Kenya Exceeds South Africa as the Ideal Location for Settling Foreigners

Kenya has been ranked as the best country in Africa for expatriates to start and settle because of the language, ease of finding housing, and affordability of homes. This gives the East African country an advantage as a desirable destination for companies looking to expand into the continent.

Kenya was ranked ninth in the world, first on the African continent, ahead of South Africa (28th) and Egypt (37th). Inter Nations’ Expat Essentials Index ranks the best and worst places for professionals based on housing, language, digital life, and local government.

This comes amid an increase in the development of residential units aimed at high-net-worth individuals as a result of the country’s position as an East African hub, an investment destination for multinational corporations, and the government’s infrastructure development.

“Like Indonesia (6th), Kenya (9th) provides expats with an easy transition in two areas in particular: language (3rd) and housing (12th). The great result in the former subcategory is most likely due to the fact that English still serves as one of the country’s two official languages and is widely used in business, education, and government offices,” said the survey. 

“Many expats also have few or no difficulties in finding housing, ranking Kenya 9th out of 52 destinations in this regard. And 43 percent consider the available housing to be affordable, slightly more than the worldwide average of 39 percent.”

The bulk of expats live in upscale communities that are well-liked by the middle and upper income class groups, including Kilimani, Ridgeways, Westlands, and Lavington.

Professionals that work for international organizations like the United Nations also like upscale communities like Rosslyn, Riverside, Rosslyn, and Karen, Muthaiga, and Runda.

After France, Spain, Italy, and the UK, Kenya was listed as one of the world’s top real estate investment destinations in a recent wealth study by the real estate company Knight Frank.

Kenya was also ranked second by Africa’s super-rich seeking second homes.

Foreigners are a significant group of buyers of prime properties in Kenya, contributing to the rise and maintenance of their values.

However, local red tape continues to irritate many expats, with 57 percent finding it difficult to deal with, nearly 20 percentage points higher than the global average of 39 percent.