Congo, Brazzaville

Overview

Congo, Brazzaville 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 Republic of the Congo is in Western Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon. The climate is tropical with a rainy season and a dry season but persistent high temperatures and humidity all year round.

The official language is French in business. Kongo/Kituba and Lingala are the other two regional language. The main religions are Christianity and indigenous African beliefs.

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.

In the Congo, business culture is influenced by French traditions. French is the language of business. Expatriate business dress is relatively formal. Expatriate businesswomen may find their local (mostly male) counterparts may not respect them in business negotiations, however there is respect for job titles which should be clearly established in advance.

The security risk for expatriates in the Congo is medium, but high for the Pool region bordering the DRC. Risks include petty theft, armed crime, as well as violent crime, especially in the Pool region.

The currency of the Congo is the CFA Franc BEAC (XAF).

Medical facilities are extremely limited, particularly in rural areas, and medical evacuation is likely to be necessary for all but the most basic treatments. Outbreaks of Ebola have occurred. Don’t eat bush meat as this is widely thought to be responsible for a number of diseases, including Ebola.

The population of Brazzaville is 1.8 Million (2019 est.), while the inflation rate (CPI) is 3.8% for Congo as at August 2019.

Xpatulator Hypothetical Tax for the Congo is based on the current personal income tax rates which are progressive up to 40%. A tax rate of 20% is applicable on salaries for duties performed in the Republic of Congo by foreign employees seconded to work in the Republic of Congo for limited periods.

Cost Of Living

The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Brazzaville as at 1 October 2019 is very high in comparison to other places in the world.

We have collected prices for the same items, world wide, and converted them to $USD so that we can compare the cost of 13 different baskets in 780 global locations. For each basket, compared to New York, the equivalent cost in Brazzaville is as follows:
1) Alcohol (where available) & Tobacco: for items such as beer, spirits, wine and tobacco related products such as cigarettes. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$760
2) Clothing: for items such as business, casual and children's clothing and footwear. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$500
3) Communication: for various communication costs such as home telephone rental, internet subscription, mobile service provider tariff and data costs. A basket costing USD$200 in New York costs USD$434
4) Education: for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. A basket costing USD$30000 in New York costs USD$32100
5) Furniture & Appliances: for items such as dining table and chairs, home entertainment, kitchen appliances, and sofas. A basket costing USD$2500 in New York costs USD$3125
6) Groceries: for items such as consumables, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruit & vegetables, general food products, snacks, soft drinks. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$1330
7) Healthcare: for general heath care, doctor visits, hospital stays, non-prescription medicine, and medical insurance. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$820
8) Household Accommodation: for items such as apartment rent, house rent, property purchase, mortgage rate, and utilities. A basket costing USD$5000 in New York costs USD$2050
9) Miscellaneous: for items such as dry cleaning, linen, magazines, newspapers, office supplies, and postage stamps. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$455
10) Personal Care: for items such as cosmetics, hair care, and toiletries. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$415
11) Recreation & Culture: for items such as books, cinema, sport and theatre tickets. A basket costing USD$500 in New York costs USD$520
12) Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: for items such as hotel daily room rates, meals and beverages in a restaurant, and take away food and beverages. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$710
13) Transport: for items such as fuel (petrol/gasoline), car hire, public transport, vehicle purchase and maintenance. A basket costing USD$1000 in New York costs USD$1390

Brazzaville is 107% more expensive than Houston TX for groceries, -2.8% cheaper for household costs than Kuala Lumpur, and 136% more expensive for transport costs than Dubai.

Brazzaville is ranked as a extreme hardship location.

The hardship premium for Brazzaville for an expat from Perth, is for example 30%, i.e. host location (Brazzaville) premium of 40% minus home (Perth) location premium of 10%.

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The cost of living for expatriates / professional migrants in Brazzaville as at 1 October 2019 is very high in comparison to other places in the world.

Brazzaville is ranked as a extreme hardship location.