Central African Republic

Profiled in Bangui · Central Africa

2fit /10

A country of dense rainforest and savanna with extraordinary wildlife at Dzanga-Sangha, held back by decades of conflict and among the lowest development indicators on earth.

CapitalBangui
LanguageFrench and Sango
CurrencyCentral African CFA franc (XAF)
Population5.7M

Cost of living

What a month costs

$900Comfortable single
$2,000Family of four
$5001-bed, central
$7Casual meal

Bangui is expensive and supply-constrained, with goods arriving by road from Cameroon. Security arrangements dominate any foreign budget.

The scores

How it rates for a moving family

Safety1
Infrastructure1
English3
Kids’ schools2
Integration4
Healthcare1
Residency path3
Tax4
Climate6

See and do

Top 10 in Bangui

  1. Dzanga BaiForest clearing where hundreds of elephants gather daily.
  2. Chutes de BoaliFifty-metre falls on the Mbali river.
  3. Bangui CathedralNotre-Dame cathedral in the capital.
  4. Musée Barthélemy BogandaNational museum of ethnography in Bangui.
  5. Marché CentralBangui's main market.
  6. Manovo-Gounda St Floris National ParkUNESCO site, listed as in danger.
  7. Bouar MegalithsPrehistoric stone alignments in the west.
  8. Oubangui riverfrontThe waterfront facing Zongo in the DRC.

Where to go

Weekend escapes

  1. Dzanga-SanghaRainforest reserve with forest elephants and lowland gorillas.
  2. Chutes de BoaliWaterfall on the Mbali river, two hours from Bangui.
  3. Oubangui RiverRiver traffic and the border with the DRC.
  4. BouarMegalithic stone sites in the west.
  5. Manovo-Gounda St FlorisNorthern savanna park, a UNESCO site in danger.

Residency

Residence follows work permits, largely for diplomatic, mining and humanitarian personnel. There is no investor route, and much of the country is outside state control.

Tax

Personal rates reach high nominal levels and the corporate rate is 30%, with 19% VAT. Collection is limited in practice. There is no wealth or inheritance tax.

Curious what you would actually pay? See the Central African Republic tax profile: income, corporate, VAT and exit rules →

Nearby

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