The surge in urban immigration in African countries has seen high demand for housing across York City on the continent, and the expansion of rental costs is often considered the most expensive city, and the benchmark used by the rental index African countries is relatively low in average prices compared to rental prices in New York City.
Elijah Ntongai, editor of Tuko.co.ke, has over four years of financial, business and technology research and reporting experience, providing insights into trends in Kenya, Africa and global.
Africa's population has grown at an unprecedented rate over the past decades, making it the fastest growing continent in the world.
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The high birth rate combined with improved child survival led to a youthful demographic profile. At the same time, urbanization in Africa is accelerating as this highly educated young population seeks better economic, social and cultural opportunities that are commonly clustered in cities.
Cities such as Lagos, Nairobi and Accra have become magnets for recent graduates and skilled workers looking for jobs in sectors such as finance, technology and creative industries.
This rapid influx of urban populations has not only been strained with urban infrastructure, but also led to increased demand for housing, which has significantly increased rental costs in recent years.
What is the rent index?
Numbeo is a crowdsourced online database of perceived consumer prices, real estate prices and quality of life indicators. The database ranks cities and countries around the world based on a calculated index of the average cost of various factors of living.
Numbeo offers rent indexes in Africa and other countries. The rent index is an estimate of the price of renting an apartment compared to NYC, and is often considered the most expensive city in the world. For example, if the national rent index is 80, Numbeo estimates that rent in that city is 20% lower on average than rent in New York City.
Which African cities have the most expensive rental costs?
In particular, all African countries have rent indexes below 30. So, on average, rent in cities in Africa is less than 70% of rent in New York City.
Kenya's estimated rent index is 8.2, while Uganda and Tanzania have 8.1 and 8.7, respectively. Below is a list of the most expensive countries to rent a home in Africa, according to Numbeo data from mid-2025.
countryRental Index1Democratic Republic of the Congo26.72Nigeria24.03Senegal19.74Cameroon18.75Ivory Coast18.46Ethiopia16.67Namibia13.58Mozambique13.09South Africa11.910Rwanda10.6
Most affordable destinations
In other news, the Post Office's global holiday cost barometer in 2024 revealed that over 60% of the 40 destinations surveyed had lower prices for food, drinks and general tourist items.
Portugal's Algarve was the only European destination to break five of the most affordable spots.
Hoi An in Vietnam, Cape Town in South Africa and Mombasa in Kenya lead the list of cheapest cities and dominates the most expensive Destain, along with gorgeous European hubs like Polecá in Croatia, Rome in Italy, Nice in France, and tropical regions such as Grand Bay in Mauritius and Bridgeturn in Barbados.
Source: tuko.co.ke
