UN P-1 Salary in Cotonou, Benin

What an internationally recruited Professional (P-1) 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
Jobs 4 Salary & Benefits Living & Relocation

P-1 salary in Cotonou — at a glance

Internationally recruited Professional & Director (P/D) — the global USD scale plus this station's post adjustment. Recruited locally? See the GS/NO local scale.

USD 58,387
Net rem · step 1
USD 68,898
Net rem · mid
USD 79,410
Net rem · top step
USD Post adjustment +33% 13 steps Hardship B January 2026

Net remuneration = net base + 33% post adjustment (net base USD 43,834–USD 59,617), before hardship/danger allowances and pension.

P-1 salary scale — by step

Global net base (un_scale), effective January 2026, with the 33% post adjustment for Cotonou. Per year, USD.

StepNet basePost adj (+33%)Net remunerationEst. take-home
Step 1USD 43,834USD 14,553USD 58,387USD 49,210
Step 2USD 45,150USD 14,990USD 60,140USD 50,672
Step 3USD 46,465USD 15,426USD 61,891USD 52,134
Step 4USD 47,780USD 15,863USD 63,643USD 53,595
Step 5USD 49,094USD 16,299USD 65,393USD 55,055
Step 6USD 50,412USD 16,737USD 67,149USD 56,520
Step 7USD 51,725USD 17,173USD 68,898USD 57,979
Step 8USD 53,041USD 17,610USD 70,651USD 59,441
Step 9USD 54,356USD 18,046USD 72,402USD 60,903
Step 10USD 55,673USD 18,483USD 74,156USD 62,366
Step 11USD 56,986USD 18,919USD 75,905USD 63,825
Step 12USD 58,300USD 19,356USD 77,656USD 65,285
Step 13USD 59,617USD 19,793USD 79,410USD 66,749

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 in Cotonou

Allowances an internationally recruited P-1 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 for Cotonou — plus cost of living & relocation
Your Take-Home in 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).

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) }} / {{ period=='month' ? 'mo' : 'yr' }}
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) }}
Net salary (local scale)
{{ localMoney(gsNet / divisor) }} / {{ period=='month' ? 'mo' : 'yr' }}
{{ gsLoading ? 'Loading take-home breakdown…' : '' }}
On the local GS/NO scale, in CFA, for {{ gDisp(gsGradeLabel) }}, step {{ gsStep }} (locally recruited staff). No post adjustment. Dependency & language allowances are additional.

* 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) pay is in US dollars; GS/NO on the local scale in local currency. For information only — not official advice.

Other Professional grades in Cotonou

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

P-2 P-3 P-4 P-5 D-1 D-2

UN jobs in Cotonou (4 open)

FHI 360 Senior Finance OfficerFHI 360 · Unspecified EBRD Analyst, ASBEBRD · Unspecified UNOPS Project Manager (Infrastructure)UNOPS · Mid Level EBRD Associate, Corporate ServicesEBRD · Unspecified View all UN jobs in Cotonou

Frequently asked

What is the P-1 salary at the UN in Cotonou?

A Professional P-1 in Cotonou, Benin has a net base salary of about USD 43,834 (step 1) to USD 59,617 (top step). With the 33% post adjustment for this duty station, net remuneration is roughly USD 58,299 to USD 79,291 per year, before hardship, danger and other allowances.

How does post adjustment work for a P-1 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 P-1 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 for Cotonou
These are UN common-system pay figures. The World Bank, IMF and NGOs and other non-UN employers posting in Cotonou 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