Windhoek ranks seventh among pricey African cities

Windhoek has ranked among Africa’s higher-cost cities in 2026, placing seventh on the continent and fourth in southern Africa, according to cost-of-living data published by Numbeo.

Numbeo says its index compares relative living costs across cities using a basket of indicators that includes groceries, rent, restaurant prices and local purchasing power.

According to the data, Windhoek recorded a cost-of-living index of 37.4, with a rent index of 15.2 and a combined cost-of-living-plus-rent index of 27.5. Grocery prices were measured at 35.6, while restaurant prices stood at 36.4.

Local purchasing power in the city was recorded at 72.0.

Numbeo says these figures place Windhoek below Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and South Africa’s Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town, but above cities such as Accra, Nairobi, Casablanca and Cairo.

Across Africa, Abidjan ranked highest with a cost-of-living index of 45.2, followed by Addis Ababa at 42.6. Pretoria placed third at 41.6, with Johannesburg and Cape Town close behind at 40.4 and 39.6, respectively, Numbeo notes.

Within southern Africa, Numbeo ranked Windhoek fourth, behind Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town, but ahead of Durban.

Pretoria led the regional list with an index of 41.6, followed by Johannesburg at 40.4 and Cape Town at 39.6. Durban ranked fifth at 35.3.

Numbeo says its data shows that while Windhoek’s overall cost levels are lower than those of South Africa’s major metropolitan areas, Namibia’s capital remains more expensive than several other African capitals, including Nairobi at 32.0, Tunis at 30.7 and Algiers at 29.2.

Local purchasing power remains a key differentiator. Numbeo notes that Windhoek’s purchasing power index of 72.0 is significantly lower than that of South African cities, where Johannesburg and Cape Town exceeded 100, but markedly higher than many West and East African cities, where indices generally remain below 40.

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