Affordable accomodation in Accra

Hello itznat,

I think that you should also try these following websites :

- http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/estates/
- http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/r … entals.php
- http://www.ghanafind.com/

Also note that you can post an ad for free in the Housing in Accra section. I also advise you to have a look at the offers made in the same section please as you may find what you are looking for.

Good luck

Priscilla 

hi am nana and i might be able to help you
contact me [email protected]

Hello itznat,

What is your budget range?

Thanks.

Hello ,
I know of a Canadian lady who rents out beautiful  furnished rooms at affordable prices, they are located in a quite neighborhood where you have easy access to public transport to all areas of Accra.Contact me so that I give you her phone number and e-mail address

am looking to share my place with someone, can you please contact me my yahoo [email protected]

Hello Abokobi,

Thank you very much for mentioning that.

Is the house a guest house?

What are the daily rates? What are the weekly rates?

Does the house have internet connectivity? What about a water tank? What about 24 hour electricity?

Thank you.

Hello,

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I found a decent accommodation for the moment but if possible, I would like to find something cheaper, preferably in East Legon for under $400 per month. If anyone knows anyone looking for roomates, do let me know.

Thank you

Have you looked at accraexpat? You can sometimes find houseshares there.

Yes, I have looked at accraexpat and other websites like ghanaweb and ghanafind. There aren't many listings in my price range.

Hi Itznat,

400 U.S. dollars is an outrageous amount of money in Accra for an apartment actually.  That is 1277 GHC!  There are people who will tell you that you have to spend a huge amount for nice housing in Accra but the truth is that the economy is struggling right now and Ghana is dependent on foreigners' income flow so the foreigners who want to rent can basically choose their own price.
With a struggling economy, the only other option the property owners have is to meet your price or have an empty apartment with no one in it!

Hi,

I know its outrageous. My initial budget was less than $300 a month. I am currently paying $500 a month for a room in a shared house and I think its ridiculous but everyone is telling me that that is cheap and that I will not find anything for less and I find that very hard to believe.

hey hun when are you going t o ghana. im going friday or monday latest. maybe we could find somewhere to stay and share costs.i will be volunteering too.  jayde 22 from london what about you ?? message me your email if  youre interested

Hi Itznat,

Oh gosh. That is a rip-off and there are plenty of Ghanaians who are living in houses for that amount!

It is not true that all the Ghanaians who are living in housing that is costing 300 GHC to 500 GHC are without running water or electricity and in unsafe places. That is what some people there will tell you but it is not true.  You will see when you start hanging out at places where the locals live away from the foreigners.

There are also some communities where the Indians are renting and also communities where the Chinese are renting. There are more and more Chinese coming to Ghana now.

Also, be leery of people posting in these forums who do not share the information they have about housing OPENLY and want to talk with you one-to-one. If they are legit then they will not mind publicizing the rental amount and the location of the property.

Don't be discouraged! You will find better prices. You can negotiate any price. The country needs foreign influx.

Hi , I mailed you about the place near Adenta where a Canadian was renting rooms.
Did you get into touch with her ?
Actually , I'm her landlord and will be coming to Ghana next sunday , I can offer you a whole house for much less with running water , 2 bedrooms with A/C ,another room without A/C  ,kitchen with new fridge , gascooker , kitchen utensils , completely walled for much less than what you're paying now.( depending whether you'll pay monthly or at once for a longer period )
Looking for forward to hear from you

best regards , Bart

Preaching woman, I am not surprised to hear you say that but it seams everyone I talk to here tells me the opposite. No one wants to say the truth or help me out to find an affordable place. Fortunately, through a friend in Burkina Faso who has a friend her in Ghana, I was able to find a decent place for 800cedis a month.

Abokobi, I didn't contact her only because the place is too far. I have to rely on public transit to get to work (which is in Spintex) so I need a place that is accessible to trotros. Thanks though.

Hi Itznat,

I am glad you could find a place! There is definitely a mindset that you will encounter that foreigners should have to pay inflated prices for everything. I do not understand that mindset but it exists.

Many people assume that if you ask about housing that you are looking for a mansion with a swimming pool and house servants to wash your feet and clothing every day -- AS IF they think that is how foreigners who come to Ghana are living in their own homeland.

There is also an assumption that foreigners who come to Ghana will only live among other foreigners so they will start telling you all of the places with high-priced housing where the Ghanaians do not live. If the foreigners who come to Ghana only wanted to be with their own nationality then they would not have come to Ghana in the first place. I do not understand these assumptions that are made about foreigners.

If you keep asking, you will get the true information!  Best wishes!

Your assumptions about foreigners comimg to Ghana is incorrect. I worked as a Relocation agent for some time and companies sending staff here specifically ask for the type of accommodation you mention in expat areas. This makes it very difficult for volunteers and those on limited budgets to find affordable places.
With regards to expats having to pay more, it is because they generally have more - a lot more than the average Ghanian!

I think you are both right. The problem I see is that there are a lot more expats and foreigners here that is indeed driving up the cost of housing. And, especially, there are a lot more expats who aren't just NGO workers and so have a lot more money, which is unfortunate for people like me. I definitely did not come to Ghana to live like a rich foreigner and only hang out with other foreigners. I've lived in Burkina Faso, where the expat community is small and therefore it is much easier to find affordable accommodation. I did not live in an expat neighbourhood and I found so much easier to befriend locals and integrate among locals, something that I find difficult to do here, sadly.

I can understand that as I originally lived in Enchi Western region in the early 1990s and there really got to know Ghanaians and live like a Ghanaian and not an expat. I was a volunteer too and therefore used local transport etc. Now the only Ghanaians I generally come into contact with are my husband's family! It is possible to live in a Ghanaian area in Accra but you have to make the right contacts which can be difficult

There is NO justification for discriminating against foreigners who are in Ghana by inflating prices. The prices should be the same for the same services and the same items.

What if Africans came to America and were told that the same houses were THREE times the cost for them than the Americans? They would not be happy. What if they went to the market and were told the food items were THREE times the cost for them than what was charged to Americans? They would not be happy.

Having more money to spend does not mean that the prices for the SAME ITEMS should be inflated.

Plenty of foreigners that you encounter in Ghana will verify what I said, Itznat -- there IS an assumption that foreigners who come to Ghana are all rich in their homeland.

So here is the truth about life in America...the majority of Americans don't even have swimming pools with their houses, do not live in mansions, and do not have house servants or personal drivers employed. A very, very small percentage of Americans have those things in their own country.

Your definition of rich seems to be owning a large house with a swimming pool in your own country and I agree most of the foreigners who come to Ghana do not fall into that category but even so compared to the vast majority of Ghanaians they are rich. Even as a volunteer in the 1990s I was far better off than my teaching colleagues as my organisation topped up my salary and I got free medical care and flights in and out of the country. Also I had something else - a passport which allowed me to travel without any problems getting visas etc.
Foreigners coming to Ghana are generally being paid in dollars and therefore their pay is not affected too much by currency fluctuations and unfortunately, despite this, they often seem to want everything as cheap as they can get it. Some people expect their domestic staff to work 10 hours a day for the minimum wage of around 7 cedis a day.
If you shop in the stores here there is no difference whether you are foreign and earning $3000- $4000+ with all your expenses and accommodation paid or a Ghanaian on the minimum wage. The only places where there can be price differences is in local markets or with tradesmen and it isn't just foreigners who are quoted higher prices. My husband is Ghanaian but has lived abroad for ages and when he came back he would be charged more as they realised he had been overseas and therefore perceived to have more money. Once you have been here a while you learn to bargain - which doesn't just happen in Ghana - and often a nice smile and a few words of Twi and treating the seller with respect can get you 'a good price' which to me means what you are prepared to pay. If you are not happy with the price you can always walk away!