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SOME INDICATIVE PRICES
Angola is a very expensive country. It has
been rated the most expensive city in the
world for expatriates for the second con-
secutive year. Hopefully, the accommo-
dation expenses (both rental and hotel)
should keep dropping as the offer is improving. Sign
of the time: it is now possible to negotiate and not pay
one or two years upfront.
Here are some indicative prices about the cost of liv-
ing in Angola by the time we published this book:
Accommodation:
- Studio: from 2.500 USD (monthly)
- 2/3 bedrooms apartment: from 5.000 USD down
town and 3.500 USD in Talatona
- 3 star hotel: from 300 USD per night
- 4 star hotel: from 400 USD per night
- 5 star hotel: over 600 USD per night
Other indicative prices:
Restaurant: expect to pay a minimum of 100 to
150 USD per head if you wish to have a decent
meal in Luanda’s up market restaurants. A pizza
can cost from 30 to 70 USD, a lunch buffet in a
good category hotel from 50 to 90 USD.
A drink out: 15 USD
Taxi: 20 USD for 5 to 10 minutes
Cell phone device: 200-400 USD
www.ebizguides.com
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General Information
currency may not be taken out of the country.
At the time of publication 1 USD amounted 93 to 95
Kwanzas.
BANKS
Banks are mainly open Monday to Friday from 8h
to 15h.
Opening hours may vary, please check with your lo-
cal branch.
See the Luanda Business Directory section for bank
listings.
FOREX BUREAUS
Although all the banks offer foreign currency exchange
services, changing in “Forex” bureaus dotted all over
Luanda is another option. The Forex bureaus tend to
give better rates than the banks.
US dollars is the preferred currency for ex-
change. Please note that only the newer
series US dollar bills (with large faces) are
accepted. You can pay in US dollars in
most hotels and restaurants.
See the Luanda Business Directory for Forex Bureau
listings.
CREDIT CARDS
American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa
are widely accepted in Luanda. Check with your credit
or debit card company for details of merchant accepta-
bility in Angola. Furthermore, there are a good numbers
of ATMs (Automatic Teller Machines) to withdraw cash.
FIXED LINES
Until 2005, the state-owned company Angola Tel-
ecom had a monopoly for fixed-lines. At the time,
demand exceeded capacity, prices were high and
services were poor. Over the years other private
companies began competing to gain their share of
the market. Since 2010, 4 companies have been
granted fixed line operating licenses:
Mercury Telecommunications Services, (now
MSTelecom, affiliated with Sonangol)
Startel
Nexus, now integrated to MSTelecom
Wezacom, currently no longer operational
The international country code for Angola is 244.
Main area codes are:
Banco Nacional de Angola
COMMUNICATIONS