Living in Kumasi, Ghana

Kumasi is a large inland city in Ashanti, Ghana (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 26°C over the year with about 1,321 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,544 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in Ghana is possible, with conditions.

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Est. cost: €2,544; a month for a couple
Climate: 26°C; 1,321 mm rain a year
Size: Large; 1 to 5 million people
Safety: 64/100; country-level
Residency: Possible, with conditions; for most foreigners

Limited data for Ghana. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Ghana are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Ghana, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

Healthcare

Ghana scores 45 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 4% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Ghana: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Climate

Kumasi averages 26°C across the year with about 1,321 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 78% of the 1225 cities we track.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Residency and visas

Possible, with conditions. Long-term residency runs mainly through an employer-sponsored work permit or a GIPC investor permit tied to capitalizing a business, with a discretionary sufficient-means retiree permit that requires two Ghanaian guarantors and sets no fixed income figure.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Ghana:

Investment: about $200k (Ghana GIPC investor permit, USD 200,000 minimum equity for a joint venture with at least 10% Ghanaian ownership (cheapest tier; wholly foreign-owned is USD 500,000); thresholds are set natively in USD, and a 2026 reform abolishing them has passed Parliament but still awaits presidential assent; as of June 2026)

For short visits, 33 of 198 passports can enter visa-free and 165 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €2,544 a month to live centrally in Kumasi, 7% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 68% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Safety and stability

Ghana scores 64 out of 100 on safety, safer than 57% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 6.7 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Ghana: country-level homicide rate per 100,000 people (VC.IHR.PSRC.P5, 2022) and Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Kumasi

Is Kumasi a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on healthcare. Our figures for Ghana are partial: no tax, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, wet climate (26°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Kumasi and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Kumasi?

We estimate about €2,544 a month for a couple living centrally, 7% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Ghana, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

Can foreigners live in Ghana long term?

Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency runs mainly through an employer-sponsored work permit or a GIPC investor permit tied to capitalizing a business, with a discretionary sufficient-means retiree permit that requires two Ghanaian guarantors and sets no fixed income figure. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $200k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Kumasi?

Kumasi averages 26°C across the year with about 1,321 mm of rain, which makes it warm and wet. It is warmer than 78% of the cities we track.