Cost of Living in Dakar, Dakar
Dakar, Dakar, Senegal: CPI 25.5, rent index 15.3, purchasing power 20.2. 1BR centre rent ~CFA 323,442 XOF. Net salary ~CFA 756,450 XOF. Data: Regional.
Author: CityCost Global · Methodology · Data Sources · Last updated: 2026-08-21
Key metrics
- Country: Senegal
- Currency: XOF
- Avg 1BR rent (centre): CFA 323,442
- Avg net salary: CFA 756,450
- Cost of living index (CPI): 25.5
- Rent index: 15.3
- Purchasing power index: 20.2
- Groceries sample (milk 1L): CFA 293
- Transport ticket: CFA 264
- Utilities (85m²): CFA 18,482
- Restaurant meal: CFA 3,775
Dakar overview
Dakar, Dakar, Senegal is indexed for cost-of-living analysis using Regional with confidence label "★★★☆☆ Regional estimation". This page is a structured knowledge document: every number below comes from the CityCost engine or the eligible-city registry — not from generative guesswork. Primary timezone reference on record: Africa/Dakar. Local currency for published prices: XOF (CFA). Coordinates on record: 14.69, -17.44. Dakar is flagged as a national capital in eligibility signals. Internal tier signal on record: 5. Readers should treat city-centre references as anchors, then validate neighbourhood leases, taxes, and visas independently before relocating. Verified information is currently unavailable for: nearby airports, climate, major industries, education, healthcare, safety. Those topics are omitted rather than estimated.
Metro definitions vary across Senegal; treat city-wide averages as planning anchors and validate neighbourhood rents independently.
Average monthly net salary (after tax) on record is about CFA 756,450 XOF. Purchasing power index 20.2 describes how far a typical local salary stretches against local prices. Stress-test affordability by comparing the CFA 323,442 XOF 1BR centre reference against CFA 756,450 XOF net pay, then adjusting for your actual housing target. Offers denominated in foreign currency should be converted carefully; published figures on this page stay in XOF. Industry wage premiums are not asserted without verified payroll datasets. Students and new graduates may earn below the average net salary figure — treat CFA 756,450 XOF as a market midpoint signal, not a personal guarantee.
These values are estimated using state/regional baselines and city-tier adjustments.
Housing costs
A reference 1-bedroom apartment in the city centre averages about CFA 323,442 XOF per month in the published basket. The rent index (15.3) situates that housing pressure relative to the global baseline used by CityCost. On published figures, the centre 1BR reference is about 43% of the average net monthly salary — a stress-test ratio, not a household budget. Neighbourhood choice, building age, and furnishings can move actual leases well above or below the city-centre reference. Outer districts often price differently from the CBD sample. When comparing Dakar to peers, prefer paired rent indices on comparison pages rather than converting foreign rents with informal FX guesses.
Suburban or older stock can undercut CBD averages substantially. Families should model 2–3BR premiums and deposits; students should price shared flats near transit. Cross-check Dakar against nearby peers on this site before locking a budget.
Food & groceries
Lifestyle costs in Dakar track the local CPI, grocery, and restaurant indices more closely than tourist menus or hotel rates. With CPI at 25.5, everyday services and goods sit below the NYC baseline on this methodology. Fixed monthly anchors on record include transport tickets (~CFA 264 XOF one-way) and utilities (~CFA 18,482 XOF for the 85m² sample). Lifestyle fit also depends on education, healthcare, and safety — verified overviews for those domains are unavailable on this page and are therefore omitted.
Tourist corridors often inflate dining samples. Build a personal basket (home cooking vs eating out) and compare with similar-cost cities linked below. Groceries usually move with CPI more tightly than luxury dining.
Transport
A one-way local transport ticket averages about CFA 264 XOF in the reference basket for Dakar. That single-ticket proxy does not equal a monthly commute budget: passes, ride-hail, fuel, parking, and last-mile costs can dominate for some households. Remote-first workers may underweight transport relative to rent; on-site workers should model peak-hour routes before treating CFA 264 XOF as representative.
Commuters should price monthly passes and last-mile gaps; car ownership adds insurance, parking, and fuel outside this basket. Pair transport with housing: a cheaper suburb can erase savings if every commute is long.
Typical monthly budget
Illustrative single-adult monthly sketch for Dakar using on-page samples (not a quote): rent ~CFA 323,442, utilities ~CFA 18,482, transit scaled from ticket samples, and a mixed grocery/dining allowance. Core essentials land near CFA 391,481 XOF; a modest lifestyle buffer ~CFA 450,204; a more comfortable buffer ~CFA 567,648.
Compare essentials with net salary CFA 756,450. If rent alone exceeds ~35–40% of net pay, look at outer districts or similar-cost cities linked below. Utilities notes: Basic utilities for an 85m² apartment average about CFA 18,482 XOF in the reference basket (electricity, heating/cooling, water, garbage — before internet and mobile). Seasonal heating or cooling can change monthly totals. Verified climate time series are not attached on this page, so weather-driven utility swings are not estimated here. Add broadband and mobile plans separately when building a relocation spreadsheet for Dakar, Dakar, Senegal..
- CPI 25.5 · Rent index 15.3 · PP 20.2
- Currency: XOF
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆ Regional estimation
FAQ
How much rent should I expect in Dakar?
A reference 1-bedroom city-centre apartment averages about CFA 323,442 XOF per month. Outer districts and shared flats can price lower; tourist cores can price higher.
What salary is needed to live in Dakar?
Reference net salary is about CFA 756,450 XOF. Stress-test against the CFA 323,442 XOF 1BR centre benchmark plus utilities and transport before treating the average as “enough.”
Is Dakar good for students?
Students should prioritize housing: the 1BR centre reference is CFA 323,442 XOF. Shared housing and campus location can change budgets substantially versus that headline.
Is Dakar good for families?
Families should model 2–3BR rents, schooling, and healthcare separately — those verified datasets are not attached on this page. Use CPI 25.5 and salary/rent as starting anchors only.
Can a remote worker live affordably in Dakar?
Remote workers often optimize for CPI (25.5) and rent while earning elsewhere, but visas, tax residency, and connectivity are not verified facts on this page.
What currency is used in Dakar?
Dakar, Senegal figures on this page are shown in XOF (CFA).
How reliable is cost data for Dakar?
This page uses Regional with confidence label "★★★☆☆ Regional estimation". These values are estimated using state/regional baselines and city-tier adjustments. Optional domains without sources are omitted rather than invented.
Is Dakar cheaper than Dakar?
Open the side-by-side comparison for Dakar and Dakar for CPI, rent, and purchasing power. A single city page cannot settle pairwise rankings without the paired indices.
What is a realistic monthly budget in Dakar?
Start with centre 1BR rent (CFA 323,442), add utilities (CFA 18,482), transit, and groceries/dining. Compare the total with net salary CFA 756,450 and purchasing power 20.2.
How does Dakar compare on groceries and dining?
Groceries index 34.6, restaurant index 25. Sample milk CFA 293; inexpensive meal CFA 3,775 XOF.
Where can I compare Dakar with other cities?
Try Rome vs Dakar; Dakar vs Los Ángeles; Dakar vs San Francisco, or use the homepage calculator with any pair.
Planning a move to Dakar
Dakar, Dakar is best evaluated as rent-to-wage fit first, CPI second. With CPI 25.5, rent index 15.3, and purchasing power 20.2, decide which constraint binds your household—shelter, everyday prices, or local wages.
Next steps: run Dakar against your current city in the calculator, review related comparisons, and read Methodology for source tiers.
Dakar, Dakar, Senegal: CPI 25.5, rent index 15.3, purchasing power 20.2. 1BR centre rent ~CFA 323,442 XOF. Net salary ~CFA 756,450 XOF. Data: Regional.
Trust & data transparency
Last updated: 2026-08-21
Data Sources
This page uses CityCost index inputs. Platform sources (see also Data sources):
- Regional
- ★★★☆☆ Regional estimation
On-page labels for this view: Regional · ★★★☆☆ Regional estimation.
Methodology
Each indexed city is associated with a reference basket of common living costs (for example rent, groceries samples, transport tickets, utilities, restaurant meals, and net salary where available). From those items, the platform derives relative indices such as CPI, rent, groceries, restaurants, and local purchasing power, using New York City = 100 as the familiar baseline convention for relative comparison.