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Expats often overlook Africa as a retirement destination due to misconceptions about cost of living, safety concerns, underdeveloped infrastructure, inadequate healthcare, and a lack of established expat communities, despite its potential for future growth.
This video explores the primary reasons why Africa is not a more popular retirement destination for expats. The host addresses common misconceptions, starting with the cost of living, which is often assumed to be low but can be quite high in major African cities due to import costs and desirable locations. Examples like Luanda, Morocco, and South Africa are used to illustrate that living comfortably in Africa can be as, or even more, expensive than in Western countries.
Safety perceptions are another significant factor, with many potential expats associating Africa with unrest and danger, even though some countries are quite safe. The host shares personal experiences of feeling unsafe in Morocco and mentions incidents involving public figures, highlighting that while media portrayals might be exaggerated, genuine safety concerns exist, especially for vulnerable retirees. Infrastructure is also a major hurdle; the continent's geography, with fewer navigable rivers and susceptibility to natural disasters, coupled with varying levels of development between countries, makes travel difficult and unpredictable.
Healthcare accessibility and quality are critical concerns for retirees, with a lack of specialized medical services and medications in many areas. This forces many to consider living only in large cities, which they may wish to avoid. Furthermore, the lack of established expat communities, unlike in places like the Philippines, can lead to isolation. While certain African cities have expat hubs, they are not representative of the continent as a whole. The video concludes by acknowledging Africa's potential for growth and development, suggesting that these factors might change in the future, but for now, they present significant barriers for many considering retirement abroad.
Expats often skip Africa for retirement due to concerns about safety, underdeveloped infrastructure, and perceived high costs of living, which can be exacerbated by import reliance. Many also worry about the availability and quality of healthcare services outside major cities.
Contrary to popular belief, retiring in Africa can be surprisingly expensive, especially in major cities like Luanda where import costs significantly drive up prices. While some areas might be more affordable, comfortable living often requires a budget comparable to or even exceeding Western countries.
Perceptions of widespread unrest and crime are major deterrents, even though many parts of Africa are generally safe. Retirees may fear becoming targets or worry about instability, influencing their decision to seek destinations perceived as more secure.
Infrastructure poses significant challenges for retirees in Africa, including variable road quality, limited public transportation, and susceptibility to natural disasters. These factors can make travel difficult and costly, impacting daily life and accessibility to amenities.
Access to quality healthcare is a major concern for expats considering retirement in Africa. Specialized medical services and consistent availability of medication can be limited, often restricting retirees to living only in large urban centers.
Established expat communities, which provide familiar social structures and support networks, are less common across Africa compared to popular retirement spots like Southeast Asia. This absence can lead to feelings of isolation for retirees seeking a built-in social life.
Expats often fear retiring in Africa due to widespread perceptions of instability, crime, and danger, fueled by historical media portrayals of turmoil. While some areas are safe, genuine concerns about personal security and becoming targets for crime can deter potential retirees.
Healthcare quality and accessibility are significant concerns for retirees in Africa. Specialized medical services and necessary medications may be unavailable outside of major urban centers, forcing retirees to live in cities they might otherwise avoid.
The lack of large, established expat communities in many parts of Africa can lead to feelings of isolation for retirees. While some cities have expat hubs, they are not widespread across the continent, unlike in more established retirement destinations.
Retirement visas for countries like Kenya and Uganda can be costly, with Kenya's annual fee at $2000 USD and Uganda's around $1500 USD. These costs, combined with minimum income requirements, can make these destinations inaccessible for many retirees relying on average Social Security incomes.
Cape Town faces significant safety concerns for retirees, with high crime rates, including muggings in broad daylight, being a deterrent. Despite its attractions, the perceived lack of safety and the need for private security and insurance contribute to a lower quality of life compared to other destinations.
Retiring in Africa can be very affordable if one adopts a lifestyle with a smaller carbon footprint, similar to how most Africans live. However, many Westerners are unwilling to completely abandon their familiar lifestyle and seek a middle ground, which can increase costs.
0:01 Hey YouTube, Alex here. And in today's video, I want to answer the question: why don't more expats choose Africa? I got this question months ago and I never got around to answering it, so I thought I'd go ahead and answer why more people don't choose Africa, why Africa doesn't come up in conversation more. So, let's get into it. Before I get into this, I want to mention that this video is not meant to disparage people from Africa, African immigrants, or those who have a culturally African background. It's simply to point out the reasons as to why it doesn't come up as much.
0:37 I've asked guys about this, I've talked to different expats. People have different opinions as to why this is the case, and I thought I'd boil it down to five simple reasons as to why expats don't choose Africa as much as they choose some other parts of the world. The first reason that expats don't choose Africa is cost of living.
0:55 There's this misperception that I hear from some people that, 'Oh, Africa must be so economical because wages may not be as high, economic development may not be as high as some other parts of the world.' Depending on where you go in Africa, and so there's this misnomer, 'Oh, well, if the wages aren't as high, then the costs must be less.' That's not the case. You look at places like Luanda, Angola. Luanda is not cheap, it's extremely expensive, and that's an extreme example, but it's considered to have one of the highest costs of living in the world, I think because most products are imported.
1:31 We'll get into infrastructure a little bit later in the video, but I went to Morocco early last year and I paid $50 for a decent hotel room. You can get a decent hotel room in Thailand for $20, $30 a night, here in the Philippines, $20, $30 a night depending on where you go. So, paying almost double that right off the bat, your cost per day is going to be substantially higher. I also found food in Morocco to not be that cheap. I think I spent close to $20 on a Turkish-style dinner in Tangier. I've heard Egypt can also be costly compared to Southeast Asia. I've also heard South Africa can be costly compared to Southeast Asia or Latin America if you want to live in a safe area in these countries, if you want to live in a desirable area, it ain't going to be cheap.
2:20 I think the same goes for countries like Uganda or Kenya. I've heard are very popular. Just because a place is regarded as economical doesn't mean it's actually an economic place to live. I've heard this about where I'm from, the southern US. 'Oh, just move to the South, it's so cheap.' Yeah, maybe 20 years ago. Okay, maybe 20 years ago it was a cheap place to live, it was economical. Now, in regards to wages versus cost of living, it's not a good deal. So, this idea that, 'Oh, you just go to Africa because it's so economical,' I think a number of these people that say that, they may have never stepped foot in Africa.
2:55 Not to say that's everybody that suggests that, but I do get this question, 'Why not go to Africa?' and the cost is top of mind there. The top reason I hear about guys traveling in Africa is that they are of African descent and they have some family or cultural tie to a specific country or location in Africa. One of my professors in college was from Senegal, and he'd periodically go back to Senegal, so he had a reason to go there. He has family there, a large extended family that he likes to spend time with, and he cannot easily see these family members outside of Senegal. So, his reason for being there is not retirement, it's not cost of living, it's not dating, it's to go see his family.
3:37 The second reason would be adventure. Guys who are super adventurous, they want to go to Africa because they get the sense that it's less well-traveled than some other continents or parts of the world. We're speaking in really broad terms here. Africa is not a monolith. There's East Africa, there's West Africa, there's Africa north of the Sahara, Africa south of the Sahara. There are parts of Africa that are regarded as very safe, all the way to extremely unsafe, depending on where you go in the continent. So, adventure is the second reason to go there. But if cost of living is top of mind for you, it's just simply not going to be the case that you're going to get all these crazy deals.
4:14 Are there places that I would say are budget-friendly? Absolutely, compared to the US, certainly. There are many places in Africa that are more economical. If you're principally price-focused, you're better off looking at Latin America or Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, than you are at looking at Africa broadly speaking. One of the places I would consider spending time in, even though I haven't been there, I've done a lot of research, is Cape Town, South Africa. I've had some friends go there and enjoy it, but to visit Cape Town is not that cheap. It's considered one of the most desirable cities in Africa, even within South Africa, and you're going to pay a premium to be there. It's not going to be the most budget-friendly destination. I wouldn't call it outrageously expensive, but you want to do things like safari or participate in the natural attractions, you're going to pay for that.
5:02 So that's the first reason why a lot of guys don't go to South Africa is that if they're budget-conscious, they're simply not going to find the extraordinary deals that they might find in other parts of the world. To have a safe, high quality of life may cost them even more than it would cost in the West. The number two reason is that many people have a perception of Africa, again speaking in broad terms here, is not safe. They think about certain regions like Somalia or Congo, even South Africa, which I mentioned earlier. They look at some of the unrest that has happened there, they don't feel that it's a particularly safe destination.
5:46 I understand there are countries, places like Rwanda, for example, that have a strong reputation for safety. In 2024, those portrayals in Western media of some of the hotspots, some of the unsafe zones, particularly dangerous for travelers, especially travelers who would not blend in, people who are not local to the area, people who don't have family there, people who don't have relatives that can help them to navigate places that may not have the same infrastructure that tourists are accustomed to, it can become dangerous.
6:20 I mean, even a trained athlete competing in the UFC, a former competitor in the UFC, Michael Bisping, he ran into issues in Cape Town, which is regarded as somewhat safer than some other parts. I myself was accosted in Morocco. I took a photo of a sign outside of a restaurant, and the individual who owned it started following me down the street, demanding money, grabbing at my clothes, trying to not let me leave. I started yelling for the police, and eventually he let go after people started staring at him. That was just one incident where I did not feel safe, and I would recommend tourists that want to go there to be very cautious and considerate of that.
6:58 I did not have issues with touts or scams, but that may be because I could blend in a little bit easier in Morocco. I had some Moroccan people tell me I could pass for Moroccan, so you may not be able to. I don't know where you're from, I don't know where you live, I don't know about your ethnic background, but that's a concern where I don't feel like I did anything to elicit this response. I just stood there waiting for somebody to come out of this restaurant. Nobody came, and I thought a design on the establishment looked cool, so I took a picture, started to walk away, and this guy starts shouting at me and then trying to follow me.
7:32 And, you look up, and it turns out I'm not the only person that has had these kinds of challenges there. This isn't to disparage Morocco, this isn't to critique Morocco. I've known a lot of travelers to go there and to not have issues, but I have to mention that safety is of concern, and a lot of people have this perception, rightfully or wrongfully, so that if they go to Africa, they're going to run into some kind of situation that is out of their control and may impact their well-being.
8:03 Like I said, I haven't traveled much in Africa, I've been to Morocco and that's it. But that was what happened in just the tip, like, day two of me being in Africa. That's a concern that a lot of people have, that a lot of travelers have, and it's even more so the case if they're an elderly retiree. They may feel, 'Hey, I'm particularly vulnerable to aggressive touts or scammers or people of ill repute, and I'm not going to easily be able to run away from a situation that turns out to be dangerous.'
8:31 I'm not going to easily be able to get away from these kinds of circumstances. I mentioned here, you can do research on the challenges that some people have faced in some of these countries, but I wouldn't be honest if I didn't mention that a lot of people have this concern about safety that they may not have about some other parts of the world. And I think, to be fair here to Africa, there are unsafe parts of every continent, of every country, anywhere you go in the world that has people. There is risk associated with that. Some places are less risky than others. Some places have the perception of less risk than others, and that's one of those things that Africa does seem to struggle with to some extent. That's reason number two.
9:10 Some people just don't perceive Africa, broadly speaking, to be as safe as some other places. I don't think it's entirely fair because I do think that there are some countries and cities within Africa that are safe. That explains why some people are not looking at Africa as a potential retirement destination. Number three is infrastructure. We're not talking about man-made infrastructure here, we're talking about natural geography. There is this philosopher, Thomas Sowell.
9:36 And I'm not going to sit here and say everything he says is good or everything he says is bad, but one of the things that he's mentioned, and I know I'm going to frustrate some audience members here by mentioning Thomas Sowell, but one of the things that he's mentioned...
9:47 Here by mentioning Thomas Sa, but one of the things that he mentions is that there are a lack of navigable rivers in Africa. If you notice the countries that do have navigable rivers, they tend to be the wealthiest and most prosperous part of Africa: Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, and there are some others as well that aren't immediately coming to mind. When you don't have the benefit of naturally beneficial infrastructure, you have areas that are prone to droughts or prone to flooding. This extreme inclement weather, that may be exacerbated by climate change, makes it difficult and costly to get around. It's not so easy to just get in a car and drive. You may have areas where it's a struggle to get gasoline for your vehicle, as an example. You may be in an area prone to flooding and then get stuck because the highway is going this way, there's no way to loop around it, and so then you get stuck for a while.
10:42 Some travelers are very time-sensitive and they can't afford to wait. Hotels in that area, if it's rural, may be quite expensive to be able to stay in a modern hotel. I've seen some vloggers attempt to do road trips in Africa, and they talk about some of the issues that they run into. The infrastructure is still a challenge there, not only based on geography but also just on the fact that there are different countries that have different budgets and different means for infrastructure. You may be able to travel well within one country, but you go to the neighboring country, and all of a sudden it's harder to get around. It's not easy to find places to stay, it's not easy to get around, and it's not like a place like Southeast Asia where there's plenty of tourism infrastructure. This part of the world has seen tourism for many decades; it's easy to find hotels anywhere you go, it's easy to find transportation, there's public transportation everywhere.
11:44 That may be another challenge that people run into in Africa: desperate public transportation. Maybe you can travel in Morocco very easily by bus, but you go to Western Sahara, and there's no public transportation. So these are some things to be mindful of. If you're a person who likes to travel around and you don't want to just post up in one town, which is more my style, then you may have a hard time in Africa getting around. Flights can also be very expensive. I've priced out flights in Africa; it can be cost-prohibitive to actually fly from one part of the continent to another part of the continent. Where in Asia, it seems like it's more economical, especially if you're in mainland Southeast Asia. It's very economical to fly from Thailand to Vietnam, Vietnam to Cambodia, Vietnam to Indonesia. There are a lot of intercountry travel options that in Africa you may not have the same variety of options. You may not have the same level of demand.
12:42 That's another thing: with the interest not being comparable to other parts of the world, if you don't have as much demand, they can really charge a lot for those people that do want to go there. You probably don't have the same level of competition that you'd have in other parts of the world to travel around there. Southeast Asia, easy sell. Latin America, still a pretty easy sell. Europe, easy sell. United States, easy sell. Natural disasters may also destroy infrastructure. Natural disasters may wipe out bridges, may wipe out roads, may wipe out hotels and other kinds of buildings, such that people want to invest, they want to spend money there to build hotels and other kinds of tourism infrastructure, but then their project is going to get wiped out. So that's another concern there in terms of infrastructure challenges. Once again, your mileage may vary; some parts of Africa are more natural disaster-prone than others.
13:38 But I think it's important to acknowledge that part of the appeal of Asia is that you can go to other parts of Asia. Some people don't have that perception about Africa: that, okay, I like this country, it's not going to be so easy to find another place or get to another place for a weekend trip. It may be too costly, it may be out of budget for me to fly from Rwanda to South Africa or vice versa.
13:57 Number four is health concerns. If you're like me, then you've known of somebody, at least one person, who has a healthcare background that has traveled to Africa to work in a missionary capacity, to treat people, to attempt to heal people. I have a friend who went to teach and donate his time in Tanzania. He's got an uncle that actually runs a nonprofit there. For young guys, they may not be that concerned about healthcare, like, whatever, you know, I can just tough it out. I'm less prone to health ailments than an older retiree. With retirees, they may not feel satisfied by the healthcare options. From my understanding, it's not easy to find quality healthcare in different parts of Africa. Nigeria comes to mind, where I worked with a guy who actually immigrated to the US from Nigeria, and he talked about his grandmother having a major healthcare scare there due to inadequate access to healthcare.
14:56 So if you're a guy who has some kind of health condition, you need specialized treatment, a certain kind of medication that may not exist over there. So a lot of the guys who can afford to live this lifestyle tend to be older, and if they're concerned about getting quality treatment, then it really makes that option off-limits. On top of that, do they want to live in a big city? Maybe they don't want to live in a big city. Maybe they feel that living in a big city could be quite stressful, and that's the only place in that African country that has sufficient healthcare services to meet their demand or meet their needs, to help to keep them alive. So for some guys, it's a matter of survival. They feel, hey, you know what, I'd love to live in this country or that country, but I don't feel that the healthcare services are able to provide me what I need.
15:47 My former coworker from Nigeria said that's one of the things he loves about the United States: that with all of its faults, the healthcare system is effective. Now, it is very expensive, cost-prohibitive for a lot of people, but it is high quality. And high quality in a way that he felt was not present in Nigeria. Now, I don't know if it was localized to the city his grandmother is from or living in, or if it's a countrywide challenge, but certainly for expat retirees that have healthcare as a top-of-mind concern, then they're going to be more limited as far as places to live, cities to live, and may not be able to enjoy a provincial lifestyle, say, on the outskirts of like a Manila or a Cebu. Because let's say the infrastructure has a problem on the day you need to go to the doctor, that combination of problems can really create some risk for you there.
16:41 Number five is a lack of established expat communities. I found that that's a big advantage of here in Dumaguete is that when you come here to Dumaguete, you are surrounded by expats, right? You are surrounded by foreigners, many of whom are from the United States or the UK, the Western world, and they speak great English. They can relate to your problems, in many cases, they can relate to your challenges, and that really gives guys a sense of acceptance and of happiness. I think really, truly, the thing that makes me happiest here in Dumaguete is that sense of community. So if you go to an area in Africa that doesn't have a substantial expat community, or maybe the community is more transient, maybe it's less well-established, maybe you don't have as many bars or restaurants to cater to that crowd, you may feel isolated, you may feel lonely.
17:35 Now, I'm not saying that Africa doesn't have these expat hotspots. Obviously, Tangier, where I went, is notorious for having expats and an expat community going back many years, back to the beach generation. But Tangier doesn't represent everywhere in Africa. Your mileage may vary there as well. I've talked to some folks that have lived in South Africa, and they've talked about how they've known a lot of people to leave. They ran into some kind of crime issue in South Africa, and it basically caused them to get fed up or fear for their well-being, and they just left the country. It's not uncommon to hear this from South Africans living abroad that they ran into some kind of crime issue in South Africa and they wanted to leave for their own well-being.
18:23 When you have people leaving due to crime concerns, it doesn't exactly make it easy to establish a community. I've never heard anybody leaving the Philippines due to crime. I have heard of people leaving because they brought their fiance or wife back to their home country. I've heard some guys, of course, run into financial issues that need to go back, but it's never been an issue. But I've never heard of crime being a major factor like I have for some parts of Africa. I'm sure you can build a community there. There are some great vloggers that do a fantastic job with Africa and are able to really show a lot of nice things there that a lot of Western people are not familiar with that would be curious to enjoy.
19:02 I'm happy to travel back to Africa in the future. Rwanda is high on my list. I'm even interested in South Africa. Egypt is on my list. Curious about Nigeria, but some of these options are more for hardcore travelers. They're not places I would recommend for inexperienced travelers, people who do not have experience traveling in some places that are prone to safety concerns. I've been to some dangerous places in the world and I feel confident that I can prepare to navigate these places, but I wouldn't recommend somebody who's never left the United States, for example, to go and to live in some of these places because it's just not going to be as beginner-friendly.
19:38 Where Southeast Asia, much of it is very beginner-friendly. Much of it is very easy. It's not going to be hard to get around. It's not going to be hard to find Western food. It's not going to be hard to exchange money. It's not going to be hard to find places to stay.
19:49 It's not going to be difficult to go from country to country. This has been a video on five reasons as to why more expats don't choose Africa. Could that change in the coming years? Absolutely. You have a lot of economic development happening there, and a lot of economic growth.
20:06 You have a lot of people who are curious about living there. I'm not opposed to it; I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just saying that these are five of the reasons why it may not be the perfect fit for a lot of people.
20:16 Of course, I'm speaking in broad generalities. We're talking about a continent with tons of people, with tons of variety in landscapes and cultures and cuisine and lifestyles. I'm speaking only at a very high level here, like I said, I haven't traveled much in Africa, just to Morocco, so I can't give you the boots-on-the-ground experience some other vloggers may be able to provide for you.
20:35 If this video has been helpful for you, let me know what you think down in the comments. Would you become an expat in Africa? Would you live there? Have you traveled there? What are the reasons to live there? What are the reasons not to live there? It helps to generate interesting discussion.
20:49 Also, if you want to help the channel, give it a thumbs up. It helps with the algorithm. Finally, if you want to see more content like this, subscribe to the channel down below, and we'll see you soon. Bye-bye.
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