What property investors can buy in the least liveable cities in the world: Six to 10

The least liveable cities in the world may not the first place an investor may look to buy but who ever said conventional wisdom is the best wisdom?

Property Observer at what’s available for property investors in the world’s least liveable cities: number one, Dhaka, Bangladesh two, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, three, Lagos, Nigeria, four, Harare, Zimbabwe and five, Algiers, Algeria.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Liveability Survey assesses the locations around the world that provide the best or the worst living conditions.

The survey doesn’t include the absolute worst of the worst, just cities or business centres that people might feasibly want to live in or visit. So it does not include cities like Kabul in Afghanistan or Baghdad in Iraq, both in the grip of conflict.

Conflict is generally found to be the primary reason for the position of the bottom ranked cities.

“Threat of armed conflict will not just cause disruption in its own right, it will also damage infrastructure, overburden hospitals, and undermine the availability of goods, services and  recreational activities,” the report says.

Africa and Asia are home to all 13 cities in the bottom tier, with violence from crime, civil insurgency, terrorism or war playing a strong role in keeping them at the bottom of the pack. 

10. Abidjan

Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire is the best of the worst. None of the ratings given by The Economist for things like healthcare, culture and environment, stability and education are too low except for stability, which is particularly low, on par with Harare.

The city is the former capital of Côte d’Ivoire and remains the financial centre. It’s the third largest French-speaking country in the world and has a population of more than 5 million people.

A lot of the industry of the city comes from oil and manufacturing.

The main threats come from civil unrest and crime. It has improved recently, however, with the arrest of former president Laurent Gbagbo and the swearing in of President Alassane Ouattara.

However, there is still violence in the country.

“On 19 July 2012, there were violent attacks in the western towns of Duekoue and Nahibly, including at an internally displaced persons camp in Nahibly. And in June 2012 several alleged militia attacks resulted in numerous casualties in the western region, including seven United Nations peacekeepers and nine other people who were killed near the town of Tai close to the Liberian border,” the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says.

Crime is the main threat in the cities.

“Car- and bus-jackings are common, and checkpoints and roadblocks may be encountered. You should avoid confrontations with police and security forces. Armed robbery is common, including of businesses and restaurants. Some robbers have been reportedly wearing military uniforms.

“We advise you not to walk across the De Gaulle and Houphouet-Boigny bridges in Abidjan as pedestrians have been attacked and robbed even during the day.”

A five-bedroom duplex with a swimming pool (picutred below) costs $382,000. It is more than 1,200 square metres and comes with two living rooms and a large garden.

A three-bedroom apartment with access to a pool (pictured below) is being rented for $1,091 per month.