Congo, Brazzaville

Country Full Name: Republic of the Congo.

Location: The Republic of the Congo is in Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon.

Country Climate: Tropical; rainy season (March to June); dry season (June to October); persistent high temperatures and humidity; particularly enervating climate astride the Equator.

Country Terrain: Coastal plain, southern basin, central plateau, northern basin.

Major Languages: French, indigenous African languages.

Major Religions: Christianity, indigenous African beliefs.

Population: 1.5 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of the Republic of the Congo is a mixture of village agriculture and handicrafts, an industrial sector based largely on petroleum extraction, support services, and a government characterized by budget problems and overstaffing. The Congo's growing petroleum sector is by far the country's major revenue earner.

Currency: CFA Franc BEAC (XAF).

Inflation: 5.2% (2011 est.).

Brazzaville is the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo.

Over a third of the population of the Republic of Congo lives in the capital, and it is home to 40% of non-agricultural employment. It is also a financial and administrative capital. Industries present in Brazzaville include: machine shops, textiles, tanning, and manufacturing. As a key port on the Congo River, the city takes deliveries of raw materials, such as: rubber, wood and agricultural products. From here they are generally sent onward to Pointe-Noire for export.

The cost of living in Brazzaville in the Congo is in the middle compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Brazzaville in the Congo is currently ranked 426 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are low compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 489 places that are more expensive, and 290 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are very low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 641 places that are more expensive, and 138 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very low compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 698 places that are more expensive, and 81 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are average compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 430 places that are more expensive, and 349 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are very high compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 47 places that are more expensive, and 732 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are very high compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 72 places that are more expensive, and 707 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 493 places that are more expensive, and 286 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very low compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 769 places that are more expensive, and 10 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are very low compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 676 places that are more expensive, and 103 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are high compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 207 places that are more expensive, and 572 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are very high compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 152 places that are more expensive, and 627 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are high compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 207 places that are more expensive, and 572 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are high compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 207 places that are more expensive, and 572 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Brazzaville in the Congo are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Brazzaville in the Congo is ranked as extreme hardship with a hardship index of 40%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Brazzaville in the Congo are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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