The Capital City of Chad Ranks as the 2nd Most Expensive City in Africa

N’Djamena is the capital of one of the poorest countries in the World and is the second most expensive expat destination in the region and 19th most expensive worldwide.

The April quarterly update from Xpatulator.com show both N’Djamena and Shanghai, China reached the top 20 for the first time.

While Shanghai has experienced double-digit economic growth in the last 21 years, a metropolis of 24 million people with the world's busiest container port, the 3rd largest stock market in the world and home to China's largest industrial companies. N'Djamena in contrast suffers from an almost non-existent infrastructure, growing shortages of imported goods and regular inflows of refugees from its border with the Central African Republic. However, it has moved up the rankings as expats flow into the country to develop its oil fields.

What makes both of these cities expensive for foreign workers is the increasing demand for imported goods and first world accommodation expectations.

N’Djamena has moved from 181st in April 2013 to 19th in the Xpatulator.com rankings. The most expensive city in the World is Luanda, Angola, another developing oil producer on the African continent.

Xpatulator.com provides up-to-date cost of living data for over 700 locations worldwide.

Top Ten City Rankings for Africa

1. Luanda
2. N'Djamena
3. Abuja
4. Lagos
5. Kano
6. Ibadan
7. Maputo
8. Bangu
9. Bissau
10. Conakry

For the full list of city rankings for the African Region go here.

Moving to N'Djamena

Today we look at moving to N'Djamena in Chad from Phnom Penh in Cambodia. We highlight cost of living and other major differences likely to be experienced in our series of short blogs on moving between different international locations.
In Phnom Penh people speak Khmer. In N'Djamena people speak French and Arabic. Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia.

N'Djamena is the capital city of Chad. It is also the largest city in the country. Double-digit economic growth rates in recent years have triggered an economic boom, with new hotels, restaurants, bars, and residential buildings springing up around the city.
Phnom Penh's wealth of historical and cultural sites makes it a very popular tourist destination. N'Djamena is a regional market for livestock, salt, dates, and grains. Meat, fish and cotton processing are the chief industries, and the city continues to serve as the centre of economic activity in Chad, despite the violent civil conflicts.

The overall cost of living rank in Phnom Penh is 297 out of 300 global locations, which equates it with low cost of living locations.  An expatriate moving from Phnom Penh to N'Djamena which has an overall cost of living rank of 85, which equates it with high cost of living locations, will experience a change in cost of living of 73.5%.
In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, N'Djamena is ranked as an extreme hardship location with a hardship index of 40% compared to Phnom Penh with a hardship index of 40% which is also an extreme hardship location.

Source: http://www.xpatulator.com as at July 2011.

Chad, NDjamena Cost of Living April 2010

Country Full Name: The Republic of Chad.

Location: Chad is in Central Africa, south of Libya.

Country Climate: Tropical in south, desert in north.

Country Terrain: Broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south.

Major Languages: French, Arabic.

Major Religions: Islam, Christianity.

Country Population: 9.7 million (2008 est.) 10.0 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Chad ranks as one of the poorest in the world, with 80% of the population living below the poverty line. Years of civil war have scared away foreign investors; those who left Chad have only recently begun to regain confidence in the country's future.

Currency: CFA Franc (XAF).

Country Inflation: 8.3% (2008 est.) 6.5% (2009 est.).

City: N'Djamena is the capital city of Chad. It is also the largest city in the country.

City Economy: N'Djamena is a regional market for livestock, salt, dates, and grains. Meat, fish and cotton processing are the chief industries, and the city continues to serve as the centre of economic activity in Chad, despite the violent civil conflicts.
Cost of Living: N'Djamena has an overall cost of living index which equates it with high cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. N'Djamena is currently ranked 24 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.
For more cost of living information on Chad, NDjamena