What it will cost you to live in these African cities

If you thought life was expensive in Nairobi, try renting a house in Luanda, the capital city of Angola where rent in leafy suburbs stretches up to Sh3 million a month.

Or try buying dinner for two every evening in a neighbourhood restaurant in Lagos which will set you back over Sh7,000.

Add the prices of basic commodities to the sky-high rents and the living costs for expatriates in oil-rich Luanda, Abidjan, Lagos and Dar es Salaam can be a culture shocker with hardly anything to save.

From dinner, taxi rides, buying clothes and shoes to doctors’ consultation fees, expat life may not be cheap.

The Expatistan Cost of Living survey puts the average monthly rent in Luanda’s posh estates, popular with foreign workers, at Sh944,420 compared to about Sh300,000 for a similar house in Nairobi’s Ridgeways estate which has a clubhouse, swimming pool and jogging track.

Expats guide

The study serves as a guide for expatriates and tourists looking to move or visit different cities.

Although expats tend to be paid higher salaries, enjoying a higher spending power that they would at home, some find it hard to survive in new countries.

For expats living in Kenya, the average rent in Nairobi is the second highest in East Africa and to some, it is out of their price range.

‘‘Apartments in Kenya are expensive alongside Côte d’Ivoire. The rates are high because in UK, houses in a relatively good neighbourhood go for about $700 to $800 (Sh70,000 to Sh80,000). In Kenya, I pay about Sh300,000 including electricity expenses for an apartment at the English Point Marina in Mombasa,’’ said Andy Durn, a British expatriate working for a logistics firm.

Mr Durn who has worked in many African countries said rent in Côte d’Ivoire is also high as a basic house in the cheapest secure area where an expat can live goes for $1,500 (Sh150,000) a month.

Mali is relatively cheap as an expat can get a five-roomed villa with a private swimming pool for $2,500 (Sh250,000). The villa can be shared with other expats, reducing the amount of money one pays as rent, he said.

In Dar es Salaam, average rent in upmarket areas goes for Sh180,000, beyond the reach of many middle-class Kenyans living in Tanzania seeking to live in secure neighbourhoods with modern homes.

‘‘The rent is exorbitant considering that most houses are not constructed to the standards of rentals in Kenya. Then you have to pay rent for the whole year and yet it does not offer value for money,’’ said Nerissa Muthoni, a Kenyan who works for a pharmaceutical company in Dar es Salaam.

‘‘It is also hard to get good, affordable schools which teach in English which are located near your home. If you get one, it’s too expensive compared to most schools in Kenya,’’ she added.

For those in Kenya, the real estate sector is booming with property developers now opting for standalone houses, complete with compounds, in prime estates like Kitisuru, Nyari, Karen and Muthaiga as they eye big cash from deep-pocketed customers like expats.

In Kampala upmarket suburbs, rent goes for Sh110,000 a month on average while Kigali is Sh120,000.

Living in Johannesburg and other African capitals is relatively lower as monthly rent stands at Sh86,730 on average, Cairo (Sh55,675) and Sh87,147 for Lagos (Nigeria).

Besides accommodation costs, expats have to shoulder the burden of high school fees for their children in high-end institutions that offer students world-class education, preparing them for admissions to top universities abroad.

Nairobi-based Brookhouse, for instance, charges fees ranging from Sh220,000 to Sh910,000 for each of the three terms, depending on the level of study and whether a student is boarding or not.

This places annual fees for those in year two or higher above Sh1.3 million, making the school a preserve of high-net-worth households.

The Expatistan survey tracks prices of food, housing, clothes, transport, personal care and entertainment to compare cities.

It shows that Nairobi residents are experiencing the highest cost of living in East Africa while those in Kigali are the least exposed.

Nairobi’s cost of living could help multinational companies, United Nations agencies and diplomatic missions justify high salaries they pay employees stationed in the Kenyan capital.

The study could also inform the city’s ability to attract and retain foreign investment, expatriates and tourists based on costs.

But for the expats living in countries with no international recruitment agencies to pair them with work opportunities, the challenge is getting well-paying jobs especially if one’s contract ends or if a spouse is looking for work.

Clothing

To some expats, some African countries are great places to call home. The lifestyle is good and they can afford to invest, buy the designer dresses and shoes found back at home at low prices and the cost of living is even lower.

A branded summer dress like Zara or H&M in an upmarket store in Nairobi costs Sh9,000 on average compared to Sh3,600 in Kampala, Dar (Sh3,300) and Sh10,200 in Luanda.

A pair of men’s leather business shoes costs Sh9,300 in a store in Nairobi, Sh6,150 in Kampala, Sh5,420 in Dar and Sh21,080 in Luanda.

The survey shows that gyms in Uganda’s capital charge the highest rates for membership in Africa followed by Luanda.

For those without medical cover, a brief appointment with a private doctor will set you back Sh3,500 in Nairobi on average, Sh1,200 in Kampala, Sh1,800 in Dar and Sh6,300 in Luanda.

Overall, Luanda is the most expensive city on the continent, followed by Kinshasa in DRC Congo while Lagos is third.

Dinner for two

Most expats tend to have a more active social life after moving abroad due to a boost in disposable income. But for some, eating out is expensive. For instance, dinner for two in Luanda’s neighbourhood restaurant or pub costs Sh5,400 on average, Lagos (Sh6,600) and Sh2,500 in Nairobi.

Not many expats can afford to live better than they did at home when working in Angola. The monthly rent of up to Sh3 million in Luanda towers is equivalent of several market offers for owning a home in Kenya.

Rogam Investments, Karibu Homes and Peninsula Development Company are pitching to buyers flexible payment plans for one-bedroom and two-bedroom units priced at Sh2.5 million and Sh3.6 million respectively.

But Nairobi’s Kileleshwa estate is set to host the most expensive apartments in Kenya.

Chinese firm Avic last year got regulatory approval to construct four-bedroom luxury apartments that will each cost Sh88 million. Standalone villas cost much higher.

Official data put the average monthly rent of a two-bedroom flat in common residential areas, popular with middle class homes, at Sh19,983 last year.

This fits within the budgets of most working middle class. Three-bedroom maisonettes, preferred by rich tenants, stood at Sh32,605 monthly while a two-bedroom bungalow was Sh28,102.

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