What is the cost of living index?
Simply defined, the cost of living index basically looks at how much it would cost you to live in one city compared to others. It considers consumer goods prices, cost of rent, cost of healthcare and other costs. The definition below by Statista best describes it:
“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.”
Below are 15 most expensive cities to live in Africa based on cost of living index scores
- Dakar, Senegal: Has a cost of living index score of 50.87.
- Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Has a cost of living index score of 50.49.
- Abidjan, Ivory Coast: Has a cost of living index score of 47.06.
- Harare, Zimbabwe: Has a cost of living index score of 45.69.
- Johannesburg, South Africa: Has a cost of living index score of 44.87.
- Pretoria, South Africa: Has a cost of living index score of 42.76.
- Gaborone, Botswana: Has a cost of living index score of 42.7.
- Cape Town, South Africa: Has a cost of living index score of 40.98.
- Durban, South Africa: Has a cost of living index score of 40.33.
- Marrakech, Morocco: Has a cost of living index score of 39.94.
- Accra, Ghana: Has a cost of living index score of 38.74.
- Lagos, Nigeria: Has a cost of living index score of 37.33.
- Tangier, Morocco: Has a cost of living index score of 36.85.
- Casablanca, Morocco: Has a cost of living index score of 36.59.
- Kampala, Uganda: Has a cost of living index score of 35.98.