Ghana for Digital Nomads

• English-speaking. Business, government and daily life run in English.
• GMT all year. The same clock as London in winter, an hour behind it in summer, and four or five hours ahead of New York.
• Stable and welcoming. A long record of peaceful elections and a reputation for hospitality.
• Culture. Afrobeats and highlife, galleries, festivals, markets, forts and castles along the coast.
• Diaspora links. A large returning community and a residence route for people of African descent.

Ghana suits Europe-hours workers, members of the African diaspora, music and culture lovers, and people who want a lively, English-speaking African base without a language barrier. It’s a good place for creatives, founders and anyone with links to the region.

It suits you less on a tight budget in Accra, if you need smooth infrastructure and constant power, or if you want a ready-made nomad scene with a visa built for it. Heat, humidity and traffic are part of daily life, and most non-Africans need to arrange a visa before travel and extend it in person.

• Accra: the capital, with the coworking spaces, private hospitals, nightlife and nearly all of Ghana’s remote workers. Most foreigners live in Osu, Labone, Cantonments, Airport Residential or East Legon.
• Kokrobite: a laid-back beach village about an hour west of Accra, with music, surf and a long-stay crowd.
• Cape Coast: a historic coastal town with Cape Coast Castle, Elmina nearby and Kakum National Park inland.
• Kumasi: the Ashanti capital, a big, busy and much cheaper city with deep cultural roots.
• Busua: a small surf beach in the Western Region, for quiet stays and slow internet.

Our where to base yourself in Ghana page compares them in more detail.

• ECOWAS citizens: visa-free for up to 90 days.
• Other African passport holders: since 25 May 2026, visas for tourism and business are free, but you still apply online through Ghana’s eVisa portal before you travel.
• Everyone else (including UK, US, EU, Canadian and Australian citizens): a visa arranged before travel, through the eVisa portal or a Ghanaian embassy. Visa on arrival isn’t a dependable option.
• Extensions: the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) extends visitor’s permits for three to six months at a time, applied for in person in Accra.
• Right of Abode: permanent residence for people of African descent in the diaspora and former Ghanaians, with no visa or work permit needed.

Everyone needs a yellow fever vaccination certificate to enter, and anyone staying 90 days or more in a year must register for a non-citizen Ghana Card. Our visas, taxes and money page explains extensions, residence routes and tax.

A comfortable month for one person costs about $1,800 to $2,500 in Accra, mostly because furnished flats with security, a generator and water storage are priced for expats and often quoted in dollars. Kumasi and Cape Coast are much cheaper, at about $1,000 to $1,500, and a beach village like Kokrobite or Busua can be less still. A lean Accra budget is about $1,200 to $1,400. A local meal at a chop bar costs a few dollars. These are ballpark figures.

Costs that catch people out: imported groceries, generator fuel and air-conditioning, upfront rent (landlords often ask for six months to a year in advance on longer leases), visa extensions, and Accra traffic that pushes you towards ride-hailing every day.

Ghana is on GMT (UTC+0) all year, with no daylight saving. That’s the same as London in winter and an hour behind it in summer, and one or two hours behind most of Europe. US East Coast mornings fall in your early afternoon; 5pm in New York is 9pm or 10pm in Accra.

Fibre is available in Accra’s main neighbourhoods and in parts of Kumasi, and many people rely on 4G or 5G home routers instead; Starlink is licensed in Ghana. MTN has the widest mobile coverage, followed by Telecel and AT. SIM cards are cheap and must be registered with ID. Outside the cities, coverage is patchier. Power cuts, locally called dumsor, still happen, so pick a flat with a generator or inverter and keep a mobile data backup.

Uber and Bolt both run in Accra and Kumasi, and Bolt also covers Cape Coast and Takoradi; they’re cheap and the easiest way to move around. Accra traffic is heavy at rush hour, so live near where you spend your days. Trotros (shared minibuses) are cheap but crowded. Long-distance coaches link Accra with Kumasi, Cape Coast and Takoradi, and domestic flights from Kotoka International Airport serve Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale. Kotoka has direct flights to Europe, the Gulf, the US and around Africa.

Accra has the country’s best private hospitals and clinics, plus large public hospitals such as Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital. Care outside the big cities is basic. Malaria is present across the country, so take advice on prophylaxis and use repellent. Get nomad health insurance with evacuation cover.

Ghana is one of the safer countries in West Africa. The main risks are phone snatching, pickpocketing in busy markets, road accidents and online romance or business scams. Use ride-hailing at night and keep valuables out of sight. Strong currents make many beaches dangerous for swimming. Dial 112 for emergencies, or 191 for police, 192 for fire and 193 for an ambulance.

• Work: employment isn’t permitted on a visitor’s permit. Remote work for a foreign employer or clients isn’t specifically addressed in Ghana’s immigration rules.
• LGBTQ+ travellers: same-sex sexual activity is illegal, and stricter legislation has been debated in parliament. Be discreet.
• Drugs carry long prison sentences.
• Cash: declare foreign currency over $10,000 when you arrive.
• Camouflage clothing is restricted to the military, and photographing military or government sites can lead to arrest.