UN FS-4 Salary — Cotonou, Benin

What an internationally recruited Field Service (FS-4) earns at the UN in Cotonou — the global net base salary plus this duty station’s 33% post adjustment and the hardship, danger and non-family allowances on top.

Hardship Category B Post Adjustment % 33.2 Cost of living 34 (US=100) HDI Rank #173

FS-4 salary — Cotonou, at a glance

Internationally recruited Field Service (FS) — the UN’s worldwide FS scale plus this station’s post adjustment. Recruited locally? See the GS/NO local scale.

USD 73,320
Net rem · step 1
USD 83,582
Net rem · mid
USD 93,849
Net rem · top step
USD Post adjustment +33% 13 steps Hardship B January 2026 Checked Nov 7, 2026

Net remuneration = net base + 33% post adjustment (net base USD 55,045–USD 70,457), before hardship/danger allowances and pension.

FS-4 salary scale — by step

Worldwide Field Service net base (UN OneHR), effective January 2026, with the 33% post adjustment for Cotonou. Per year, USD.

StepNet basePost adj (+33%)Net remunerationEst. take-home
Step 1USD 55,045USD 18,275USD 73,320USD 61,668
Step 2USD 56,337USD 18,704USD 75,041USD 63,104
Step 3USD 57,620USD 19,130USD 76,750USD 64,530
Step 4USD 58,901USD 19,555USD 78,456USD 65,953
Step 5USD 60,185USD 19,981USD 80,166USD 67,380
Step 6USD 61,468USD 20,407USD 81,875USD 68,805
Step 7USD 62,749USD 20,833USD 83,582USD 70,224
Step 8USD 64,037USD 21,260USD 85,297USD 71,649
Step 9USD 65,320USD 21,686USD 87,006USD 73,068
Step 10USD 66,606USD 22,113USD 88,719USD 74,490
Step 11USD 67,889USD 22,539USD 90,428USD 75,909
Step 12USD 69,131USD 22,951USD 92,082USD 77,283
Step 13USD 70,457USD 23,392USD 93,849USD 78,750

Est. take-home deducts a 7.9% UNJSPF pension and an indicative 2.5% medical premium. Indicative — the estimator below computes single/dependency rates and your exact deductions.

On top of base salary — Cotonou

Allowances an internationally recruited FS-4 may receive at this duty station. Annual USD unless noted.

Post adjustmentCost-of-living multiplier on net base+33%
Hardship allowanceICSC category BUSD 6,110
Mobility incentiveFrom the 2nd assignment onwardUSD 6,900 +
Danger paySecurity-risk designationNot a danger-pay station
Non-family allowanceWhen dependants may not accompany staffFamily duty station
Spouse / single-parent allowanceDependent spouse, or first child if a single parent+6% of net remuneration
Child allowancePer dependent child (flat rate)USD 2,929 / child
See these allowances explained in full — Cotonou, plus cost of living & relocation
Your Take-Home Pay — Benin

An estimate for a UN post at Cotonou, Benin — for internationally recruited staff (Professional P / D, in US dollars) or locally recruited staff (General Service / National Officer, local scale).

{{ unmatched }} is not a UN salary grade, so the figures below are not for it — the calculator has fallen back to its default. Pick a grade above, or see contract types and what they pay.
You must already have 5 years’ continuous UN service to qualify, and it applies from your 2nd duty station onward. Paid for up to 5 years at any one station.
Net remuneration (base + post adj.)
{{ money((netBase + postAdj) / divisor) }} / {{ periodWord }}
Gross base salary{{ money(grossBase / divisor) }}
Staff assessment (internal tax)− {{ money(staffAssessment / divisor) }}
Net base salary{{ money(netBase / divisor) }}
Post adjustment ({{ station.multiplier }}%)+ {{ money(postAdj / divisor) }}
Net remuneration{{ money((netBase + postAdj) / divisor) }}
Spouse allowance (6%)+ {{ money(spouseAllow / divisor) }}
Single-parent allowance (6%)+ {{ money(singleParentAllow / divisor) }}
Hardship allowance (cat {{ station.hardship }})+ {{ money(hardshipAllow / divisor) }}
Danger pay+ {{ money(dangerAllow / divisor) }}
Non-family allowance+ {{ money(nonFamilyAllow / divisor) }}
Mobility allowance ({{ assignments }} assignments)+ {{ money(mobilityAllow / divisor) }}
Child allowance ({{ children }})+ {{ money(childAllow / divisor) }}
Secondary dependant+ {{ money(secondaryAllow / divisor) }}
Pension contribution (7.9%)− {{ money(pension / divisor) }}
Health insurance *− {{ money(medical / divisor) }}
Estimated take-home{{ money(takeHome / divisor) }}
Field Service net base: UN OneHR scale effective January 2026. The pension line uses pensionable remuneration derived from the ICSC Professional scale (FS figures are no longer published).
Net salary (local scale)
{{ localMoney(gsNet / divisor) }} / {{ periodWord }}
{{ gsLoading ? LOADING : '' }}
On the local GS/NO scale, in CFA, for {{ gDisp(gsGradeLabel) }}, {{ stepLabel(gsStep) }} (locally recruited staff). No post adjustment. Dependency & language allowances are <b>additional</b>.

* Health insurance is indicative only — real premiums vary by organization, plan (medical and dental are billed separately) and coverage option. The ~2.5% shown is a placeholder, not a quote.

Indicative estimate — excludes rental subsidy, education grant and settling-in. Professional (P/D) and Field Service (FS) pay is in US dollars; GS/NO on the local scale in local currency. For information only — not official advice.

Other Professional grades — Cotonou

Same duty station, different grade — see the full scale for each.

FS-1 FS-2 FS-3 FS-5 FS-6 FS-7

UN jobs — Cotonou (5 open)

Enabel Assistant.te de directionEnabel · Unspecified Enabel Assistant.te de directionEnabel · Unspecified UNICEF Programme Assistant (G-5), FT, #058666, Cotonou, Benin - WCARUNICEF · G-5 World Bank Investment Officer, InfrastructureWorld Bank · GG Afreximbank Relationship Manager - ARISE Implant (China Corridor)Afreximbank · Unspecified View all UN jobs — Cotonou

Frequently asked

What is the FS-4 salary at the UN in Cotonou?

A Field Service FS-4 in Cotonou, Benin has a net base salary of about USD 55,045 (step 1) to USD 70,457 (top step). With the 33% post adjustment for this duty station, net remuneration is roughly USD 73,210 to USD 93,708 per year, before hardship, danger and other allowances.

How does post adjustment work for a FS-4 in Cotonou?

Post adjustment equalises purchasing power across duty stations. In Cotonou it is about 33% of net base salary, added on top — so the same FS-4 net base is worth more or less depending on the station’s cost of living.

What is the cost of living in Cotonou, Benin?

Everyday prices in Benin are roughly 34% of United States levels (World Bank price level index, US = 100). Post adjustment is designed to offset this. For internationally recruited (P/D) staff, our Real UN Purchasing Power estimate for Cotonou is 113/100 (New York = 100) — net pay (base + post adjustment) stretches about 13% further here than in New York.

See the Real UN Purchasing Power — Cotonou
These are UN common-system pay figures. The World Bank, IMF and NGOs and other non-UN employers posting here set their own pay — a role here does not guarantee these figures.

Salary & Benefits Tools

Pay Stack calculatorThe full take-home tool — any duty station, every allowance, built layer by layer UN salary scales by grade Post adjustment explained UN contracts & grade levels
Advertisement