Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Accra and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $746 a month against $1,077 in Accra, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
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Accra Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index

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Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,077

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Accra and in Tema

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Accra and in Tema actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,077 per month in Accra vs $746 in Tema, rent included.

Accra $1,077
Tema $746

A couple spends around $1,708 per month in Accra vs $1,186 in Tema, rent included.

Accra $1,708
Tema $1,186

A family of three spends $2,340 per month in Accra vs $1,627 in Tema, rent included.

Accra $2,340
Tema $1,627

Accra costs about 44% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Accra and Tema are more affordable than the global median – Accra 21% lower, Tema 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.38 GHS 97.1

$7.04 GHS 81.6

19.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.6 GHS 597

$27.68 GHS 321

86.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.25 GHS 119

Cappuccino

$4.59 GHS 53.2

$5.09 GHS 59.0

-9.82%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 GHS 18.71

$0.85 GHS 9.79

90.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 GHS 5.48

$0.30 GHS 3.48

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 GHS 22.01

$3.31 GHS 38.31

-42.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 GHS 25.32

$2.56 GHS 29.59

-14.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.59 GHS 41.53

$3.25 GHS 37.67

10.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 GHS 18.79

$1.54 GHS 17.83

5.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 GHS 35.70

$1.98 GHS 22.93

55.56%

Eggs

$2.62 GHS 30.36

$2.37 GHS 27.44

10.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.92 GHS 138

$4.27 GHS 49.40

179.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.37 GHS 85.3

$3.18 GHS 36.79

131.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.96 GHS 115

$3.43 GHS 39.70

190.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 GHS 41.45

$2.63 GHS 30.42

36.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 GHS 16.06

$2.11 GHS 24.42

-34.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 GHS 20.61

$2.20 GHS 25.43

-19.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 GHS 43.20

$3.48 GHS 40.33

7.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 GHS 32.33

$3.34 GHS 38.69

-16.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 GHS 32.13

$2.75 GHS 31.86

0.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 GHS 8.63

$0.44 GHS 5.14

68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 GHS 7.14

$0.66 GHS 7.60

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 GHS 30.49

$1.32 GHS 15.26

99.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.14 GHS 82.6

$8.67 GHS 100

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 GHS 14.44

$2.16 GHS 25.07

-42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 GHS 27.37

$3.04 GHS 35.22

-22.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 GHS 17.64

$1.69 GHS 19.58

-10.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.35 GHS 479

$41.27 GHS 478

0.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 GHS 20.36

$2.11 GHS 24.45

-16.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 GHS 14.74

$0.41 GHS 4.80

209.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 GHS 49.04

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 GHS 15.17

$1.14 GHS 13.22

14.91%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$7,861 GHS 91.0K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.1K GHS 232.9K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$73.3 GHS 849

$76.6 GHS 887

-4.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$19.53 GHS 226

$14.89 GHS 172

31.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.72 GHS 495

$83.0 GHS 961

-48.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.6 GHS 818

$23.21 GHS 269

204.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.31 GHS 212

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 GHS 148

$8.76 GHS 101

46.12%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$468 GHS 5,418

$174 GHS 2,012

169.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.5K GHS 214.1K

$2,582 GHS 29.9K

616.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.14 GHS 164

$12.97 GHS 150

9.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.57 GHS 215

$15.23 GHS 176

21.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.87 GHS 427

$43.68 GHS 506

-15.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.4 GHS 607

$32.85 GHS 380

59.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$686 GHS 7,942

$127 GHS 1,469

440.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 GHS 3,247

$72.0 GHS 833

289.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,077 GHS 12.5K

$436 GHS 5,048

147.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 GHS 5,492

$217 GHS 2,511

118.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,839 GHS 32.9K

$9,800 GHS 113.5K

-71.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,425 GHS 16.5K

$5,945 GHS 68.8K

-76.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 GHS 2,034

$419 GHS 4,854

-58.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

-23.57%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Accra: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Accra

$280 26%

Tema

$72 9.7% 74.3% $208

Groceries & Markets

Accra

$279 25.9%

Tema

$216 28.9% 22.7% $63

Eating Out

Accra

$175 16.3%

Tema

$144 * 19.3% 18% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Accra

$136 12.6%

Tema

$174 23.4% 28.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Accra

$96 8.9%

Tema

$41 5.5% 57.7% $56

Getting Around

Accra

$56 5.2%

Tema

$52 7% 6% $3.4

Clothing & Footwear

Accra

$55 5.1%

Tema

$47 6.3% 14.1% $7.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $686 in Accra versus $127 in Tema. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Tema are about 2.4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52 in Accra versus $28 in Tema. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $216 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Accra

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

Same time as Accra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,388,000 Capital

160,000

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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From you

Accra
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Accra vs Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,077 in Accra, $746 in Tema – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,615 per month in Accra and $1,119 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tema, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $686 in Accra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,077 in Accra and $746 in Tema. That’s a gap of about 44%.

Kindergarten costs $468 per month in Accra and $174 in Tema. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Tema – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.