Cost of Living in Goma, 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

Researched Updated Oct 25, 2026 Last changed Oct 31, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing 1 10 5 $1,200 $500 $500 $300 $120

Utilities 1 10 — $180 $320 $120 —

Internet & Mobile 11 3 1 $72 $88 $115 $59 $3

Groceries 1 5 $122 $200 $389 $116 $9

Transportation 5 1 $150 $200 $350 $35 $18

Dining Out 1 5 $580 $280 $420 $65 $42

Leisure Activities 5 $95 $110 $180 $30 $25

Health Insurance 6 $67 $120 $280 $15 —

Visa & Legal Fees 7 8 $25 $35 $50 — —

Total $2,311 $1,713 $2,604 $740 $217

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Clothing

Running Shoes — per pair

Jeans — per pair

Summer Dress — per dress

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) 1 5 $300.00 $280 – $500 per month

Coworking Space 5 $150.00 per month

Airbnb (1 month) 1 10 $1,200.00 $838 – $2,591 per month

Coliving Space 5 1 $600.00 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee 1 5 $2.79 per cup

Beer 1 5 $2.02 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) 1 5 $4.80 per meal

Fast Food Combo 5 1 $9.00 per meal

Apples 1 5 $1.82 per kg

Bread 1 5 $1.42 per loaf

Milk 1 5 $1.15 per liter

Rice 1 5 $1.60 per kg

Chicken Fillets 1 5 $3.78 per kg

Beef 1 5 $5.00 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) 1 5 $10.12 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 1 5 $25.50 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) 1 5 $0.70 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start 5 $2.20 per trip

Taxi per km 5 $0.55 per km

Monthly Transport Pass 5 $18.00 per month

Gasoline 2 $1.14 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) 5 $5.00 per trip

Scooter Rental 5 $35.00 per month

Services

Mobile Plan 11 3 $10.00 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) 11 12 $49.00 per month

Gym Membership 1 10 $22.50 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) 10 5 $25.00 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 11 9 $2.50 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket — per ticket

Personal Care

Haircut 5 $8.00 per visit

Laundry 5 $3.00 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) 13 14 $25.00 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) 1 5 $1.74 per purchase

About these costs

Method: Researched
Last updated: Oct 25, 2026
Last changed: Oct 31, 2026
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF on Oct 19, 2026

Checked against the sources below and compared with similar cities. Numbers in the list point to these sources.

Compared with Kinshasa, Hanoi, Nairobi, Kathmandu

Nomadlio Goma groceries, rent, utilities (updated 24 Oct 2026)Index
DRC gasoline 2,650 CDF/litre (19 Oct 2026)Index
Vodacom JS8 prepaid data bundles (Unités)Official
BCC indicative USD/CDF (country prep exchange rate 2265)Official
Wikivoyage Goma moto fares, Colibri/Salt & Pepper meals, lodgingSecondary
SafetyWing Essential USD 62.72 per 4 weeksOfficial
UK FCDO DRC visa requirementsOfficial
Wikivoyage DRC e-visa ~USD 300Secondary
Vodacom mandatory SIM registrationOfficial
Ihusi Hotel standard room USD 120/night; gym, tennis, Wi‑Fi includedListings
ARPTC 2026 fixed/mobile internet tariffs (GVA Canalbox, Vodacom 30‑day)Official
Canalbox Goma START USD 49/mo (10 Mbps); PREMIUM USD 89/mo (50 Mbps)Official
DRC private GP consultation ~55,000 CDF (~25 USD)Secondary
US Embassy Goma clinic directory (Heal Africa, CIMAK)Official

Change history

Oct 31, 2026
- Method Generated Researched
- Airbnb (1 month) 1987.75 1200
- Apartment (1 bedroom) 662.58 300
- Apples 5.3 1.82
- Beef 7.95 5
- Beer 1.99 2.02
40 more changes
- Bread 0.8 1.42
- Chicken Fillets 9.28 3.78
- Cinema Ticket 13.25 not set
- Coffee 3.98 2.79
- Coliving Space 927.62 600
- Coworking Space 198.78 150
- Dining Out local 58.53, nomad 702.34, expat 292.64, family 351.17, tourist 70.23 local 65, nomad 580, expat 280, family 420, tourist 42
- Doctor Visit (GP) 39.76 25
- Fast Food Combo 13.25 9
- Gasoline 1.86 1.14
- Groceries local 210.7, nomad 117.06, expat 409.7, family 819.4, tourist 0 local 116, nomad 122, expat 200, family 389, tourist 9.4
- Gym Membership 79.51 22.5
- Haircut 10.6 8
- Health Insurance local 11.71, nomad 70.23, expat 105.35, family 234.11, tourist 0 local 15, nomad 67.2, expat 120, family 280, tourist 0
- Housing local 234.11, nomad 936.45, expat 585.28, family 1053.51, tourist 117.06 local 300, nomad 1200, expat 500, family 500, tourist 120
- Internet & Mobile local 17.56, nomad 81.94, expat 70.23, family 93.65, tourist 5.85 local 59, nomad 72, expat 88, family 115, tourist 2.8
- Internet (60 Mbps+) 159.02 49
- Jeans 39.76 not set
- Laundry 19.88 3
- Leisure Activities local 23.41, nomad 140.47, expat 175.58, family 234.11, tourist 46.82 local 30, nomad 95, expat 110, family 180, tourist 25
- Meal (Inexpensive) 6.63 4.8
- Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) 53.01 25.5
- Milk 2.65 1.15
- Mobile Plan 33.13 10
- Monthly Transport Pass 46.38 18
- Pharmacy (basic meds) 7.95 1.74
- Rice 1.86 1.6
- Ride-hailing (5km) 8.83 5
- Running Shoes 106.01 not set
- SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) 6.63 2.5
- Scooter Rental 26.5 35
- Summer Dress 33.13 not set
- Taxi Start 2.65 2.2
- Taxi per km 1.33 0.55
- Tennis Court (Weekend) 19.88 25
- Transportation local 52.68, nomad 175.58, expat 234.11, family 409.7, tourist 23.41 local 35, nomad 150, expat 200, family 350, tourist 18
- Utilities local 29.26, nomad 87.79, expat 117.06, family 175.58, tourist 0 local 120, nomad 0, expat 180, family 320, tourist 0
- Visa & Legal Fees local 0, nomad 117.06, expat 70.23, family 140.47 local 0, nomad 25, expat 35, family 50
- Water (1.5L bottle) 1.1 0.7
- Wine (Mid-range) 19.88 10.12
Cinema Ticket — removed USD 10 estimate (lint: estimates not allowed on this line); no Goma tariff verified (cinemas10.com).

Goma cost of living