Everything nobody tells you about living in Accra

Free, independent guides to Ghanaian bureaucracy, housing, money and daily life. Written for anyone making Accra home — returnees, new arrivals, and Ghanaians who have simply never had to renew a roadworthy before.

Start here

Six things that block everything else. Until these are done, you cannot open a bank account, sign a lease or get paid properly.

The numbers, today

Every figure on this site comes from one dated file, so a guide can never quietly go stale. How that works ➞

What How much Where it bites
Daily minimum wage ₵19.97 About ₵519 a month
Tax-free income ₵490/month Everything above it is taxed in bands
SSNIT off your payslip 5.5% Your employer adds another 13%
VAT you actually pay 21.9% Not 15% — the levies compound
Legal maximum rent advance 6 months Landlords routinely ask for 12

Browse everything

Moving to Accra

Guides for the first weeks - visas, the Ghana Card, a place to sleep and a phone number that works.

  1. How to move to Accra
    1. Your first week checklist
    2. Visiting Accra
    3. Weather and seasons
  2. Getting a visa
    1. Residence permits
    2. Work permits
    3. The Right of Abode
    4. Ghanaian citizenship
  3. Getting a Ghana Card
    1. Your digital address
    2. SIM cards and internet

Housing in Accra

Finding a place, surviving the rent advance, checking a tenancy agreement and not buying land twice.

  1. How to find a place to live
    1. Where to live in Accra
    2. Rent advance calculator
    3. Housing and land scams
  2. The rent advance
    1. Your tenancy agreement
    2. Tenancy agreement template
    3. Rent advance receipt
  3. Buying land in Ghana

Utilities and daily life

Electricity, water, waste and the small infrastructure of an Accra household.

  1. Electricity and dumsor
  2. Water in Accra
  3. Internet and SIM cards
  4. Waste collection

Money in Ghana

Mobile money, bank accounts, PAYE, SSNIT and what a month in Accra actually costs.

  1. Cost of living in Accra
    1. Cost of living calculator
  2. Mobile money
    1. Opening a bank account
    2. Sending money to Ghana
  3. Income tax and PAYE
    1. Salary calculator
    2. VAT and the levies
    3. VAT calculator
  4. SSNIT and pensions

Working in Ghana

Finding a job, reading a Ghanaian contract, knowing your rights under the Labour Act and going freelance.

  1. How to find a job in Accra
    1. Employment contract checklist
  2. Your rights as an employee
    1. Resignation letter template
  3. Freelancing in Ghana
    1. Registering a business

Health and healthcare

The NHIS, private insurance, where to go when you are sick and how to stay ahead of malaria.

  1. NHIS and health insurance
  2. Hospitals and clinics in Accra
  3. Malaria and staying healthy

Getting around Accra

Trotros, ride-hailing, okada and the DVLA.

  1. How to get around Accra
    1. Understanding trotro routes
  2. Driving in Accra

Living in Ghana

Language, food, funerals, public holidays and the parts of daily life nobody writes down.

  1. Learning Twi and Ga
  2. What to eat in Accra
  3. Public holidays
  4. Funerals and social obligations
  5. Emergency numbers

Calculators

Ghanaian salary calculators, rent advance calculators and VAT calculators. Everything runs in your browser.

  1. Salary calculator
  2. Rent advance calculator
  3. Cost of living calculator
  4. VAT calculator

Letter and document templates

Tenancy agreements, receipts, resignation letters and checklists you can copy and adapt.

  1. Tenancy agreement template
  2. Rent advance receipt
  3. Resignation letter
  4. Contract checklist
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