Where in Africa would your dollars buy less?

Luanda, the capital of Angola, is the most expensive city in Africa for expatriates. This according to the recent Cost of Living survey released by ECA International.

The company undertakes two major surveys annually to help companies estimate cost of living allowances for staff on international duty. To compile the ranking, ECA compared the costs of a basket of consumer goods and services commonly purchased by expats. Living costs for expats are influenced by the availability of goods, inflation and exchange rates. It is calculated using international benchmarks in terms of lifestyle.

South Sudan‘s Juba ranks as Africa’s second most expensive city for expatriates. Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, ranks third on the index, while Libreville in Gabon is fourth-placed.

In positions five and six, respectively, are Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, both in Republic of the Congo.

In West Africa, the Nigerian capital Abuja tops the list of cities regarded as the most costly for expatriates. Sister city Lagos, the commercial capital, is ranked just below Abuja.

Still in West Africa, Conakry, the capital of Guinea is ranked ninth in Africa. Côte d’Ivoire is home to Abidjan, another high-ranking city, placed 10th.

South African cities fare much better in the ranking. Johannesburg at 42nd, Cape Town at 44th and Durban at 45th feature much lower down the rungs.

Maseru in Lesotho, ranked 262nd globally, is the least expensive city for expatriates and business travellers alike.

Most expensive locations in Africa for international assignees
Africa rank 2014LocationGlobal rank 2014
1Luanda2
2Juba9
3Kinshasa13
4Libreville16
5Brazzaville18
6Pointe-Noire21
7Abuja35
8Lagos37
9Conakry38
10Abidjan50
11Dakar55
12N'Djamena56
13Malabo60
14Cameroon (no individual city listed)62
15Port Harcourt79
16Cotonou121
17Ouagadougou129
18Khartoum131
19Bamako133
20Maputo136
21Dar es Salaam150
22Harare158
23Niamey174
24Nairobi177
25Kampala185
26Kigali186
27Antananarivo188
28Addis Ababa193
29Lilongwe200
30Nouakchott201
31Rabat208
32Blantyre210
33Casablanca213
34Lusaka215
35Algiers221
36Cairo227
37Port Louis228
38Accra238
39Tunis247
40Pretoria252
41Gaborone253
42Johannesburg256
43Windhoek258
44Cape Town259
45Durban260
46Mbabane261
47Maseru262