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Even while African countries are becoming more and more prominent on the global stage, several of them still confronts obstacles that other developed regions do not. One of the problems the continent faces is poverty, as a result, commodities must be reasonably priced given the median wage on the continent. Simply put, low-income earnings should be cushioned by a low cost of living.
High living expenses have effects that extend well beyond personal spending plans. It permeates society, impacting businesses education, and economic mobility.
Exorbitant living expenses presents significant challenges for families, who are the most fundamental unit of society. Families have less money to spare or save when necessities like housing, healthcare, education, and groceries are too expensive.
Furthermore, a high cost of living widens the inequality gap in a community. While the rich may be able to endure, people from lower social classes would find it difficult to keep up.
It’s imperative to address the underlying causes of high living expenses to promote a more just and sustainable economic climate.
With that said, below are the 10 African countries with the highest cost of living mid-way into 2024. The data below is courtesy of the Numbeo, one of the world’s most profound data and research platforms, which recently updated its Cost of Living Index.
Since the last time the list was updated, see list here, Cameroon has ousted Mozambique, to become the African country with the highest cost of living. Mozambique, for the mid-point of the year did not make the 16 countries list.
As currently constituted, the updated list is a far cry from the list issued by Numbeo at the beginning of the year.
10 African countries with the highest cost of living in mid-2024
| Rank | Country | Cost of living index | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Cameroon | 37.3 | 72nd |
| 2. | Zimbabwe | 37.2 | 73rd |
| 3. | Mauritius | 37.1 | 74th |
| 4. | South Africa | 34.5 | 78th |
| 5. | Nigeria | 31.4 | 86th |
| 6. | Ghana | 30.9 | 90th |
| 7. | Kenya | 30.2 | 92nd |
| 8. | Botswana | 30.1 | 93rd |
| 9. | Morocco | 29.5 | 96th |
| 10. | Uganda | 29.1 | 100th |
Methodology
To collect data, Numbeo relies on user inputs and manually collected data from authoritative sources (websites of supermarkets, taxi company websites, governmental institutions, newspaper articles, other surveys, etc.). Manually collected data from established sources are entered twice per year. A more comprehensive breakdown of the methodology is available on Numbeo’s website.
