15 African Cities With The Highest Cost of Living
Dukarahisi.com hereby presents a list of 15 African cities with the highest cost of living index scores.
Surprisingly, Nigeria’s commercial city of Lagos did not make it to the list. Also note that South African and Moroccan cities dominated the list.
The cost of living index compares the expected average costs of basic necessities such as food, clothing, entertainment, healthcare, etc.
Ever wondered how much it would cost you to live comfortably in another city different from the ones in your home country?
The cost of living index can help you with the answer —it compares the expected average costs of basic necessities such as food, clothing, entertainment, healthcare, transportation and education, etc., across regions.
“The cost of living is the amount of money needed to cover basic expenses such as housing, food, taxes, and healthcare in a certain place and time period. The cost of living is often used to compare how expensive it is to live in one city versus another.
The cost of living is tied to wages. If expenses are higher in a city, such as New York, for example, salary levels must be higher so that people can afford to live in that city,” explains Investopedia.
Thanks to data obtained from Statista, Business Insider Africa hereby presents a list of 15 African cities with the highest cost of living index scores.
Do note that the “cost of living index does not include accommodation expenses such as rent or mortgage” as Statista clearly stated in its report.
Surprisingly, Nigeria’s mega city and commercial nerve centre, Lagos, did not make it to the list. And there are only two West African cities on the list.
One more thing to note before we proceed to unveil the list is the fact that eight cities from two African countries dominated the list. In specific terms, there are four South African cities and four Moroccan cities on the list. However, none of these countries has the city with the highest cost of living index.
1. Addis Ababa
The Ethiopian capital city has the highest cost of living index in Africa at 58.92. Apparently, consumer goods prices are quite high in this Horn of Africa city, compared to other cities across the continent.
2. Abidjan
The capital city of Ivory Coast, a Francophone country in West Africa, has the second highest cost of living index in Africa. Checks by Business Insider Africa show that the city has an index score of 55.73.
3. Harare
The Zimbabwean capital city has a cost of living index score of 52.33 as of 2021.
4. Johannesburg
This is the first South African city on the list. Joburg, as it is fondly called by its residents, has a cost of living index score of 46.
5. Pretoria
This city, which serves as the seat of South Africa’s executive branch of government, is equally quite costly to live in. Its cost of living index score is 44.7.
6. Gaborone
The capital city of Botswana has a cost of living index of 42.84.
7. Cape Town
This is the third South African city on the list and it has a cost of living index of 42.24.
8. Accra
This is the second West African city that made it to the list. The Ghanaian capital city has a score of 42.18.
9. Marrakech
This is one of Africa’s most famous cities, attracting tourists in the thousands. It is also a major economic hub in Morocco. Therefore, it is not surprising to see it on this list, with a cost of living index score of 41.73.
10. Windhoek
Namibia’s capital and largest city has a cost of living index score of 41.08.
11. Tangier
This is the second Moroccan city on the list and it has an index score of 40.18.
12. Durban
This is the last one of the four South African cities on this list. Durban has a cost of living index score of 39.86.
13. Casablanca
This is the second largest city in Morocco and it has a cost of living index score of 39.81,
14. Nairobi
Kenya’s capital city has a cost of living index score of 38.51.
15. Rabat
Finally, Morocco’s capital city has a cost of living index score of 37.95.
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