Audio By Carbonatix
The city of Lagos, Nigeria, has been ranked as the second-most expensive city for expatriates surveyed in Africa and among the top 20 globally, according to the Mercer 2021 Cost of Living City Ranking.
The ranking, which helps employers navigate expatriate compensation, used New York City as the base city, and currency movements were measured against the US dollar.
According to the report, the Chadian economy, which is still recovering from the collapse in oil prices and economic shock from the coronavirus, is ranked as the most expensive in Africa. This year’s rankings found Ashgabat in Turkmenistan to be the most expensive city globally. The country’s ongoing financial crisis was cited as the reason for Ashgabat getting the top spot.
Below is a list of the Top 10 most expensive African cities for expats to live in.
- N’Djamena - Chad - Global rank: 13th
- Lagos - Nigeria - Global rank: 19th
- Libreville - Gabon - Global rank: 20th
- Abidjan - Côte d’Ivoire - Global rank: 24th
- Bangui - Central African Republic - Global rank: 30th
- Brazzaville - Congo - Global rank: 38th
- Kinshasha - Democratic Republic of Congo - Global rank: 40th
- Yaounde - Cameroon - Global rank: 49th
- Dakar - Senegal - Global rank: 56th
- Douala - Cameroon - Global rank: 66th
Latest Stories
-
Major Accra roads to get facelift ahead of Ghana’s 70th Independence anniversary – Agbodza
1 minute -
Account for GH¢650bn allocated to existing programmes before new economy – Oppong Nkrumah to gov’t
13 minutes -
‘You’re an action man’ – Abena Osei-Asare hails Rent Commissioner’s hostel fee crackdown
14 minutes -
Mahama directs Finance Minister to allocate GH¢1bn for Housing Fund in 2027 Budget
20 minutes -
NPP celebrates Bawumia on birthday, prays for 2028 election victory
20 minutes -
Mahama recounts ‘exhausting and frustrating’ struggle to find a home as a young spouse
26 minutes -
‘Take damaged banknotes to commercial banks for replacement’ – BoG warns against repairing cedi notes for resale
33 minutes -
Lebanon’s Hezbollah gets $200 million from Iran to help displaced, sources say
34 minutes -
Bisa Kdei to launch annual Highlife music event ‘The Convention’
34 minutes -
BoG cautions public against digital financial fraud, ‘double-your-money’ schemes
35 minutes -
WPL 2026/27: Ampem Darkoa Ladies to start title defence against Northern Ladies
47 minutes -
WPL 2026/27: Hasaacas Ladies face Army Ladies in opening round as GFA announce Southern Zone fixtures
59 minutes -
Eduwatch calls for urgent resolution of teachers’ strike and reforms
60 minutes -
Media worker, journalist remanded over alleged GH¢800k fraud
1 hour -
Safeguard all personal, financial information, including Mobile Money PINs, ATM PINs – BoG to general public
1 hour