Africa has a good number of expensive cities that are worthy of visiting and sightseeing.
Most of the cities discussed below made an appearance in the world statistics of the most expensive cities in the world.
Not just that, some of the cities also have recognition in Mercer FundWatch, a global ranking platform providing research and ratings on island nation ranking, expensive cities, and funds available to individual investors and financial advisors.
Here, we will round off the lists of expensive cities in Africa, why they are on the list and the cost of residing in such cities.
1. Victoria, Seychelles
Victoria is the largest city and the capital of Seychelles. It has a famous Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, which shows the pleasant mix of old and new Seychellois life.
Why Victoria, Seychelles is the most expensive city
Victoria, Seychelles is way too expensive to live in because they import almost every consumable from other countries.
To live comfortably in Victoria, Seychelles, your average monthly income without tax should fall around $543.19.
Property in Seychelles
The property in Victoria is quite expensive as a furnished two-bedroom house is around 1,852.89 US dollars, whereas one bedroom apartment is probably $964.65.
Restaurants in Victoria
Eating out average foods in Victoria restaurants is entirely costly given that a three-course meal with drink is about 70-80 US dollars.
While meal prices vary in Victoria Seychelles, breakfast costs are commonly slightly cheaper than lunch or dinner.
Clothing
Clothing in Victoria, Seychelles is pretty expensive because the city has a pair of jeans at 1,300 Rs, one summer dress at 1,420 Rs, a pair of sports shoes at 1,506 Rs, and men’s leather business at 1,572.
Landmarks in Victoria Seychelles
Victoria Seychelles’ top sights and attractions include Morne Blanc, Copolia Trail, Victoria market, Mission Lodge lookout, Arul Mihu temple, Victoria botanical gardens, etc.
2. N’Djamena, Chad
N’Djamena is the busiest and second most expensive city in Africa. Even though it is a landlocked nation, the cost of education, housing, entertainment, and foodstuff is pretty high.
Reason N’Djamena is expensive to live in.
The high prices in N’Djamena possibly arise from transportation costs and the absence of a Chadian middle class.
Another reason the city appears so expensive is that outsiders tend to live differently than the locals do, with limited accommodation and difficulty finding good ones.
Foodstuffs in N’Djamena
The price of foodstuffs, provisions, and groceries, including milk, tomato, apple, onion bread, cheese, potato, lettuce, etc., is high.
Meals in inexpensive restaurants is about 2,000 CFA, meal for two people in a mid-range restaurant is around 16,000 CFA, small size bottled water is likely to be 550.00 CFA, and Pepsi/coke small bottle is 1,083.33 CFA.
Housing in N’Djamena
The price for buying an apartment and renting is not the same though they are all notoriously expensive.
Buying a per square feet apartment in the city center is around 9,290.23, and per square feet apartment outside the city is 3,716.09 CFA.
At the same time, renting a one-bedroom apartment outside the city center is roughly 73,750 CFA and renting a three-bedroom apartment outside the city is 147,500 CFA.
Entertainment and leisure
Just as everything is costly in N’Djamena, Chad, entertainment, and leisure are not an exception to this high cost of living.
The monthly fee in a fitness club is 80,000 CFA, one-hour tennis court rent is 65,000 CFA, and provision of one seat in cinema for international release is 2,000 CFA.
3. Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos is a large city in Nigeria, African financial center, and economic hub of the continent and the nation.
Why Lagos is one of the expensive cities in Africa
The improvement of Lagos into a super-city and the springing up of numerous estates contributes to its expensiveness.
Cost of housing in Lagos city
Housing in Lagos is in high and popular demand due to its large population, geographic size, and status as its central business region.
A bedroom apartment in the city center is approximately ₦573,777.81, one-bedroom apartment outside the city is ₦298,846.15, three-bedroom apartment houses cost ₦1,954,020.30 and three bedrooms outside the town is ₦790, 337.97.
Property price in Lagos
The property or land in Lagos city is costly because there is constant demand, especially in areas closer to commercial and recreational activities hence;, there is an increase of price to record level by landowners.
Renting a square feet apartment in the city is almost ₦32,554.51, while in the suburbs is ₦14,477.27.
4. Kinshasa, DR Congo
Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo, is the consumer center of the country and the hub of commercial activity. It is the 4th most expensive city in Africa.
Reason Kinshasa is among the expensive cities.
The primary reason why Kinshasa, DR Congo, is named one of the expensive African cities is due to its poor infrastructure and cost of importing and transporting items.
Utility price in Kinshasa
The monthly utility bill in Kinshasa, Congo, is at an alarming rate. The basics like electricity, water, garbage, cooling, and heating for a 915 sq ft apartment is 447.00 $.
One minute of prepaid mobile tariff local [no discount or plans] is 0.28 $, and the internet [60 Mbps, unlimited data, Cable] is 225.00 $.
Education in Kinshasa
The monthly price of education in Kinshasa per child for kindergarten is 519.86 $, while international primary school per child yearly is 11,600.00 $.
5. Libreville, Gabon
Libreville is the capital city in Gabon that occupies about 65 square kilometers in the northwestern region of Estuaire.
Why Libreville Gabon is in the league of expensive African cities
The cause of high price and costly life in Libreville Gabon is due to the undersized supply of goods and accommodation that would be satisfactory to the aliens.
Leisure in Libreville
The monthly price of a fitness club per adult is 42,500 CFA, a one-hour tennis court game on the weekend is 10,000 CFA, and cinema per individual is 5,000 CFA.
Transportation in Libreville
The cost of local transportation is 200 CFA, the average tariff of taxis per mile is 1,609.34 CFA, and one gallon of gasoline is 2,719.19 CFA.
6. Bangui, Central African Republic
Bangui, formerly written as Bangi, is the capital city of the Central African Republic that serves as a commercial center located at the west bank of the Ubangi River.
Why is Bangui expensive
Bangui is another expensive African city due to poor transportation, lack of water and agriculture, etc., all made an immense contribution to the expensive life in the city.
Cost of groceries in Bangui
The cost of consumable items, food products, cleaning products, soft drinks, fresh fruit, and vegetables is very high in Bangui.
The country sells one kg of apple at USD 3.40, one head of lettuce at USD 0.72, 1.5 liters of water at USD 0.82, one liter of whole cream milk for USD 2.19, etc.
Education in Bangui
The price of education in Bangui is somewhat high for crèche, primary school fees, high school fees, and tertiary school fees.
The average yearly private international school fee is USD 27,088, and high school fees are USD 30,144.
Communication
The various forms of communication like internet subscription, data cost, mobile service provider, home telephone rental, etc., in Bangui are pretty high.
The monthly standard plan subscription averages USD 50, while the standard mobile tariff is USD 0.11 for one minute.
7. Yaounde, Cameroon
Yaounde, a lingua franca country and the country’s central port city, located after the city of Douala, has several manufacturing and processing industries.
The reason behind the expensive lifestyle in Yaounde
Yaounde is one of the expensive cities in Africa as a reason for its stagnant economic growth, increased population, and speedy urbanization.
Cost of furniture and appliances in Yaounde
The furniture and appliances in Yaounde are relatively high, such as items like sofas, dining tables, chairs, kitchen appliances, etc.
The cost of a washing machine (a 6kg front loader) is USD 903, the average price of a LED UHD TV is USD 775.
Household accommodation
The cost of utilities, apartment rent, property purchase, house rent, mortgage rate, and other numerous items is expensive in Yaounde.
The unfurnished three-bedroom apartment is USD 1,069 in the central location. Then for the suburban areas, it is USD 683.
8. Accra, Ghana
Accra is the most heavily populated and vibrant city in Ghana, with inspiring art galleries located in South Ghana.
What made Accra an expensive city
Accra is one of the expensive cities in Africa because it has the most exclusive and classy properties on the continent, with high shipping costs.
Why Accra is expensive
They import most of their consumable goods from several international countries.
Cost of house rent per month in Ghana
The price of a one-bedroom apartment in the city center is 4,294.89 ₵, one-bedroom outside the city’s center is 632.35 ₵, while three bedrooms at the center of the town, the price is 11,947.73 ₵.
Salaries and financing in Accra
After-tax, Accra’s average monthly net salary is 1,797.76 ₵, while the mortgage interest rate in percentages yearly is 26.67 ₵.
9. Djibouti, Djibouti
Djibouti, the Republic of Djibouti, is an expensive city on the continent and a multi-ethnic and third smallest country located in the Horn of Africa.
What made Djibouti join the group of expensive cities in Africa.
Djibouti is one of the cities in Africa that is very expensive due to its high cost of commodity and service prices.
Cost of health care in Djibouti
In Djibouti, the cost of health care, hospital stays, doctor visits, and medicine are enormously expensive.
The cost of a doctor’s visit for an uninsured patient is USD 54, and private hospital stay together with nursing care, food, diagnostic test, medications, etc., is around USD 1,655.
10. Dakar, Senegal
Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, has a lively market, rich musical culture and is located at the Cap-Vert peninsula on the Atlantic coast.
Why Dakar city is expensive
Dakar, a city in Senegal, is quite expensive due to its advanced restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, and well-built shops.
Cost of a restaurant in Dakar
The meal in an inexpensive restaurant is at the price of 5000 CFA, a small bottle of water is 392.86 CFA, imported beer is 1,750 CFA, and a meal for two persons in a mid-range restaurant is 27,088.36 CFA.
11. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa is the political capital of Africa, home to the leading open-air market in Africa, Addis Merkato. The country’s transportation network with eye-catching natural views and vibrant culture.
Why Addis Ababa is the most expensive city in Africa
Though Addis Ababa is a great place to live, it is still the priciest in terms of cost of living and purchasing power, housing, cost of material, etc.
The city is among the most expensive in Africa due to its inflation, housing shortage, highly skewed income difference, and high level of unemployment.
The cost of living in Addis Ababa
An individual’s estimated cost of living in Addis Ababa per month is 759.92$ while the likely cost of living for a family of four is 2,294.22$.
Education
The cost of education in Addis Ababa is very high since primary school pays USD 14,666 and the high school pays USD 16,321.
Also, the crèche and tertiary study fees are high because this nation’s schools offer faith-based teaching, educational opportunity for international students, a business-oriented curriculum, and multi-lingual teaching staff.
Housing
The affordability of housing in Addis Ababa is relatively high for dwellers without well-paying jobs or businesses.
Like three bedrooms in a central location, the cost of property purchase and apartment rent is USD 2,070, while USD 1,127 per month in a suburban area.
Archaeological sites in Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Ethiopia’s archaeological sites and tourist attractions include the Bouri formation, Aramis, melka kunture, Gademotta, museums, landmarks, and hotels.
Conclusion
Though the cities mentioned above are expensive, they are still worth touring because they have beautiful attractions.
Are you planning to go on vacation, business trips, or do you want to spend some cash on yourself? Read this post, which serves as a guide, to prepare all the things that will carry your financial needs and other related.
