Nakamura, ShoheiHarati, RawaaLall, Somik V.Dikhanov, Yuri M.Hamadeh, NadaVigil Oliver, WilliamRissanen, Marko OlaviYamanaka, Mizuki2016-05-042016-05-042016-04https://hdl.handle.net/10986/24215Although several studies have examined why overall price levels are higher in richer countries, little is known about whether there is a similar relationship at the urban and city level across countries. This paper compares the price levels of cities in Sub-Saharan Africa with those of other regions by analyzing price information collected for the 2011 round of the International Comparison Program. Readjusting the calculated price levels from national to urban levels, the analysis indicates that African cities are relatively more expensive, despite having lower income levels. The price levels of goods and services consumed by households are up to 31percent higher in Sub-Saharan Africa than in other low- and middle-income countries, relative to their income levels. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are especially expensive, with price levels around 35 percent higher than in other countries. The paper also analyzes price information collected by the Economist Intelligence Unit's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, and obtains a similar result, indicating higher prices of goods and services in African cities.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOLIVING STANDARDSEQUIPMENTCUSTOMERPRICE LEVELSFROZEN FISHSTOCKMATERIALSBREADINCOMEREAL EXCHANGE RATESAVERAGE PRICESGDP PER CAPITAINFORMATIONMONITORINGPOLITICAL ECONOMYPRICE INDICESWELFAREALCOHOLIC BEVERAGESTOMATOESAGRICULTURAL ECONOMICSVARIABLESREGRESSION ANALYSESPRICEPET FOODSBUTTERECONOMIC STRUCTURESORANGE JUICEOPEN ACCESSSUPERMARKETLEMONSDEVELOPMENTINSTITUTIONSDATAINFLUENCECORNFLAKESMARKET DEVELOPMENTRENTPRODUCTSEXCHANGE RATESPRODUCTIVITYCOST OF LIVINGINTERNATIONAL COMPARISONMARKETSVEGETABLESBARSPOSTAL SERVICESECONOMIC SIZEINCOME LEVELSNONALCOHOLIC BEVERAGESPRODUCTBASKET OF GOODSCHOCOLATENON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGESUTILITYALCOHOL BEVERAGESGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTCOCOAFOOD PRODUCTSCARROTSTELEPHONEEXPENDITUREHAMUSERSCONSUMPTIONBEEFTEAEGGWAGESCOLABEERRESULTSPRICE COMPARISONSVALUEWAGE RATESCOMPETITIVENESSELECTRICITYPURCHASING POWERGOVERNMENT EXPENDITUREORANGECANADAPRICE LEVELCONSUMER PRICEECONOMIC FUNCTIONSCONSUMERSBEVERAGESEXPENDITURESPRICE INFORMATIONGABONEGGSMARKETMARGARINEECONOMIC THEORYFOODPORKVEALREGRESSION ANALYSISNON- ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGESRESULTECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTTRADECATERINGGDPPOTATOESGOODSTHEORYBLOGCORNBUSINESSSUPERMARKETSBANANASMEATSUPPLYPURCHASINGAPPLESRESTAURANTSPROFITMARKET INTEGRATIONRICECONSUMER PRICE INDEXCOMMUNICATIONORANGESLAMBPEACHESDATABASEFOOD PRICESPRICE INDEXLABOR MARKETSOLIVE OILFLOURFOODSPRICESUSESDEVELOPMENT POLICYSUGARIs Living in African Cities Expensive?Working PaperWorld Bank10.1596/1813-9450-7641