Cheap areas to stay in Calabar | affordable houses

Many low-income and middle-class people often have a challenging time finding cheap areas in Calabar.

Most people are looking for affordable apartment. Having knowledge of the area to find one is a major challenge.

Particularly, those whom had never stayed in Calabar and are making plans to migrate to the city for one reason or the other.

I personally had the experience one-time and it was a bit tough as I couldn’t find a guide on cheap areas to stay in Calabar.

And so, I found out the hard way after spending a large chunk of my finance going from area to area to find an affordable apartment.

One trend I observed from scouting affordable areas in Calabar is that the cost of living in most areas is relatively high, especially if you don’t have a steady flow of income yet.

In other words, it cost almost a fortune to live in most places in Calabar, coupled with other costs that come with renting an apartment in Calabar.

Especially single rooms where house owners require tenants to pay toilet fee and light bill separately. That’s in addition to the basic rent.

Ridiculous but true, some house owners even request drink money after all that.

This Calabar area guide contains affordable areas you can stay in Calabar at really low cost.

Bear in mind that it’s with exception to few apartments that may cost a bit higher in these areas.

1. Atimbo area

The cheapest area to stay in Calabar is Atimbo area, considering it’s proximity to many important sites in the city.

Atimbo is a suburb of Calabar and is a bit far from the city center, although with many business centers located there.

At Atimbo, you can find single rooms as low as ₦24,000 a year (₦2,000 per month) in most places.

While single rooms in the few upgraded areas within Atimbo go for between ₦30,000 a year (₦2,500 per month) to ₦36,000 (₦3,000 per month).

Most good self-contains that have water running inside at Atimbo go for between ₦78,000 a year (₦6,500 per month) to ₦90,000 a year (₦7,500 per month).

There are no much two-bedroom flats in this area and the available ones go for between ₦156,000 a year (₦13,000 per month) to ₦180,000 a year (₦15,000 per month). And the exceptionally good ones go for as high as ₦204,000 a year (₦17,000 per month).

One remarkable thing about the apartments in this area is that they are relatively large.

Most of the self-contain and single rooms are really big, and if you don’t have so many stuff yet, you will find the room can be really spacious after arranging the basic properties like bed, gas, table/chair.

In the Etim Otop area which is very close to Atimbo and nearer to the city center, most single rooms go for ₦48,000 a year, while self contains start from ₦120,000 a year.

The transport fare from Atimbo and Edim Otop areas to most places in Calabar is between ₦50 to ₦100. And its close location to the airport makes it a great choice for many people.

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2. Essien town

Essien town is one of the cheapest areas to stay in Calabar, maybe due to it’s unique location off highway, Calabar.

It’s a fast-developing area and has proximity with the federal and state secretariat, watt market, government establishment, navy base, flour mill company, and other essential sites in the city.

Single rooms at Essien town go for ₦36,000 – ₦48,000 a year, most good self-con are between ₦96,000 – ₦150,000, and two-bedroom flats are between ₦180,000 – ₦216,000, especially new houses (also called virgin apartments).

This area is a great option for low-income earners and civil servants working for the state government.

The fare from Essien town to most places in Calabar is between ₦50 – ₦100, although it cost ₦150 to reach the University of Calabar or School of Health Technology from this area, which would be an unwise option for a student.

3. Goldie/Mount Zion/Uwanse areas

The goldie/mount zion/uwanse areas is one of the cheap areas to stay in Calabar.

This area is the student’s community due to it’s proximity with the University of Calabar.

Although house owners in this area try to exploit would-be tenants whom are mostly students, the rent is affordable.

Most single rooms in Goldie/Mount Zion, and Uwanse areas go for between ₦36,000 to ₦50,000 a year, that is aside toilet fee and light bill which usually go for ₦10,000 and ₦5,000 – ₦12,000 a year respectively for the first year.

The self-contain in this area are between ₦130,000 – ₦180,000 a year, and while there are no many two-bedroom flats in this area, the ones you would find are between ₦200,000 – ₦250,000 a year.

It’s this mount zion/goldie/uwanse areas that the toilet fee payment is really in force, and there is a great student population in this area.

But one drawback of houses in this area is that they are relatively small at that price. One can rarely it in stuffs in many single rooms and self-contains I saw in this area, although the prices are great.

So if you want to live here, you may consider trimming your properties else you may not have many space left.

The few large ones come at slightly higher prices.

The goldie/mount zion area is an area that has a bustling night life, and it’s easy to get a taxi from this area to most places in Calabar, making the area appealing.

4. Mayne Avenue

If you are looking for cheap areas to stay in Calabar, Mayne Avenue would well suit you.

Most students of both the University of Calabar and Cross University of Technology stay in this area due to it’s proximity to both schools, as well as low and middle-income earners.

The cost of renting a self-con in this area start at ₦120,000 while two-bedroom flat start at ₦190,000.

The single rooms at Mayne Avenue are between ₦48,000 and ₦50,000, making it one of the cheapest areas to stay in Calabar.

Also, the proximity to work places is great, whether as a personnel working for the state government or private establishments.

Many commercial banks are located in Mayne Avenue and the environment is serene as well.

5. Ekorinim area

The Ekorinim area in Calabar is a local community within Calabar metropolis and it has a great location along highway Calabar.

The local settlement is a really cool area to stay, and more importantly, low standard of living compared to other places in Calabar.

You can get single-rooms at Ekorinim for as low as ₦36,000, while you can find good self-contains at ₦100,000 with water running.

Somehow, there are no many bedroom flats in this area and the few start from ₦180,000. Consumer goods are equally cheap in this area.

And it’s affordability makes it a great choice for many private and government workers.

These are the cheapest places to stay in Calabar.

Though there are other cheap areas to stay in Calabar, but they didn’t feature on this post. As mentioned earlier, factors such as security, good-looking houses, and proximity to other places were considered while making this post.

And thankfully, those five areas are the most affordable places to stay in Calabar.

However if you are looking developing areas to buy apartment, look forward to my next post because I will be covering that in great detail.

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Maxwell Tega

Maxwell is a Dietitian with passion for showing people hope. With nearly a decade experience helping people make key decisions on education and career, you can find him almost everywhere on this site. From answering admission and scholarship questions to creating tutorials and helping others live their best lives though nutrition. Connect with me on Twitter.