Budget estimate
Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Ref.
- BCA-20260825-819432
- Issue
- 1
- Prices dated
- 2026-08-25
Start from your drawings
Drop in your architect’s drawings: areas, storeys, heights and walls are measured and carried into the form.
PDF or images (JPEG, PNG, WebP), 10 files at most.
Project
Reference city. Sustained mining demand and a chronic cement shortage: building here costs more than in Kinshasa.
The sum of every storey, measured over the walls.
m²
Stacking storeys lowers the cost per m²: less foundation and less roof.
Each additional bathroom adds to the plumbing.
Specification and materials
Structure
Driven entirely by the ground. On sandy, sloping or low-lying sites a soil survey is not optional.
Stable bearing ground. The most common solution in the DRC.
The 15 cm block is the DRC load-bearing standard. The 10 cm block is for partitions only.
The standard load-bearing wall unit in the DRC, for one or two storeys.
A column-and-beam frame is the norm above one storey, or wherever you want large openings.
Concrete frame with block infill. The regional standard.
A ventilated void protects against rising damp, which is common in the rainy season.
Slab cast on compacted hardcore. The cheapest option.
Envelope
A flat slab lets you add a storey later, but costs close to double a sheet roof.
The most widespread solution in the DRC: light, quick to fix, cheap.
Security grilles are included in every option, as they are the norm in the DRC.
Cheapest. Needs regular maintenance and termite treatment.
Double glazing only pays off alongside permanent air conditioning.
The local standard.
Finishes
Under a sheet roof, the ceiling is what makes the difference to thermal comfort.
The common, economical solution.
Ceramic tiling dominates; a smoothed screed is still common in self-build.
The default choice, wide price range.
Wet-room tiling is counted separately from the general wall treatment.
The standard, inside and out.
Services
The public network is intermittent in most neighbourhoods: plan for storage.
Full independence. The most widespread solution outside the city centre.
There is almost no sewer network in the DRC: a septic tank is the rule.
The normal solution for a house.
A solar water heater pays back quickly wherever power is dear or scarce.
Common in economy housing.
A good ceiling and cross-ventilation often beat an undersized air-conditioning system.
Cheap and very effective in this climate.
A grid connection alone is rarely enough: outages are a daily event across most of the countries covered.
Changeover, batteries and priority circuits.
Site and delivery
Slope, water, rock and fill: the four things that blow a foundation budget.
Minimal earthworks.
If a lorry cannot unload on the plot, everything is carried by hand.
Delivery at the work face.
Self-building saves the contractor’s margin, at the cost of your time and the risk.
A single point of contact, 10–20% margin.
Options and extras
Swimming poolRequires « Premium »Concrete pool, filtration, coping and plant room.
LandscapingRequires « Premium »Garden, paving, irrigation and external lighting.
Budget assumptions
10% is the sensible minimum in the major cities, 15% in the provinces.
Tick this if you are using a formal contractor who charges VAT.
Leave at 0% if you are budgeting your own project, because the base rates already include a builder’s margin. Only turn it on if you are pricing a client quotation.
Site conditions
Labour is the softest number in the estimate. These three choices genuinely move it, and they compound: a site with no supervision, learning the technique, and hard to reach costs far more than the three penalties added together.
Custom line items
Add anything this tool does not know about: an unusual material, a firm supplier quotation, a one-off item. Your lines follow contingency, margin and VAT like every other.
Labour, plant, transport and fees
The rate per m² used here already includes all four: the figures below show what it assumes. If you have a real quotation, enter it and it will replace the estimate.
- LabourIncluded in the rate
The people who build it: labourers, masons, carpenters, steelfixers, electricians, plumbers, tilers, painters and the site foreman.
estimated at $18,000What this covers
- Day rates at the country’s statutory minima
- Site supervision
- Social and payroll charges
Enter the total labour figure from your quotation, charges included, for the whole build.
- Plant and equipmentIncluded in the rate
Equipment hired or written down on site, and the fuel that runs it.
estimated at $4,000What this covers
- Mixer, poker vibrator, pump
- Scaffolding and formwork
- Site generator and fuel
- Earthmoving plant, crane where needed
Add up hire charges, fuel, and depreciation on plant you already own.
- Transport and deliveryIncluded in the rate
Getting materials to site, including the last kilometre, which is often the dearest.
estimated at $7,000What this covers
- Road, river or rail freight
- Handling at both ends
- Customs clearance and agent fees on imports
- Breakage and loss in transit
Enter the total delivery figure from your supplier quotations, clearance included if you import.
- Professional fees and chargesIncluded in the rate
What you pay to be allowed to build and to have it properly designed. Nearly all of it falls due before the first block is laid.
estimated at $7,000What this covers
- Architect, structural and services engineer, quantity surveyor
- Building permit, cadastre, notary
- Electricity and water connections, only where a network actually exists
- Soil tests and concrete cube testing
- Insurance and bonds
Add up signed fee letters and any charges the commune has already quoted you.
Your figure replaces the estimate rather than adding to it, otherwise you would pay for the same item twice. Leave blank anything you do not know.
Saved projects
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Every figure is recalculated now, at today’s prices. Nothing is frozen at the moment it was saved.
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Your supplier prices
The prices below are market averages. If you have your own suppliers or crews, replace them: your rates are saved in this browser and reused on every visit.
Base rate per m² (USD / m²)
Supplier prices (USD)
Initial verification, per circuit (IEC 60364-6)
per circuit
Isolation valve, per fixture
per valve
Wall coping
per metre
Damp-proof course
per metre
Gate lock and drop bolt
per set
Formwork, per m² of contact area
per m² formed
Binding wire (for tying reinforcement)
per kg
Weep hole (75 mm PVC sleeve through the wall)
per weep hole
Filter fabric (behind the wall)
per m²
Concrete curing (sheeting and water, 7 days)
per m² of surface
Movement joint (backer rod and sealant)
per metre
Consumer unit, per way (three phase)
per way
Supply cable (3 × 10 mm²)
per metre
Copper supply pipe (ø 22)
per metre
Pressure PVC supply pipe (ø 25)
per metre
Stair nosing (aluminium or PVC)
per metre
Exterior paint (20 L drum)
per drum
Primer or sealer (20 L drum)
per drum
Door ironmongery (lock, handle, 3 hinges)
per set
Electrical point, surface mounted
per point
Ridge capping (pre-folded)
per metre
Roofing fixings (box of 100)
per box of 100
Gutter
per metre
Rainwater downpipe
per metre
Supply pipe (PPR ø 25)
per metre
Waste pipe (PVC ø 110)
per metre
Stair balustrade
per metre
Skirting
per metre
Water tank, per litre
per litre
Submersible pump
per unit
Tank tower, per metre of height
per metre
Burglar bar
per m²
Consumer unit, per way
per way
Earth electrode
per installation
Supply cable (4 × 10 mm²)
per metre
Electric water heater, per litre
per litre of capacity
Solar water heater, per litre
per litre of capacity
Gas instantaneous water heater
per appliance
PVC ceiling panelling
per m²
Plasterboard, 13 mm
per m²
Generator, per kVA
per kVA
Solar photovoltaic, per Wp
per Wp
Battery, per nominal kWh
per kWh
Hand-drilled borehole, per metre (to 40 m)
per metre
Rig-drilled borehole, per metre (beyond 40 m)
per metre
Plumbing point (WC + basin)
per point
Sanitary ware (WC pan, basin, taps)
per set
Electrical point (socket or light)
per point
Steel door with frame
per door
Timber door with frame
per door
Glazed aluminium window
per m²
Louvre window (naco)
per m²
Grey cement (50 kg bag)
per bag
Steel reinforcement bar
per tonne
Structural steel section (IPE, HEA)
per tonne
Cement block 15 × 20 × 40
each
Cement block 10 × 20 × 40
each
Cement block 15 × 20 × 40
each
Cement block 20 × 20 × 40
each
Half block 15 × 20 × 20
each
Half block 20 × 20 × 20
each
Hollow block 25 × 20 × 40
each
Solid block 15 × 20 × 40
each
Compressed stabilised earth block
each
Fired clay brick
each
Corrugated fibre-cement sheet
per sheet
Sun-dried earth brick
per brick
Rubble stone
per m³
Scaffolding, erect and hire
per m² of elevation
Slab propping
per m² of soffit
Setting out
per metre of perimeter
Mixing water, delivered
per m³ of concrete or mortar
Hand excavation, ordinary ground
per m³
Washed crushed sand, Katonto (0/5)
per m³
River sand
per m³
Crushed gravel
per m³
Structural timber
per m³
Galvanised roofing sheet (2.40 × 0.90 m)
per sheet
Roof tile
each
Polythene DPM sheet (300 µm)
per m²
Damp proof course roll (230 mm)
per linear metre
SBS bitumen membrane, 4 mm
per m²
Liquid waterproof coating (per coat)
per m² per coat
Tanking slurry, per kg
per kg
Floor tiles
per m²
Tile adhesive (25 kg bag)
per bag
Tile grout
per kg
Acrylic paint (20 L drum)
per drum
Labour rates (USD)
General labourer
per day
Mason
per day
Carpenter
per day
Steel fixer
per day
Electrician
per day
Plumber
per day
Painter
per day
Tiler
per day
Site foreman
per day
Options you chose (USD)
Boundary wall and gate
each
Most likely budget
$120,000
Range: $81,000 – $158,000
- Cost per m²
- $1,000
- Indicative duration
- 38 weeks
- Live exchange rate
- 1 USD = 2,291 FC
How this number is built
- Base rate per m²
- $590 – $1,100
- City factor
- × 1.00
- Project type factor
- × 1.00
- Storeys
- 1
How this figure was reached
This budget starts from a cost per m² for "Standard", adjusted for Kolwezi, for the building type and for a single storey, then adds your options and a contingency. Structural quantities and member sizes follow the Eurocodes; prices, lead times and risks follow Congolese reality. Every price on the site says whether it is sourced, computed or estimated.
What we make of it
Savings identified $1,400
1 thing to settle before costing this seriously, and about $1,420 of savings identified.
- To settleNo water solution in the budget
Intermittent or absent in most neighbourhoods: a borehole and tank are the rule, not the exception. A borehole and tank are the rule, not an option, and retrofitting them costs more than designing them in now.
- SavingBuy floor tiles via Kasumbalesa (Zambian border)−$720
Delivered to site this route costs $11.21 against $16.92 locally, roughly $719 on this project. Lead time 2–7 days.
- SavingBuy steel reinforcement bar via Kasumbalesa (Zambian border)−$440
Delivered to site this route costs $686.70 against $925.00 locally, roughly $443 on this project. Lead time 2–7 days.
- SavingBuy galvanised roofing sheet (2.40 × 0.90 m) via Kasumbalesa (Zambian border)−$170
Delivered to site this route costs $16.41 against $19.06 locally, roughly $165 on this project. Lead time 2–7 days.
- SavingBuy structural timber via Kasumbalesa (Zambian border)−$92
Delivered to site this route costs $305.49 against $331.11 locally, roughly $92 on this project. Lead time 2–7 days.
- WatchCheck the damp proof course is in the quotation+$130
About 63 m of wall to treat at 150 mm above finished ground (EN 14967), roughly $133. It is the most expensive saving in building: without it damp climbs the masonry and you re-render and repaint the whole house after one wet season.
- WatchSand and aggregate quality
River sand delivered here often carries silt, clay or, near the coast, salt. Silt stops cement paste bonding and salt corrodes reinforcement from the inside. Do the jar test before accepting a load: sand and water in a jar, left to settle for an hour; more than 5% of fines sitting above the sand and you refuse the truck or have it washed. It is the commonest reason concrete never reaches its strength, and it is invisible at the pour.
- WatchUnproven ground
Without a soil test the bearing capacity used here is an assumption, and so is the footing priced from it. Two hand-dug trial pits and a penetrometer cost a few hundred dollars; underpinning a cracked house costs tens of thousands. Dig at least 1.5 m below the intended founding level, and be wary of fill: many urban plots are old gullies that were tipped into.
- WatchCurrency risk over a long build
Materials are quoted in dollars while wages and much local work are paid in local currency. Over a twelve to eighteen month build, a slide in the rate moves the budget without anything changing on site. Two simple protections: buy the heavy items early rather than spreading them, and agree the currency and the reference rate with the contractor in the contract, not at payment time.
- Good to knowBorehole: 40 to 90 m, 2,000 L tank+$10,500
For 5 people, 650 L a day with two days of storage. The pump works against 120 m of head including drawdown and the tower, about 0.06 kW. Drilling is estimated at $5,000 to $15,750. Ask what depth the neighbour’s borehole hit: it beats any table.
- Good to knowCement, sand, gravel and blocks: buy in Kolwezi
Masonry materials are bought where you build. Long-haul freight overtakes the price gap quickly, bags break or get wet in transit, and it is the local merchant who will cover you on the next hundred bags. The prices used here are Kolwezi prices.
- Good to knowWeigh this against the market before you start
Your estimate comes to $996 per m². On the Congolese market this kind of property changes hands between $500 and $3,636 per m² finished (listing analysis, August 2025). The two figures are not directly comparable: a sale price carries the land, the connections, the permits and a developer’s margin, none of which is in a build cost. Your cost sits near the top of the market range. Not necessarily wrong, but check the finish level you chose before you commit.
- Good to knowGenerator: 15 kVA
Maximum demand 8.0 kVA plus a starting margin gives the standard 15 kVA rating. Estimated consumption 25 kWh a day. Cheapest is the chinese (entry level) route, from $3,300.
- Good to knowSeptic tank: 3.0 m³, drainage field 55 m²
For 5 people, per EN 12566-1, giving 138 hours of retention. The field is sized for loam, and it is the field that fails, not the tank. Run a percolation test before siting the house: on clay no soakaway will hold and you will need a sand filter or a package plant. Allow the space on the site plan from the start.
- Good to knowThe wages used are the legal minima
The day rates in this tool come from the statutory scale (décret n° 25/22), category by category. A quotation that goes below them is not cheaper, it is unlawful, and the exposure is yours.
These remarks are computed from your choices and the country data. They do not depend on any external service.
Budget split by trade
$109,000Total budget
| Item | Share | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design, drawings and permitsArchitect, working drawings, soil survey and building permit. | 4% | $2,850 | $4,000 | $5,200 |
| Earthworks and foundationsClearing, excavation, footings, ground beam and ground-bearing slab. | 13% | $9,200 | $13,000 | $17,000 |
| Masonry and structureCement blocks, reinforced concrete columns and beams, ring beams, floor slabs. | 22% | $15,500 | $22,000 | $28,500 |
| Roof structure and coveringTimber or steel roof structure, sheet or tile covering, gutters and downpipes. | 11% | $7,800 | $11,000 | $14,500 |
| Doors and windowsDoors, windows, glazing, security grilles and ironmongery. | 9% | $6,350 | $9,000 | $11,500 |
| Plumbing and sanitary wareSupply and waste pipework, septic tank, sanitary fittings, water tank. | 8% | $5,650 | $8,000 | $10,500 |
| Electrical installationWiring, distribution board, sockets and light points, earthing, connection. | 7% | $4,950 | $7,000 | $9,050 |
| Plaster, screed and floor finishesInternal and external plaster, screeds, floor tiling and wall tiling. | 13% | $9,200 | $13,000 | $17,000 |
| Painting and final finishesPreparation, primer, internal and external paint, final clean. | 7% | $4,950 | $7,000 | $9,050 |
| External worksYard, driveway, drainage, water and power connections at the plot boundary. | 6% | $4,250 | $6,000 | $7,800 |
| Works subtotal | $71,000 | $100,000 | $130,000 | |
- Boundary wall and gate
- $8,500
- Contingency and site risk
- $11,000
Total$120,000