Ghana, Accra

Country Full Name: Republic of Ghana.

Location: Ghana is in Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo.

Country Climate: Tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north.

Country Terrain: Mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area.

Major Languages: English, African languages including Akan, Ewe.

Major Religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Islam.

Population: 1.7 Mil (2012 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Ghana, West Africa has a diverse and rich resource base, and as such, has one of the highest GDP per capita in Africa. Ghana remains somewhat dependent on international financial and technical assistance as well as the activities of the extensive Ghanaian diaspora. Gold, timber, cocoa, diamond, bauxite, and manganese exports are major sources of foreign exchange.

Currency: Ghanaian New Cedi (GHS).

Inflation: 8.5% (2011 est.).

Accra is the capital and most populous city of Ghana.

Accra is the administrative, communications, and economic centre of the country. Over 70% of Ghana's manufacturing capacity is located within the Accra region.

The cost of living in Accra in Ghana is in the middle compared to other places. The overall cost of living is determined using the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across 13 Basket Groups. Accra in Ghana is currently ranked 337 overall out of 780 places (rank 1 is most expensive: rank 780 is least expensive). The cost of living rank for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs are low compared to other places for items such as alcohol at a bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, wine (where alcohol is legally sold) and tobacco related products. There are 583 places that are more expensive, and 196 places that are less expensive for alcohol and or tobacco.

Clothing costs are low compared to other places for items such as business suits, casual clothing, children's clothing, coats, evening wear, footwear, hats, shoe repairs and underwear. There are 619 places that are more expensive, and 160 places that are less expensive for clothing.

Communication costs are very low compared to other places for various communication costs such as call charges, home telephone rental, internet connection, mobile data costs, mobile phone contract and service provider fees. There are 756 places that are more expensive, and 23 places that are less expensive for communication.

Education costs are low compared to other places for items such as creche / pre-school fees, primary school fees, high school fees and tertiary study fees. There are 604 places that are more expensive, and 175 places that are less expensive for education.

Furniture & Appliance costs are high compared to other places for items such as DVD player, fridge freezer, furniture, household equipment, iron, kettle, light bulbs, microwave, television, toaster, vacuum cleaner and washing machine. There are 186 places that are more expensive, and 593 places that are less expensive for furniture and appliances.

Grocery costs are average compared to other places for items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning materials, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs. There are 372 places that are more expensive, and 407 places that are less expensive for groceries.

Healthcare costs are low compared to other places for general healthcare, general practitioner consultation rates, healthcare/medical insurance, hospital private ward daily rate and non-prescription medicine. There are 485 places that are more expensive, and 294 places that are less expensive for healthcare.

Household Accommodation costs are very high compared to other places for items such as accommodation, apartment, flat, house, villa, rent, electricity, household fuels, household gas, water, and local property rates / residential taxes / levies. There are 132 places that are more expensive, and 647 places that are less expensive for household accommodation.

Miscellaneous costs are high compared to other places for items such as dry cleaning, general goods, general services, linen, magazines, maid, newspapers, office supplies, postage stamps and stationery. There are 310 places that are more expensive, and 469 places that are less expensive for miscellaneous items.

Personal Care costs are very low compared to other places for items such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer, nappies, pain relief tablets, shampoo, soap, sun block, toilet paper and toothpaste. There are 640 places that are more expensive, and 139 places that are less expensive for personal care.

Recreation and Culture costs are very high compared to other places for items such as books, camera, cinema tickets, fitness/health club membership, sports goods and theatre tickets. There are 112 places that are more expensive, and 667 places that are less expensive for recreation and culture.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs are very low compared to other places for items such as a business dinner, dinner at a family restaurant (non fast food), 4 star and 5 star hotel rates and take away meal (fast food). There are 625 places that are more expensive, and 154 places that are less expensive for restaurants, meals out and hotels.

Transport costs are very low compared to other places for items such as car hire purchase, car insurance, car lease, car maintenance, car rental, car service, diesel, petrol, tyres and public transport. There are 641 places that are more expensive, and 138 places that are less expensive for transport.

Personalized cost of living indexes for Accra in Ghana are based on the basket groups and comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Accra in Ghana is ranked as high degree of hardship with a hardship index of 30%.

Personalized hardship index premiums for Accra in Ghana are based on the comparison location(s) selected in the Calculators.

Note: Xpatulator.com data is updated quarterly. The latest update is as at 1 April 2012. Create a personalized cost of living comparison report using the calculators:
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