I am a UK born East Asian female who lived in Joburg (alone) as an expat for a few years... and I really love it. Yes, there are safety concerns so you must take precautions, however, I found the locals to be extremely warm and friendly (the one thing I wasn't expecting when I arrived), the weather is spot on, it's very cheap, good quality new build apartments in places like Sandton, Rosebank, Parkhurt, Bryanston etc and AMAZING quality restaurants e.g you can get an excellent fillet steak and a glass of wine for $15 in a high end restaurant. The going out scene was a little quiet but you could definitely find bars clubs open until 2/3 am. Meeting people I found easy as all the locals want to talk to you. A nomad wanting a high quality and cheap lifestyle I think would enjoy it. With that being said, Cape Town would be the better choice for a Nomad in South Africa.
Pros and Cons of Living in Lagos, Nigeria
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Pros of Living in Lagos
Affordable to live Warm now Warm all year round Good air quality on average Easy to make friends People can speak basic English Not many people smoke tobacco
Cons of Living in Lagos
Freedom of speech is weak Not very democratic Not very safe Very slow internet Not much to do Very sweaty and humid now Feels crowded Difficult to do business Quality of education is low Roads are very dangerous Not safe for women Not family friendly Hostile towards LGBTQ+ -
Super expensive in summer and a lot of drunk british tourists in winter affordable but very humid, very cold in apartments, restaurants, etc, most of the places closed.
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Nice but also not nice. British normie tourist place with a few hipster/surfer cafes like Abigail's Coffee & Waves and Black and White. There's not much else to do here and the town lacks class and nice hotels. I'd skip this and go to Ericeira instead.
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very beautiful in summer but in winter it is a ghost town, apart from the fact that there are many gypsies who are aggressive. if it is to visit, it is OK. If it is for living I would consider Praia da Rocha or Alvor.
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Loved it outside of the season plenty to do if you are into outdoor stuff, great vibe, growing, active nomad community, Loads of restaurants, great coffee places. Perfect if you are done with big cities.
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Super expensive and nothing to do in winter (a ghost town); I prefer Albuferia or Praia da Rocha (Portimao)
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A lot of Digital Nomads coming back to Lagos now in the side-season. Nice vibe around here a lot of sunshine, the beaches not packed anymore with tourists. Just a great place to be in this time of the year. A nice coliving & coworking place also exists here. Highly recommend!
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Pros - Great digital nomad community - Lots of sport and social meetups - Great laptop-friendly coffeeshops - Beautiful outdoors beaches, activities etc Cons - Difficult and expensive with accommodation during summer season - Cars allowed to drive on small walking streets in city center (like all over PT) On the surface Lagos seems like a sleepy place with not much going on, but as soon as you find the meetups, coffeeshops and various nomad activities such as beach volleyball on praia da luz (there is a whatsapp group for everything) you realise this place has a lot to offer beside beautiful nature. Lagos is getting more and more interesting as a DN-hub and also a place to reside long term as an expat. A growing number of expats are making Lagos their permanent residence, building a vibrant community. A great alternative to Lisbon IMO, close to other nice spots in Algarve + Spain.
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