As with all travel planning, it is critical to consider the impact that standards of living have on your finances and your ability to live in and enjoy a destination.

Ghana’s recorded GDP of 68.42 and its current state of employment, housing, and urbanization reflects in rising costs of living in cities.

We’ll be talking about the average cost of living in Accra Ghana, and include helpful money management tips for a more pleasant and informed stay during your travels.

Let's start with the average cost of food in Accra Ghana

In Accra, food costs more partly due to the costs of its storage and transportation from in-land, rural farm areas to cities.

If you’re really gung ho, you can stretch a budget of GH¢350 by going without processed foods, carbonated drinks, eating out or impulse buying.

That being said, you would need an entire kitchen set up to make full use of expensive and tasty ingredients, if you’re more hands-on about your diet and budgeting.

Going vegan may not exactly be the cheaper option here either, considering that our plant-based foods can be quite costly depending on their source and the season.

Some examples are cassava, plantain, bambara beans, kontomire, egusi, and groundnuts.

The Average Cost of Housing in Accra Ghana

Finding a place to rent in Accra is an entirely different ballgame as compared with housing abroad.

It can be tempting to choose a hotel or Airbnb but that means spending more money than necessary, given that prices could start off at a minimum of $100 per night.

Though parliament is yet to roll out the amended Rent Act, 1963 (Act 220) that puts the power back into the hands of Ghana’s Rent Control Departments.

The current housing deficit allows for greedy landlords to exploit renters by taking yearly rent upfront. Two years, if you’re unfortunate.

A basic single room unit including a kitchen, bathroom and toilet can easily rage from GH¢250 – a very rare find – to GH¢1,000 per month.

And if you’re not a local, be sure that the landlord may spike the price when he picks up on your accent.

Read the fine print in the contracts, ladies and gentlemen.

Shop for prices and make it a point to visit the apartments with friends or colleagues to check for structural issues, functioning facilities and general neighbourhood safety.

Your average cost of living in Accra Ghana may spike up dramatically in this category so setting a budget and not backing down from it is crucial!

Let's add Utilities

You guessed correctly, it doesn’t end at housing. There’s bills, bills, bills.

Averagely, in residential areas where clean water flows consistently, electricity is usually stable and trash is collected, your monthly utility bill could run between GH¢85 and GH¢150.

This cost depends on your usage, the utility payment plan, the size of the house and the number of rooms it has.

Not to forget Leisure

The lounges, bars, restaurants and recreational centers in Accra are definitely up for consideration when it comes to your travel planning. You are here to enjoy!

The more upscale a venue and its clientele, the higher its price point, meaning the cost can run anywhere between two and three figures.

When calculating the average cost of living in Accra Ghana you have to find out for yourself how much you are ready to spend on leisure.

Trust me it can easily get our of hand!

Now Cost of Healthcare

Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme provides a range of healthcare services such as specialist consultation and prenatal care to Ghanaian residents and citizens.

With that in mind, there is a limit to what the scheme can grant users. Most expats find local healthcare to be lacking compared to what they are used to.

Private healthcare services would be a better fit, even though that cost can skyrocket depending on the severity of a given condition and the means of treatment.

You can read more about the healthcare system in Ghana here.

What about Emergencies?

You’re probably not going to like this one, but although we should prepare to enjoy our travels, we should also have a buffer in case of unforeseen events.

I think the global pandemic taught us that better than anything, hence why we need to calculate it into our average cost of living in Accra Ghana.

It’s tempting to think of a budget as a tool that deprives us of comfortable and happy living by limiting how much we spend.

In actuality, budgets can be tools to prioritize where our money goes so we can take care of your current and future needs, depending on what is important to us.

That includes emergencies.

Between GH¢500-1,000 is good, for starters. Better to be prepared for an emergency than to be found wanting in one.

Our Conclusion

This is our breakdown of the average cost of living in Accra Ghana. I hope this overview helps you approach your travel preparations and arrangements with confidence and insight.

You deserve to enjoy your experience in Ghana by making careful considerations that contribute to a memorable trip.

What are some of your tips and tricks for managing costs in Accra?

Share them with us in the comments!