Here are the top 10 African cities with the highest cost of living

The report also noted that the return of high inflation in the world has caused employees to reevaluate their salary potential, and work-life balance and compete for top talent.

The research reveals that Hong Kong tops the 2022 cost of living city ranking, followed by Zurich and Geneva in Switzerland. In Africa, Bangui in the Central African Republic comes first as the city with the highest cost of living.

This is followed by Libreville (Gabon), Victoria (Seychelles), Djibouti (Djibouti) and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) respectively. The rest are Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Dakar (Senegal), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Brazzaville (Republic of Congo) respectively.

“COVID-19 pandemic has created social and economic disruptions across the globe and Africa has not been an exception. We’re seeing a significant increase in the cost of living across cities and it’s important for organizations to reassess their mobility programs with a focus on the wellbeing of their employees,” said Didintle Kwape, Associate, Career Products at Mercer Africa.

The report said the figures for Mercer’s cost of living and rental accommodation cost comparisons were derived from a survey conducted in March 2020.  The survey includes over 400 cities throughout the world. The survey measured the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.

Here are the top African cities with the highest cost of living, according to Mercer

1. Bangui in Central African Republic
2. Libreville (Gabon),
3. Victoria (Seychelles),
4. Djibouti (Djibouti)
5. Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo)
6. Lagos (Nigeria)
7. Luanda (Angola)
8. Dakar (Senegal)
9. Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)
10. Brazzaville (Republic of Congo)