How much does it cost to live in Accra?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$2,353 (GHS 26,890)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: expat.com, monamiiconstructionltd.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $608 (GHS 6,953)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $3,030 (GHS 34,627)
- Furnished 1-bed rent
- $1,700 (GHS 19,423)
Cantonments
Good to know
Good to Know
- Long-term unfurnished leases in Accra typically demand 1-2 years of rent paid entirely upfront — furnished short-term/monthly rentals (the figures used here) avoid that trap and are the realistic option for a nomad staying weeks to a few months.
- There's a huge gap between 'eating local' and 'eating imported' in Accra: fresh produce at markets like Makola, Kaneshie, and Madina is very cheap, while imported packaged groceries and frequent restaurant dining cost dramatically more — your grocery bill depends almost entirely on which lane you shop in.
- Imported staples like rice and cooking oil are sensitive to swings in the cedi's exchange rate, so grocery costs for anyone eating an imported-heavy diet can shift month to month more than in many other cities.
- Accra has no metro/rail system and no rechargeable transit card — getting around means cash-fare trotros (shared minibuses), shared or app-based taxis (Uber/Bolt operate in Accra), with fares set by transport unions and posted/adjusted periodically.
- Carry small cedi notes for trotro rides — mates (fare collectors) often can't make change for large bills.
- As of April 2026 there is reportedly a separate $100 Airport Infrastructure Development Charge (AIDC) applied to international round-trip tickets to/from Ghana — this is distinct from the visa fee itself and easy to miss when budgeting.
- Regus is the main branded international coworking chain with several Accra locations; day-pass and monthly hot-desk pricing found were Regus-specific — check Impact Hub Accra and local independent spaces directly for comparison, as we could not confirm their current pricing at the time of research.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- GHS 26,890
Includes 7 estimated components
- Lean month
- GHS 6,953
Includes 5 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- GHS 34,627
Includes 8 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- Accra has no single 'digital nomad hub' in the co-living-space sense, but expats and remote professionals concentrate in Osu, East Legon, Airport Residential Area, and Cantonments — these are the areas real estate platforms and relocation guides specifically flag as expat-favored for their furnished apartment stock, security, and proximity to the airport and business districts. All housing figures below are grounded in these neighborhoods.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- GHS 19,423
Local listing
Ghana Property Centre listing: modern 1-bedroom furnished apartment, 70sqm, at Cantonments, $1,700/month including service charge.
Published in USD
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- GHS 7,500
Local listing
Ghana Property Centre listing: fully furnished studio apartment at East Legon Bawaleshie, GH₵7,500/month with electricity and service charges inclusive.
- Premium apartment
- GHS 25,136
Local listing
Expat.com housing listing: 1-bedroom flat for rent, 70 sq m, at Cantonment City Tower, $2,200/month.
Published in USD
- Private room in a shared home
- GHS 3,500
Estimated
No live listing for a private room in a shared home in Osu/East Legon was found at the time of research. Estimated as roughly half of the cheapest full furnished studio/1BR listing found (GH₵7,500/month in East Legon), which is a common rough ratio for a room vs. a full unit in this market.
Groceries
- Groceries for one (month)
- GHS 1,800
Estimated
Blended estimate: an expat guide cites GH₵200–400/week for fresh produce and staples at local markets (Makola, Kaneshie, Madina), scaled to a month for one person and topped up for some imported/packaged items a nomad typically also buys.
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- GHS 25
Estimated
General market-price estimate; not confirmed via a specific current listing at the time of research.
Loaf of Bread
- Loaf Of Bread
- GHS 12
Estimated
General market-price estimate; not confirmed via a specific current listing at the time of research.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- GHS 28
Estimated
General market-price estimate; not confirmed via a specific current listing at the time of research.
1kg Rice
- 1kg Rice
- GHS 18
Estimated
General market-price estimate; not confirmed via a specific current listing at the time of research.
1.5L Bottled Water (Store, Not Restaurant)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Store, Not Restaurant)
- GHS 6.00
Estimated
General market-price estimate; not confirmed via a specific current listing at the time of research.
1kg Chicken Breast
- 1kg Chicken Breast
- GHS 40
Estimated
General market-price estimate; not confirmed via a specific current listing at the time of research.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- GHS 11
Estimated
Expat relocation blog states street food in Accra costs GH₵15. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 15 GHS reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- GHS 400
Estimated
No specific current listing found for a high-end single meal; estimated based on typical upscale restaurant pricing in Osu/Airport-area/Cantonments (roughly 2.5-3x the mid-range meal figure).
- Mid-range meal
- GHS 113
Estimated
Expat relocation blog states brunch in Osu costs GH₵150. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 150 GHS reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Venue
- Regus (multiple Accra locations, incl. Osu and Airport City)
- Day pass
- GHS 95
Operator's own price
Regus Ghana Coworking Access Plan listed at GH¢95 per person per day, described as including unlimited coworking-lounge access per month under that plan.
- Monthly hot desk
- GHS 2,939
Estimated
Midpoint of a stated range: 'Premium providers like Regus charge GHS 2,599 to GHS 3,279 per person per month for desk space in shared workspaces.' Amount is the midpoint of that range, so marked estimated rather than a single quoted price.
Transport
- How to get there
- trotro (shared minibus)
- About monthly passes
- Accra has no formal metro or transit-card monthly pass. The dominant public transport is the privately-run 'trotro' shared minibus network plus shared/city taxis, all paid per-ride in cash with fares set by transport unions (GPRTU/GRTCC).
- Single ride
- GHS 8.50
Estimated
GhanaWeb reported trotro fares after a 2024 fare increase, e.g. Kaneshie station to 37 Military Hospital now GH¢8.50 (up from GH¢7). Used as a representative mid-distance in-city fare rather than a single official flat rate, since fares vary by route/distance.
Mobile & data
- Carrier
- MTN Ghana (largest network by coverage)
- Monthly plan
- GHS 80
Estimated
No live carrier pricing page was retrieved at the time of research; figure is a rough estimate for a mid-tier MTN/Telecel/AirtelTigo data bundle based on general familiarity with Ghanaian mobile pricing, not a confirmed current tariff.
- Data allowance
- Estimated ~15-20GB/month at this price point; unconfirmed at the time of research
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- December–February peak season (Christmas/New Year holiday travel and diaspora tourism) drives accommodation prices 80%+ higher than low season (May), with mid-range hotels averaging $87–$93 off-season versus $162–$174 peak.
Low season
- Budget
- GHS 960
2-star hotel May rates, ~56% below peak per user-confirmed seasonality
- Luxury
- GHS 4,440
5-star hotel May rates, applying ~47% seasonal discount to December baseline
- Premium
- GHS 3,240
4-star hotel May rates, estimated 50–55% reduction from peak
- Standard
- GHS 1,800
3-star hotel May rates, KAYAK/Momondo ~$150–$170 low-season average for mid-range
High season
- Budget
- GHS 2,160
2-star hotel (ibis Styles, Best Western budget tier) December rates, blended from hotel booking aggregators
- Luxury
- GHS 8,400
5-star hotel (Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Mövenpick Ambassador) December standard room lower-bound per NewsGhana (starting ~$221 USD)
- Premium
- GHS 6,960
4-star hotel (La Palm Royal Beach, Golden Tulip Accra) December peak, mid-range of published rates
- Standard
- GHS 3,840
3-star hotel (La Villa Boutique, Holiday Inn Airport tier) December rates per KAYAK/Booking.com peak-season ranges
Low-season months
- May
- September
- October
High-season months
- December
- January
- February
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
- 1.expat.com
- 2.monamiiconstructionltd.com
- 3.ghanapropertycentre.com
- 4.ghanapropertycentre.com
- 5.ghanapropertycentre.com
- 6.ghanapropertycentre.com
- 7.ghanapropertycentre.com
- 8.ghanapropertycentre.com
- 9.african.land
- 10.meqasa.com
- 11.expatlifeghana.com
- 12.bisaconsulting.com
- 13.ghanaweb.com
- 14.regus.com
- 15.ghanapropertyfinder.com
- 16.ghanaweb.com
- 17.akwaaba.app
More About Accra
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.