Somalia
Profiled in Mogadishu · East Africa
A long Indian Ocean coastline and a capital rebuilding under heavy security, with a remarkable telecoms and mobile-money sector operating largely outside formal state structures.
Cost of living
What a month costs
The US dollar circulates widely. Mogadishu is expensive because of security, compound accommodation and imported goods.
The scores
How it rates for a moving family
See and do
Top 10 in Mogadishu
- Laas GeelFive-thousand-year-old cave paintings in Somaliland.
- Mogadishu CathedralRuined Italian colonial cathedral.
- Arba'a Rukun MosqueOne of the oldest mosques in the Horn, from 1269.
- Lido BeachRestored seafront strip in Mogadishu.
- Bakaara MarketMogadishu's largest and most storied market.
- Hargeisa War MemorialMiG fighter mounted in the Somaliland capital.
- Sheikh Sufi MosqueHistoric mosque in the old Hamar Weyne quarter.
- Berbera beachesLong empty Red Sea coast in Somaliland.
Where to go
Weekend escapes
- HargeisaCapital of self-declared Somaliland, far safer than the south.
- Laas GeelNeolithic rock art near Hargeisa.
- BerberaSomaliland's Red Sea port and beaches.
- Lido BeachMogadishu's main city beach.
- BosasoPuntland's commercial port on the Gulf of Aden.
Residency
There is no functioning investor route. Somaliland operates its own administration and is materially safer, but is not internationally recognised. Diaspora Somalis retain strong economic ties.
Tax
There is no functioning general personal income tax nationally. Revenue is collected largely through customs at ports and airports. Fiscal authority is contested between federal and state governments.
Curious what you would actually pay? See the Somalia tax profile: income, corporate, VAT and exit rules →
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