Lome 2026The independent atlas report on Lome, Togo.

Lome in 200 numbers. Read this before you read anything else.

A tropical savanna coastal capital on the Gulf of Guinea between Accra and Cotonou, 1,800,000 people in the metro area, the city profile in one stat grid.

Lome scored 4.8 on the everycity index, placing it in the constrained band of the global cohort of 5,000 cities. A single person spends $720 a month here including rent, groceries, transport and utilities. A working couple spends $1,180. Internet runs at a median 22 Mbps on residential fiber per OOKLA Speedtest readings from April 2026, with the Lome submarine cable landing station hosting four direct cables (the SAT 3, the WACS, the GLO 1, and the MainOne) that anchor the country regional bandwidth advantage. The average reported salary, blended across sectors, is $380 a month. The highest marginal income tax rate is 35 percent on annual income above XOF 30,000,000. Safety reads 6.0 on a 0 to 10 scale, with the night safety subindex at 5.2, the female solo subindex at 5.6, and the family subindex at 6.4. The metro area holds 1,800,000 people and sits at 6.1319 degrees, 1.2228 degrees. The summer high lands at 32 Celsius in March, the rainy season low at 22 Celsius in August. The city averages 1,920 sunshine hours a year.

Compared with peer cities, Lome sits within the West African coastal capital cohort on monthly outlay, with the metro running 8 percent below the Cotonou comparable and 24 percent below the Accra comparable. See the Accra city profile for the head to head numbers, the Cotonou city profile for the closest peer just east on the same Gulf of Guinea coastal axis, and the Cotonou city profile for the regional context. For broader context, the africa continent page ranks the region top 25 cities. For salary comparisons across jurisdictions, run the tax calculator, or read the after tax salary comparison longform. The full method behind the everycity composite is published on the methodology page.

Risk, by the subindex.

No moral panic, no rose tint. Four subindices, all referenced to the latest national crime statistics and Numbeo crowdsourced safety panel.

Lome overall safety score lands at 6.0, which places it in the workable band on the everycity index, slightly above the regional median for West African coastal capitals. The female solo subindex reads 5.6 and the night walk subindex reads 5.2, both of which capture the variance between daytime and after dark experience. Family safety, weighted for primary school commute risk, sits at 6.4. The 2024 national gendarmerie crime statistics report a property crime concentration on the Boulevard du 13 Janvier between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., on the Akodessewa industrial corridor near the port, and on the Boulevard de la Paix airport approach during the post midnight arrival window. The central Quartier Administratif, the Hedzranawoe inner ring, and the Baguida beach front compound corridor run at the lowest reported incident density in the metro. Health insurance for relocating expats typically runs $52 to $165 a month through SafetyWing, which the editorial team uses on assignment. For broader context the global safest cities ranking places Lome alongside its regional peers in the cohort table.

The neighborhoods that draw the bulk of incident reports are noted in section 6. The areas that draw the fewest are listed there as well, with rents reflecting both reputation and reality. A foreigner walking with a phone in hand on a main avenue at 1 a.m. should not assume the safest neighborhood numbers apply to that scenario; the 5.2 night subindex is the figure that matters. Solo female residents should read the safest cities for women ranking alongside this profile, and the best cities for women to live longform. See the Cotonou city profile for the head to head safety read against the closest peer city east along the Gulf of Guinea coast.

Who pays, and how much.

Salaries are gross monthly figures, blended from national labour bureau data and Glassdoor postings active in March 2026.

Largest employers in metro Lome

1. the government of Togo (the ministries, the Forces Armees Togolaises, the dominant single employer in the formal economy)
2. Port Autonome de Lome (PAL, the deepest natural water port in West Africa, the largest single private sector employer in the country and the principal transit hub for landlocked Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali)
3. Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (the pan African banking group headquartered in Lome, listed on the BRVM regional exchange)
4. Togocom (the state telecom incumbent merged with Togo Telecom and Togocel) and Moov Africa Togo (the second largest mobile network operator)
5. Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET) and Togolaise des Eaux (TdE) (the state electricity and water utilities)
6. Bollore Africa Logistics Togo and Lome Container Terminal (the international port operators anchoring the deep water container hub)
7. Universite de Lome (the public university, the largest academic employer in the country)
8. WACEM (West African Cement) and HeidelbergCement Togo (the regional cement and building materials anchors)

The blended average salary in Lome runs $380 a month, gross of tax. A senior software developer earns $1,280 on local payroll at the Togocom and Ecobank cluster, while a senior financial analyst at Ecobank Transnational, Orabank, or BSIC commands $1,080. The largest employers are listed above; together they represent between 18 and 28 percent of formal sector employment in the metro area depending on the year measured. The Port Autonome de Lome anchors the formal economy, handling 28.4 million tonnes of freight in 2024 (the deepest natural harbor in West Africa, with 16.6 meter draft accommodating Panamax class vessels) and serving as the principal transit gateway for landlocked Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali. The top marginal income tax rate is 35 percent on annual income above XOF 30,000,000. Expats moving regular income across borders typically use Wise at the daily mid market rate, which removes the 1.4 to 3.2 percent retail spread that local banks charge.

For an accurate after tax estimate including the CNSS social security framework, run the tax calculator. For a market wide salary view, the highest salary cities ranking and the highest paying cities after tax ranking place Lome in the West African coastal banking cohort. The lowest tax cities ranking covers the relative position on tax, with the Adetikope Industrial Platform 15 percent corporate rate placing Togo in the top 30 percent globally on the headline corporate tax line. For a peer set comparison, see the Accra city profile and the Cotonou city profile, plus the Abidjan city profile as the WAEMU senior peer.

Seven quarters, one verdict each.

A working map of where to live in Lome in 2026, ordered loosely from highest cost to lowest commute.

The seven quarters above cover the spread of the rental market in Lome for a relocating professional. Le Plateau and Quartier Administratif is the highest priced and the most likely to deliver the lifestyle a Western expat imagines, with the embassy compounds, the BCEAO regional office, and the Hotel du 2 Fevrier anchoring the diplomatic district. Baguida and Avepozo is the lifestyle pick for the Atlantic beach access on the eastern coastal strip, at a 12 to 25 minute commute to the central business district in normal traffic. Tokoin and Tokoin Doumassesse is the value pick at the cost of inland density. Adidogome and Agoenyive is the upscale residential pick at the cost of a longer western commute. The full neighborhood by neighborhood walk through, with photos, is scheduled to publish in Q3 2026 on the journal.

Long term rental supply in Lome is concentrated in the four to twelve year old apartment stock; older buildings often lack reliable elevators or, in some neighborhoods, reliable hot water during the coldest harmattan months. Furnished one bedroom listings turn over in a median 14 days at the central price point and 9 days in the outer ring per the local portals indexed by the editorial property platform guide. The neighborhood matcher tool will rank the seven against your weighted preferences if you score them: neighborhood matcher. For peer city neighborhood maps, see the Cotonou city profile.

For the kids, and the postgrads.

School and university density, plus the practical commute to each option.

International and bilingual schools

• Lycee Francais de Lome (French curriculum, AEFE accredited, K through 12, the primary expat school)
• British School of Lome (UK Cambridge curriculum, K through 12, the second largest expat school)
• American International School of Lome (US curriculum, K through 12)
• College Saint Joseph (Catholic, French curriculum, primary and secondary)
• Ecole Bilingue Vatican II (bilingual French and English, K through 12)
• Lycee 2 Fevrier (the top rated public secondary in the metro)

Universities

• Universite de Lome (UL, the state flagship research university, 65,000 students, the academic anchor)
• Universite Catholique de l Afrique de l Ouest (UCAO, the regional Catholic university with a Lome campus)
• Ecole Superieure de Management des Entreprises (ESME, the public business school)
• Ecole Polytechnique de Lome (the engineering school within Universite de Lome)
• Institut Africain d Administration et d Etudes Commerciales (IAEC, the private business school)

Relocating families in Lome typically pick from the school cluster listed above. Tuition for relocating expatriate families typically runs $6,400 a year at the lower priced bilingual options (the Ecole Bilingue Vatican II and the College Saint Joseph) and $19,800 a year at the international baccalaureate flagships (the Lycee Francais and the British School). Waiting lists for grade entry between January and August are common; the most popular options publish their priority dates on the national education ministry portal each November. The combined family safety subindex of 6.4 on the everycity index should be read alongside the school commute when ranking neighborhoods; the central Quartier Administratif school cluster runs a 10 to 18 minute door to door commute from Le Plateau in normal traffic.

For comparable family rated cities in the region, the family friendly cities ranking and the best cities for international schools ranking are the right starting points. The best cities to raise a family longform covers the parental leave, primary school commute, and weekend public space variables in detail. For local pediatric specialists, the editorial guide on international health insurance lists the in network hospitals near each Lome school cluster. The Africa continent page covers the broader regional education policy context, and the Accra city profile covers the closest English language schooling alternative across the Ghana border.

What makes the city itself.

Food signatures, nightlife rating, and the cultural through line that separates Lome from its regional neighbors.

The food signatures of Lome include the fufu (the pounded cassava and yam staple paired with the goat or fish soup), the akume (the corn dough fufu variant), the gboma dessi (the spinach and tomato stew with smoked fish from the lagoon fishery), the riz au gras (the rice cooked in tomato and palm oil), the koliko (the deep fried yam strips), the akpan (the fermented corn dough drink), the local Awooyo and Pils beer brewed at the Brasserie BB Lome plant, the sodabi (the local palm wine distillate), and the spicy grilled fish poisson braise sold at the roadside maquis along the Boulevard de la Marina and the Avepozo beach strip. The high points of the dining year run through November through February, when the harmattan dry season delivers comfortable restaurant temperatures and the produce calendar peaks. For longer reads on the cuisine, the best food cities ranking and the Michelin cities ranking place Lome in the West African coastal cohort regionally (no Michelin guide coverage on the country). Nightlife sits at a 6.2 rating on the everycity scale, with weeknight venue density highest along the Boulevard de la Marina and the Boulevard de la Paix corridor. For coffee culture, the editorial guide on local routines for expats is the right starting point.

The cultural calendar runs through the local national holidays (the April 27 independence day commemoration of the 1960 sovereignty declaration from France, the January 13 national day) plus two or three city specific festivals that bring the largest annual foot traffic, including the Festival International des Musiques Urbaines d Afrique (FIMUA) held in July at the Palais des Congres, the Festival Togo Independence held in April, and the Ovazion Festival held in November on the beach front. The Togo cultural and creative industries policy is reviewed in detail on the Africa continent page, and the africa continent page covers the broader pattern across the region. For peer city comparisons, see the Cotonou city profile and the best nightlife cities ranking. Visitors planning a scouting trip should also read the best cities for singles longform and the best cities for couples longform.

Keep going.