5 major African cities where most residents can’t afford housing in 2025

The Price-to-Income Ratio (PIR), a significant economic indicator, assesses the relationship between average income and real estate prices.

A high PIR suggests that housing is becoming increasingly costly to income, putting inhabitants under substantial financial difficulty.

Cities in Africa with a high PIR have severe issues given that a large percentage of the population may not be able to afford to own or rent a property.

Many are forced into cramped or inadequate living circumstances as a result, particulalrly in urban centers bustling with opportunities unable to service everyone.

Many people in places whose housing costs are significantly higher than average income levels are unable to become homeowners, which causes long-term financial instability and an increase in the number of homeless people.

Costly housing also reduces the amount of money that families can spend on other necessities like transportation, healthcare, and education. Since lower consumer spending restricts the development of jobs and lowers economic growth generally, this hurts local economies.

High housing expenses also exacerbate socioeconomic disparities, expanding the gap between rich and low-income people.

In places where affordability is a big concern, middle- and low-income families are frequently driven to the periphery, resulting in long commutes, limited employment possibilities, and a worse quality of life.

Simultaneously, a dearth of affordable housing in big African cities can hinder urban growth by discouraging talent retention and innovation.

With that said, here are the 10 African cities with the least affordable housing according to Numbeo’s price-to-income ratio.

Numbeo notes that the price-to-income ratio is an important metric of apartment purchase affordability, with a higher ratio indicating reduced affordability.

It is commonly computed as the ratio of median apartment costs to median family disposable income, expressed in years of income (though variants exist elsewhere).

PS: Numbeo’s data covers only major economic hubs in Africa.