Accra - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
There are very few standalone houses, most are row houses on complexes. The amount of interior square footage is good overall but there is very little green space. Only one compound I know of has a communal "yard" where kids can kick a soccer ball or sit under a tree - so expect a ton of concrete. No parks, playgrounds or open grassy areas in Cantonments either, except for the embassy compound. Housing is close to the Embassy but far from the main international school (LCS). Kids are on the bus for 40-60 minutes each direction. Buses are provided. Maintenance requests can be challenging. In previous posts, we've filed maintenance requests maybe once every 3-6 months. Here we sometimes are filing several within a week, so our house is a revolving door of workers. Most have to deal with pests but we haven't found it to be so bad (cockroaches, mosquitoes, lizards, etc). There was a house fire caused by an AC unit once while its occupant was on vacation. Another annoyance is noise. The houses are not well insulated, or perhaps it's thinness of windows? We hear the music/bass from nearby restaurants/clubs or the du Bois center pretty much every night, which is frustrating. - Aug 2024
All housing, minus the DCM, Ambassador and DAT are within a five mile radius of the embassy. Commute times are amazing. Many officers can walk to work, some as close as across the street. Housing is a mixed bag for sure, and can really be a damper on morale. They are moving away from stand alone houses and moving towards more and more compounds. The default is any major maintenance issue to the landlord. So if you luck out with a strong landlord the housing issues will be manageable. If you end up with a penny pitching landlord that brings in the least qualified workers you will end up begging the embassy for help. This was our lives, on repeat, for three years. - Sep 2023
Most housing is in compounds or standalone houses in the Cantonments neighborhood. I lived in one of the few apartments. I generally liked my housing except for the showers. It was a common topic of conversation at the embassy to compare how many of your showers were working at any given time. Either the hot water lasted about three minutes, or the shower didn't drain quickly enough and you'd have water all over the floor in about three minutes. Basically I didn't take longer than a three minute shower for two years. Otherwise my place was spacious with a nice layout and had a reasonably well-maintained pool, and was less than a ten minute walk to the embassy in one direction and a variety of stores/shops/restaurants in the other direction. - Nov 2022
Personally I love my house, but not everyone does. Housing is usually 3-4 bedrooms (3 for singles/couples and usually 4 for families with children). There are a few 3-bedroom apartments but most of the housing is townhouse style or duplex style, with some stand-alone houses). Lack of good city infrastructure means that your house will have a generator and a large polytank in the backyard in case you lose city water or power. Once in a blue moon your polytank will run out or your generator won't kick on, but the embassy responds to fix the problem quickly - even nights and weekends. Most embassy compounds have a shared swimming pool for residents. If you dont have a pool, you can drive a few minutes to another compound. Commute time is a highlight: about 5 minutes for most people. - Sep 2022
Housing is either standalone houses or compounds with 3-10 houses on each one, some compounds have pools and some do not. Embassy housing is all very close to the Embassy, either walking distance of within 5-10 minutes drive. Housing is either in one of two nearby neighborhoods, which are older areas of Accra and the housing reflects that. Old houses with deferred maintenance is the norm. The neighborhoods are also under the flight path for Accra airport so you hear airplanes all day long. If you're a light sleeper, don't move to Accra. - Mar 2022
All US Embassy housing is close, within a 10 minute drive and walkable if not for the heat. Mix of compounds and stand alone houses, quite a variety of sizes and quality. We are in essentially a duplex which has good square footage (5 Bed/3.5 Bath) but is a bit narrow without much natural light and no yard. We've had a few maintenance issues but have generally found GSO to be pretty responsive. All houses have generators as during some seasons there are regular outages. - Nov 2019
Housing is more than ample, larger than anything we ever had in the US. Most housing is in the form of standalone houses or townhome-type attached houses in multifamily compounds. All housing is in close proximity to the Embassy (within a 2-mile radius or so). We're in easy walking distance, and many of the other compounds are as well. Our home has four bedrooms and each has its own bathroom/shower. Additional half-bath for guests downstairs. And domestic staff quarters (a small, un-air conditioned room with its own bath/shower) detached in the back. Many compounds have pools. - May 2019
Housing here is a mix of multi-house compounds and standalones, leaning more toward multi-house compounds. Houses range from 3-4 bedrooms and usually, multiple bathrooms. I've heard complaints from others here that housing isn't big enough "for Africa" but I find our house quite comfortable. All houses are within a 10 minute drive of the Embassy, which is a huge plus. - Apr 2018
I live in a large five-bedroom house (not detached) on a compound. It's about a 35-minute walk from the embassy. Most embassy housing is closer. - Aug 2017
Mostly compound living, mostly around 2000 sq ft, not at all generous for African standards but probably enough for a family. Most compounds are 6-10 houses and most have a pool. There are some stand-alones too, which can be larger but which are mostly crumbling and decaying. Diplomatic housing is all very close to the Embassy, within a 15-minute walk or 5-minute drive. - Apr 2017
We live on a compound in a sizable house. A lot of expats live in certain neighborhoods (Cantonments, Airports, Labone) and commute times are not bad though traffic can be bad--just depends on where work is. - Aug 2016
Mix of compound living and individual housing. The compounds seem to be newer but not necessarily nicer. Layouts are strange but overall the housing pool is good. - May 2014
Housing around Accra is varied. Some within walking distance of work, some not. Most are large beyond necessity. It really depends on your family size and a good deal of luck whether you get a new 4-bedroom near work or the older, fixer-upper three-bedroom that’s a short drive. Given the unusual flight times/routes, if you live near the airport it may take some adjustment to sleep through all the night-time flights over your house. There are no stores or shops of note within walking distance of most neighborhoods, you will need a car (or take a filthy taxi everywhere). - Apr 2012
There is a mix of townhouse compounds and single family homes. - Aug 2011
Houses are generally large, some in compounds, some individual. Most US housing is within 10 minute walking distance of the embassy. - Jun 2011
Most people live in compounds. Some of them are very new, which is nice aesthetically, but can be a pain while construction bugs are ironed out. Most of the stand-alone houses in the pool are older and small. The large stereotypical "Africa House" with the giant great room and pool is not something you will find here. Most everyone lives in the neighborhoods surrounding the embassy. Commute time can be as little as 10 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by car. - Feb 2010
Single family homes (often older homes in U.S. Embassy area - newer homes farther out but traffic could be problem) and compounds - Feb 2010
Embassy housing: either single family dwellings with older and strange layouts and poor finish quality, or newer (or older) compounds with better finishes and design, but less yard. If you are on your own, quality housing is very expensive. - May 2009
