Cost of living in Gambia - 2017

Question> How much does it cost to rent an apartment/house in Gambia?
Answer>Full house/Apartment Rentals in The Gambia varies. It ranges from 100$ - 3000$ depending on what you want and location.

Q> How much do you pay for your public transport tickets (bus, subway, train, tram)?
A> Well, there is no subway, train or tram in Gambia. We only have Taxi and Buses. The minimum taxi fare is less than 1$  or less than 50cent. If you hire a private taxi for a trip, the minimum cost is 5-10$. Transportation in Gambia is very cheap.

Q> Staple food: what do people eat and how much do they pay for basic food like bread, rice or pasta?
A> People eat Rice, Pasta, Bread and Chicken/Beans/Liver or Meat. The minimum price for a regular gambian meal is less than 1$ (rice) in public restaurants. But in the tourist development areas known as TDA, the minimum regular meal is about 3-10$

Q> What is your monthly grocery budget?
A> Everything depends on personal consumption. Personally, my monthly budget as a family man is 100$. It could be cheaper for other people, depending on their daily consumption, or could be higher. It all depends.

Q> How much does it cost to see a physician/doctor/specialist in Gambia ? 
A> It really doesn't cost much to see anyone. Just make an appointment, grab your self and higher a taxi to drop you off, and there you go! Gambia is nice.

Q> What is your children's schooling monthly budget?
A>Personally, my kids attends one of the best private schools in the Gambia, by name SBEC International School. The annual school fee for one child is 3000$ and I have two adults in attendance, so you do the maths. LOL This fee includes Books, School Bus, sometimes lunch at school, and extra special class. There are other cheaper schools, and also government schools are almost free. So it's a choice.

> How much does it cost to fill up your car’s fuel tank?
A> Personally, I have a 500 series BMW diesel V6 3.5 liter tank. So, it cost me (Dalasi 4000) thats is more than 50$ to fill the tank for a month. It should be less if you have a V4 and 2.5 liter tank.

> How much do you pay for electricity/gas/water etc.?
A> I pay for Electricity 50$ a month, 25$ for two gas bottle a month, sometimes we use only one gas bottle which is about 15$, Maximum 10$ for water, depending on consumption. it all depends how we use them for that month.

Q> How much do you pay for your Internet/phone subscription?
A> In a month, as a family we consume 30$ Internet router bill, phone bill for 4 people is more than 100$ because its a Pay As You Go basic. Sometimes it's more, Megabyte runs faster than lion in Gambia. LOL

Q> How much do you pay for your lunch pack on weekdays?
A> It depends, we mostly eat at home, so there is no budget for that.

> How much do you pay for an espresso coffee?
Q> Cup of Coffee in Gambia is less than 1$ in some places, while the TDA is about 1$. Expressor should be the same, or may be 1.50cent or 2$ to be precise.

Q> How much do you pay for a cinema ticket?
A> Gambia does not have a Cinema. So there is no fee for it. But there is a Theater, it doesn't have a specific amount to watch a movie. Sometimes, CoCoa Ocean, which ranks as one of the best hotels in Gambia do show a movie, and charges about 7$.

> How much does a gym membership cost in Gambia? 
A> The minimum price for a gym for a Month is 11$ and daily is about 3$

Thank you everyone!

Thanks that was really helpful. How is electricity and water is it 24/7 availability in the whole country? Do they have portable internet devices like they do with MTV or Orange where in you do not need a router or a home line? Where can I find cheap housing but with electricity and water 24/7? Thanks!

Yes there is Constant Water supply, and constant Electricity in the rural areas, and sometimes constant electricity in the urban areas depending the location you want to stay! But the constant doesn't mean all day all night! Light is not a constant thing in Africa, and Gambia is among those affected! But there is light most times. Internet is provided by Telecommunication companies, there is routers, 3G, 4G and other types of internet services. The internet is constantly available 24/7.
The places to find cheaper houses are mostly rural areas, and you can also find cheaper houses in the urban, depending the area! But cheap depends on how much your budget is! Let me know exactly what you mean by cheap, then I can elaborate more.
Thanks

Is it possible to live well in the Gambia on $1000 American dollars each month?

That would all have been very helpful if it was in English pounds thanks

Could you name places in the rural areas that have these attributes you mentioned like constant water and electricity supply as well as portable internet not ones the require a land line something you can take on the go and rechargeable what are the names of the suppliers and cost of housing in the rural areas?

Thanks,

Patricia Jones

It's possible to live on 1,000$ a month in where you live at the moment???

That would answer the question! Gambia is like any other country I need the world!

Every rural area with light has water as well!!! Internet is either a SIM card, or a router, or other form! It's the same all over the world!!!

Thanks for your speedy reply.

But I would like to clarify that all countries around the world are indeed not alike they differ from continents and within the continent of Africa especially. A francophone country in Africa is very different from its anglophone counterpart. Take Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone for instance. In Ivory Coast they have Orange and MTN telecom that provides both phones and internet services in Sierra Leone they have Africel and Sierratel totally different from Orange and MTN which provides portable 3G and 4G internet services very good ones I must say, many people do not see the need for a phone line in the house that's how good they are. In Sierra Leone I know they have the portable USB internet service which by the way is also provided by Orange and MTN but it's of lower speed and not wifi, they might have the same for Sierratel but if you want good internet service you must get a fixed router which would cost you no less than $1000/month for an adequate speed. I am guessing this is the same with the Gambia. Electricity and water almost a no show in Sierra Leone in the Ivory Coast it's 24/7 so no, all countries are not the same esp. in the African continent.

Thanks for your help though you've been a great help

Hello friend,
1000$ a month?!!
1000$ A month in Gambia will pay for the best apartments or full compound, your cooking gas, car gas, water and light bills, feeding, house rent, internet bill no matter the highest speed you chose, and other amenities!!!
1000$ A Month would do you all these in The Gambia, even in the Rural Area! At urban.In Gambia, The internet providers are vast, with modern technology. Any thing you want is here and very cheap!
With one thousand United State Dollars, you can live well and happy in The Gambia for a month!

Regards

Hello Miss, English pounds is more powerful than any other currency in this present world.
So, if 1000$ can do it, it means, english pounds would do it x2.

Pounds is very heavy, so, when you convert that to Gambian dalasi, you will live like a King here.

Thanks

why do you even bother to answer if you're so angry all the time as seen with all the exclamation marks?  No-one is forcing you to answer the questions people have questions and they pose them because they would like to know the answers to those questions but you seem unwilling to answer them do you work for expat.com? You don't have to you know other people will answer them. Africans have to learn how to the civil to others no-one has a gun to head please, chill out it's good for the soul.

Hi, Sorry for the exclamation marks. I am not in any way angry with anyone.
Sorry for the misinterpretation of my using exclamation marks.

Noted.
Thanks for your correction and opinion.

Regards

Hi.
Is it possible to live of 100 USD per month (only food/transportation) for 1 person? Thanks

If it's possible where you live right now, then it's possible here too. Gambia is like any other country in the world!

now am in gambia.i want to go back to my coutry

How.much for Internet connection to your house ?

Internet connection prices varies depending on the subscription you chose.
1,2,3,4, up to 10 to 12 MB speed.
For instance in my house I use 4 MB speed and I pay 100 dollars per month.
Internet speed varies from different providers.
Thanks

Greetings, a couple of questions if i may? Does anyone know of a company that can clear and transport my container from the port to Brikama please? I have contacted (or more accurately - failed) many that have dead phone numbers ,emails that have unrecognisable addresses.

Also, I am genuinely struggling to estimate the customs cost on a 40ft container, full of household goods, clothes, second hand kitchen units , some hand tools, temporary scaffold tower etc. Even a ball park figure would do as a guide. Do i budget £500, £700, £1000, £1500, I have no idea. Will they empty it, evaluate and then put it all back in, I have an inventory with photographs that hopefully will speed things up.

Any guide or experiences of an "owned" container will be appreciated.

Many thanks 
Martin.

Thanks for your information much appreciated

Thank you for your q&a.  In particular thank you Alfred Robinson.

Gambia is one country I am thinking of moving to.  Along with Poland,  Brazil, Paraguy,  Chile and France.

Really good to know about Gambia which seems a delightful place.

Anyone living there right now with a space to rent and Good high speed reliable Internet please get in touch with me.  I could be out there in a moments notice.