Hi friends. Today we are talking about the budget for living in Cocody Abidjan. I wrote an article on the cost of living in Abidjan in 2022.
Since then, we have moved to Cocody, one of the boroughs of Abidjan. So today I’m sharing with you what our monthly expenses are for a family of three. How much do you need to live in Cocody Abidjan?
Every family is different. Maybe you’ll need more or less. So this article is to give an idea and help plan the return.
Where is Cocody?
Cocody is one of the 13 communes (boroughs) of the Abidjan District. It is located in the northeast of the city, between the commune of Bingerville and those of Plateau and Adjamé.
About 700,000 people (692,000 to be exact) live in that area of Abidjan. It is one of the most popular and affluent communes in Abidjan. Indeed, Cocody is home to:
- Many international schools
- Many universities (including the main campus of the Universite Felix Houphouet Boigny)
- Two of Abidjan public medical centers (CHU), as well as many other clinics and medical centers
- Most foreign embassies
- Several malls.
All this to say that, for many people moving to Abidjan, Cocody remains an ideal destination to settle down. You can find there all the amenities you could hope for in a big African city.
But all this comes at a cost. Keep reading to find out how much it costs to live in Abidjan Cocody!
Housing budget to live in Cocody Abidjan
Our first and biggest monthly expense in Cocody is housing.
Cocody is one of the most expensive communes in Abidjan.
Our housing budget is more than I anticipated. I have several videos YouTube on how to find a house in Abidjan. What paperwork must be provided? What the houses you can find for a certain price in Abidjan Cocody? So, don’t hesitate to check it out if you want more information.
To give you a little context, we live in the neighborhood of Cocody Riviera, in a three-bedroom house. We pay seven hundred thousand francs (~USD 1160) per month.
Repat’s tip: Before moving to Abidjan, try to have a concrete idea of what your home budget will be. Ask people who have already moved. I’ve found that real estate ad sites don’t give a good idea of the actual real estate market here. Photos can be misleading.
The best thing is to ask someone who lives here or watch YouTube videos of repats who have already moved or people who live in Abidjan.
Prices vary enormously depending on the area requested and the type of house and amenities you want!
How Much Does Food Cost for a Family of 3 in Cocody Abidjan?
The second big expense – which was also surprising to me – is food. I thought we were going to spend way less being here than what we spent in Miami. But in the end, I find it’s pretty much the same thing.
We spend around three hundred thousand CFA francs per month (~ USD 500) on food. This amount includes:
- The market,
- The grocery store,
- Fishes/ meats
- Vegetables,
- Delivery food we sometimes order.
To be honest, I rarely go to the market. I buy a lot at the supermarket. As a result, I pay supermarket prices for many things that probably cost less at the market.
That said, there are other options than the market or the supermarket for shopping. There are covered markets that are cheaper. There are wholesale markets too. Some people go directly to the port or slaughterhouses to buy their meat and fish.
Three hundred thousand francs for food is quite a big expense. We can certainly do better. And I hope that with time we will.
How Much Does Water and Electricity Cost in Abidjan?
Then, the other big expense which is also surprising is electricity.
We pay about a hundred thousand francs per month (~ USD 162). I also find that it’s quite expensive. It’s more expensive than what we paid in Miami.
Our first bill in Abidjan was over five hundred thousand, almost six hundred thousand CFA francs. Granted, it was for four or five months of consumption. But I was still shocked. When I complained to my relatives about our expensive bill, their response was “Listen, you use the air conditioning all the time! What did you expect?”
So, we tried to reduce our use of A/C. We bought fans. The following bill was two hundred thousand francs for two months, so I would say about one hundred thousand francs per month.
The water on the other hand is quite affordable. We pay less than ten thousand francs per month (~ USD 16). The water bill comes every 3 months.
Our last bill was about 26,000 FCFA for three months. We have a washing machine. It’s cheaper than what we paid before in the United States.
Is the Internet Expensive in Abidjan?
For the Internet, we pay twenty-five thousand francs per month ($40). For this price, we have the internet fiber (200 Mb/s).
Our internet formula is not the fastest nor the slowest. It suits us for what we do with it. If you want faster, you can choose plans for sixty-five thousand ($105) or eighty-five thousand Francs (~ $140) per month.
I think the cheapest I saw at Orange, our internet provider, was 15 thousand Francs (~ $25) per month.
Other internet subscribers are Moov and MTN. And a new company has arrived: Cidata.
Repat’s tip: If you use the Internet a lot, get a mobile Internet box with a rechargeable battery as a backup (in addition to your regular subscription). Most companies have a mobile internet offer. It’s a prepaid plan, which you recharge using a mobile number according to your needs. It’s slower than the fiber. But with the frequent power cuts, mobile Internet is a must for those who rely on the Internet for their business!
Budgeting for Household Staff in Cocody Abidjan
Another monthly expense we have for our household staff.
When I was planning my return to Abidjan, one thing I dreamed of was having help around the house, especially with household chores.
The dream has come true! We have two people who help us at home. Someone helps us around the house with cooking and cleaning. She works part-time and is paid fifty thousand CFA francs per month (~ USD 80).
We also have a full-time driver. We pay him a hundred thousand FCFA per month (~ USD 162).
I find these services to be extremely affordable (understatement of the year). I would cut down another expense before I cut down on those services because to me it’s worth it. I hate driving in Abidjan. Traffic is a mess. So, it’s great to have someone for that.
At home, it’s great to have someone who takes care of the household chores and allows us to use the time saved to do other things.
These are luxuries that I couldn’t have imagined having living in the US.
Budget for Commuting in Abidjan
The last expense is transportation. We put around ten to twenty thousand Francs per week of gas in the car. That adds up to around sixty to eighty thousand Francs per month ($100-130), I would say.
Your transportation budget will obviously depend on the distance between your house, your job, and your children’s school if you have children.
Currently, gas in Abidjan costs 815 FCFA per liter (~ $6/gallon). It’s much more expensive than in the USA. Take this into consideration when choosing a car for Abidjan (especially if moving from the US.
The roads are smaller and in worse shape than the ones you may be used to in the US. Ideally, find a car that does not consume too much gas and that can handle bad roads.
If you have a car, you also have to take into account your car insurance. For basic insurance, we pay around 100 thousand FCFA ($162) per year.
Total Expenses and Other expenses to consider
When we add up our fixed expenses, that brings us to roughly 1,475,000 FCFA per month (~ USD 2400). We paid about the same amount for just our mortgage in Miami. That puts things into perspective. But remember friends, we don’t earn the same income as we used to in the States!
This budget does not cover annual school fees. It also doesn’t cover annual health insurance costs.
For schools
There are private schools for all budgets in Cocody. But, if you choose to send your child to an international school – which follows a French, Canadian, or American curriculum – the bill can add up very quickly.
Prices range from about 1 million per year to the whooping cost of 14 million per year ($23,870) (for the International Community School of Abidjan aka the American school).
For health insurance
You also can get insurance for all budgets. It all depends on what type of coverage you want, the size of your family, which hospital you want covered in your insurance…
This year, we paid about 1.5 million for 100% coverage (~ USD 2500) for the whole year. We are a family of three, but this plan is the family plan, which can cover up to 5 people.
That is our budget to live in Abidjan, in the commune of Cocody. As I said at the beginning, each person and each family will have a different budget.
The most important thing is to prepare a realistic budget that will allow you to live comfortably according to your lifestyle.
If you live in another African city, is your budget higher or lower than ours? Message me at backtotheotherland@gmail.com or on IG at Backtotheotherland to tell me!
See you soon.
