African Cities at least 20 Percent More Expensive than Cities in other Parts of the World

Chad is one of the world’s poorest countries, but in its capital, Ndjamena, rent rates rival those of New York or London at upwards of $2,000 a month for a two-bedroom flat in the city centre. The dusty city on the edge of the Sahara was ranked the most expensive in Africa and 11th in the world this year by global consulting firm Mercer, which bases its annual index on the average cost of living for employees working abroad. The ranking is aimed at expatriates, whose modern flats are a far cry from the tin-roofed shacks where many locals live. But Chadians said that for them too the city is prohibitively expensive, with the price of housing and utilities, in particular, pushing many people out to neighbourhoods on the periphery with no roads, electricity or running water.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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