Accra is cheap in some ways and startlingly expensive in others. Food from a chop bar costs almost nothing. Imported anything costs more than it does in the country it came from. Rent is the thing that breaks budgets, and not because of the monthly figure.
The calculator
Accra cost of living calculator
Build a realistic monthly budget for Accra - rent, food, trotro fares, ECG credit, water, data and gas - and compare it to the minimum wage.
Rent is the whole problem
The monthly number is manageable. The advance is not.
A landlord asking 12 months up front on a ₵2,500 one-bedroom wants ₵30,000 on the day you sign — around 25 times the median monthly salary in Ghana.
This is why so many households share, why people stay far out in Kasoa and Amasaman, and why “can you afford Accra” is really a question about savings rather than income.
Rough monthly rents:
| Type | Area | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Single room, shared facilities | Outer suburbs | from ₵400 |
| Chamber and hall | Madina, Dansoman | around ₵900 |
| Self-contained one-bedroom | Mid-range suburb | around ₵2,500 |
| Furnished two-bedroom | Cantonments, East Legon | around $1,200 |
Food
The gap between eating Ghanaian and eating imported is enormous, and it is the single biggest lever on a food budget.
- Waakye from a roadside seller: around ₵20 a plate
- Chop bar lunch: similar, and filling
- Market shopping: cheap for what is in season, and Ghana grows a great deal. Makola, Madina, Kaneshie and Dome are all good.
- Supermarket shopping: several times the market price for the same vegetables, and much more for anything imported
- A restaurant meal in Osu or East Legon: comparable to a mid-range restaurant in a European city
Cooking gas: an LPG refill runs around ₵350 and lasts a single person roughly two months.
Transport
- Trotro: ₵2.50 short hop, up to ₵12 crosstown
- Bolt, Uber, Yango: around ₵25 for a short off-peak trip
- Okada: cheaper than ride-hailing, faster, and considerably more dangerous
Commuting by trotro costs a fraction of ride-hailing. Commuting by ride-hailing twice a day will quietly become one of your largest expenses.
Utilities
Electricity. Prepaid, at roughly ₵1.60 per kWh above the 30 kWh lifeline band. Air conditioning dominates the bill if you have it; without it, electricity is a minor line. — Electricity and dumsor
Water. Mains water is inexpensive where it runs. Where it does not, a tanker delivery costs around ₵600, and a ₵1,400 polytank is a one-off that saves you from needing them often. — Water in Accra
Data. A useful monthly bundle runs into the low hundreds of cedis. Data is expensive relative to income, which shapes how Ghanaians use the internet. — SIM cards and internet
Health
NHIS renewal is around ₵25 to ₵50 a year, which is close to free. Private consultations and medicines not on the NHIS list are what actually cost money.
The costs nobody budgets for
These are the ones that catch people:
- Funerals. Contributions, cloth, transport. They are frequent, they are socially obligatory, and they add up. — Funerals and social obligations
- Family support. If you are earning and relatives are not, you will be asked. This is normal and expected, and it belongs in a realistic budget.
- Church or mosque. Tithes and offerings are a significant share of income for many households.
- Weddings, outdoorings, naming ceremonies.
- Agent commission and moving costs, on top of the advance.
- A polytank, a gate, a security light — small capital expenses that arrive at once when you move.
Income for context
- Daily minimum wage: ₵19.97, roughly ₵519 a month
- Median monthly earnings: around ₵1,200
- Graduate entry salary in Accra: roughly ₵1,500 to ₵4,000 gross
Remember that gross is not what arrives. SSNIT takes 5.5% of basic, and PAYE takes a share of the rest.
And inflation
The cedi has moved a great deal against major currencies over the past decade, and Ghanaian inflation has at times been severe. Any figure on this page is a snapshot with a verification date attached — see how this site stays accurate.
The price of a plate of waakye is the index most Accra residents actually track.