,000 XAF
$7.00 New York (United States)
- 02
2
Full local meals (tourne-dos)
Small local restaurant — not a light snack.
2,000 XAF
$22.00 New York (United States)
- 03
9
Shared taxi rides (ramassage)
Official fare ~350 XAF since 2024.
350 XAF
$2.90 New York (United States)
- 04
22
Baguettes
150 XAF
$3.50 New York (United States)
- 05
4
Kilos of rice
850 XAF
$3.00 New York (United States)
- 06
2
Street-food meals
2,000 XAF
$14.00 New York (United States)
- 07
1
Private taxi rides (~5 km)
Privatised taxi (“dépôt”), not shared pickup.
2,500 XAF
$18.00 New York (United States)
Same unit: New York (United States) vs Yaoundé
| New York (United States) | Yaoundé | |
|---|---|---|
| Small street meals | $7.00 | 1,000 XAF |
| Full local meals (tourne-dos) | $22.00 | 2,000 XAF |
| Shared taxi rides (ramassage) | $2.90 | 350 XAF |
| Baguettes | $3.50 | 150 XAF |
| Kilos of rice | $3.00 | 850 XAF |
| Street-food meals | $14.00 | 2,000 XAF |
| Private taxi rides (~5 km) | $18.00 | 2,500 XAF |
| Days of informal labour | $120.00 | 3,200 XAF |
| Local fruit baskets | $40.00 | 3,280 XAF |
| Malaria tests + treatment | $80.00 | 3,200 XAF |
| Days of electricity (modest household) | $3.00 | 200 XAF |
| Mobile data packs (~1 week) | $15.00 | 3,280 XAF |
The Circle of 5 is exactly €5/month
Where you are, roughly a coffee. In Yaoundé: about 3 small street meals — or a day’s labour, a fruit basket, basic care. See the impact, then join a circle.
Why €5 “goes further” on the ground
Beyond bread and rice: the real shock is labour, basic healthcare and day-to-day energy — where the same euro changes worlds. We anchor the comparison in your local everyday costs, not an abstract “standard of living”.
- 01Small street meal: ~1,000 XAF in Yaoundé (baguette + skewers, beignets, plantain…) — about 3 for €5. A tourne-dos remains ~2,000 XAF.
- 02€5 ≈ a full day of informal labour on the ground — far less than an hour at minimum wage in most Western markets.
- 03Eating local (market fruit) is affordable; “ordinary” imported European goods are often expensive there.
- 04The Circle of 5 turns that insight into regular commitment: €5/month, traceable, on the ground.
Purchasing power & Cameroon
Understand the tool and the link with the Circle of 5.
Why are €5 “worth more” in Yaoundé?
Because many local services and goods cost much less than in Western reference cities — especially labour, basic care and market fruit. A small street meal (~1,000 XAF) or a tourne-dos (~2,000 XAF) illustrate the gap. The same euro funds more, without changing the official peg.
Is this the same as the EUR/XAF rate?
No. The BEAC rate converts currency. Purchasing power compares local prices. Both are useful: one for the transfer, the other to visualize impact.
Where do these prices come from?
Yaoundé side: field order-of-magnitude figures (small street meal ~1,000 XAF, tourne-dos ~2,000 XAF, shared taxi ~350 XAF, private taxi, Cash Power, mobile data…). Visitor side: curated everyday metro anchors (coffee, meal, short ride…). Prices vary: treat them as illustrations, not quotes.
Why compare to New York or Zurich rather than a whole country?
Because a coffee or a meal does not cost the same in New York and in an average US city, nor in Zurich and rural Switzerland. We publish a sourced metro anchor — not a “national standard of living”.
Why isn’t everything “cheaper”?
What is grown or made locally is often affordable. Imported goods (cheese, cereal, spread…) stay expensive because of taxes and freight — so adapting to the local basket matters.
How does the Circle of 5 relate to this tool?
This tool shows what a small amount can fund once. The Circle of 5 is €5/month — the same order of magnitude, but regular, collective and directed to our programmes in Yaoundé.
€5/month, a real lever
You just saw what a small amount can fund in Yaoundé — a day’s labour, care, energy. Turn that reading into regular support with the Circle of 5.
Foundation based in Belgium · field estimates for indication only