Top 10 African Cities With The Priciest Living Expenses in Q1 2024

In Africa, which has 54 countries, each with its own set of issues, one major difficulty that many of its citizens face is the rising cost of living.

Factors such as inflation, currency depreciation, global market swings, political instability, and climate change contribute significantly to rising costs and economic issues in Africa.

On the continent, the high cost of living makes it difficult for families to afford necessities such as food, housing, healthcare, and education, leaving little room for savings or extra expenditure.

If not managed appropriately, this financial burden can lead to increased debt, decreased living standards, and fewer opportunities for advancement in society.

Furthermore, the high cost of living contributes to income inequality, extending the gap between the wealthy and the marginalized, particularly in cities.

Well-off families can usually deal with increasing commodity prices, but low-income households have significant challenges.

This disparity only helps to perpetuate social and economic inequality, making it more difficult to achieve inclusive growth and development across the continent.

Numbeo, a leading data and research platform, analyzed the cost of living in several African cities.

The index is calculated using variables such as the rent index, grocery index, restaurant index, cost of living plus rent index, and local buying power.

Numbeo collects data from user inputs as well as painstakingly obtained data from trustworthy sources. Numbeo’s website provides a detailed discussion of their methods.

RankCityCost of living indexLocal purchasing power index
1Addis Ababa, Ethiopia48.210.0
2Dakar, Senegal44.314.6
3Harare, Zimbabwe39.826.9
4Johannesburg, South Africa35.7101.6
5Port Elizabeth, South Africa35.656.5
6Cape Town, South Africa34.096.6
7Pretoria, South Africa33.4107.4
8Rabat, Morocco32.735.4
9Casablanca, Morocco32.634.1
10Durban, South Africa31.779.4

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