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Mali

What Things Cost in Mali

Mali is expensive. Now, I suppose in pure absolute terms it is certainly not more expensive than North America or Europe, but given what you get–except in the best of hotels, third world conditions–things are a horrible value.

It’s quite depressing, really, not only for us, who as tourists are tempted to ask ourselves what we are doing spending a relative fortune to travel like a pauper in Mali instead of spending less to travel like a king in Bali, but really for the residents of the country. Before I had come to West Africa, I was accustomed to less developed countries having relatively lower costs for goods and services. For example, a Bolivian may not make very much money, but he can eat a solid meal for well short of a U.S. dollar. This pattern generally holds true in North America, South America, Europe and Asia–the poorer a country is, the less things cost in that country. In this way, the people who live in a country can, well, afford to live there. In Africa, it seems the poorer the country the more expensive things (by which I mean mostly consumer goods) are. Mali is a significantly poorer country than Senegal, but things clearly cost more. We were told that the capital of even more impoverished Niger, Niamey, is even more expensive.

Why this perverse pattern? I suppose it comes down to the fact that, in countries as poor as Mali and Niger, few people, outside of the slim middle and upper classes living in the big cities, can afford to buy much of anything. The average Malian does not go to restaurants or stay in hotels, or buy bottled water or hire taxis, as tourists are wont to do. The typical Malian earns just enough for the bare necessities of life, plus perhaps some very minor savings for transport or festive occasions. The goods and services that tourists need are provided by and for a very small segment of the economy, one that needs to import almost all of the materials and knowhow that is required, at very high transport costs, or, in the case of restaurants, survive on a relatively small volume of customers. Without the economy of scale, and with the additional costs of setup and maintenance, things get expensive.

Why do I find this so depressing? Perhaps I am imposing my values, my expectations and vision of what constitutes an enjoyable life, but in a country such as, say, India, I feel like a great number of people, even if fairly poor, can afford to buy themselves a simple snack in a restaurant, if they happen to be hungry and away from home. A working class family in India can afford to go on an occational pilgrimage. Here in Mali, I do not see how anyone of typical wealth and income can save enough to afford to do much of anything. To save enough money even for a bus ride, or a meal, seems incredibly onerous and out of reach. And that, I find sad.

So what kinds of prices am I complaining about? Some examples:


Lodging for Two

“Western standard” hotel room with bath and A/C – 25,000 (USD 50)
Comfortable hotel room with shared bath and fan – 15-20,000 (USD 30-40)
Very basic room, no power, no western plumbing, no fan and usually not very clean – 6,000-10,000 (USD 12-20)

Compare to say, Bali, where an extremely comfortable room with bath and fan often costs USD 10, or even small city North America, where motels can often come in under USD 50.

Transportation

Taxi within Bamako, for up to several kilometers – 500-1000 CFA (USD 1-2)
Taxi within Sevare, for a couple of kilometers – 2000 CFA (USD 4) (compare to, say, Bangkok or Hong Kong, in a modern, air-conditioned car)
4×4 rental for a 2.5 hour trip (price quoted to us by a Dogon guide) – 50,000 CFA (USD 100)
4×4 rental for a 3 hour trip (price we overheard other tourists paying) – 90,000 CFA (USD 180)
Bamako – Segou bus (4 hours) – 5,000 CFA (USD 10)
COMANAV boat from Mopti to Timbuktu, first class – 51,500 (USD 103)
Private pinasse from Mopti to Timbuktu – USD 800-1,000

As expensive as fuel has been, I simply do not understand the price of transport in Mali. Why isn’t the market for taxis and car hires more competitive? It’s not even the quality of the roads that is at fault; they tend to be fine. I believe that some runs have inflated prices because they are run by cartels (see post of 12.16 on planning a Dogon trip), but then where does the extra margin go? The prices almost have to be due to corruption at some link in the chain. I can’t help but think that if the price of transportation were more in line with other third world countries that far more people would make use of the roads, improving commerce, opportunities and quality of life.

Food

1.5 liter bottle of water – 500 CFA (USD 1), or up to 1250 CFA (USD 2.50) in the Dogon
Basic local food, tasty enough – 500-1000 CFA (USD 1-2), but not always available
Basic restaurant, sometimes good but often mediocre, with poor quality meat, etc. – 1000-2000 CFA (USD 2-4)
Tourist class restaurant, sometimes very good but not always – 4000-5000 CFA (USD 8-10)

Food is, for the traveler, one of the most inconvenient things about Mali. Because there is essentially no middle class in Mali, outside of Bamako, there are few proper restaurants (outside of Bamako) that really cater to locals, leaving one to eat overpriced tourist food of uneven quality. There is some street food, but it is generally in the way of snacks, such as chips, or food that is wholly unappetizing to the foreigner, such as an unseasoned stew of poorly chopped-up goat parts or fried scrawny river fish. Traveling in Mali has made us realize, to an extent we had not before, what a sort of heaven countries such as Thailand are (not only for tourists but especially for locals), where food of such quality and variety can be had so cheaply. There is no such plenty here.

9 replies on “What Things Cost in Mali”

wow i’m going to mali in july and all that sounds so depressing. i wonder if this economic crisis will make things better or worse over there. thanks for all the information. it definitely helps give me a better picture of life over there.

Thanks for your post, it’s really informative. I’ve been thinking about taking a trip to Senegal and Mali so it’s great to get the inside scoop. I wonder if people who travel regularly to Mali have any tips on how to travel on a budget?

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No me parece caro, cuanto cuesta en tu pais hacer un trayecto de 250km en autobus? A cuanto crees que está el petróleo en Mali? El petróleo no entienede de zonas pobres, está igual de caro en todo el mundo menos en Estados Unidos.

Well interesting consideration.
I would like to know how much time did you spend in Mali?
Your information are really useful.

So from your blog I have learned a lot about the quality of the hotels and how expensive things are in Mali but is there any way you could answer a couple other questions for me. I am a 12th grade student at Arapahoe High School in Denver Colorado and i was just wondering what the people are like and what the landscape is like in Mali? Also what is the government like there? It would be much appreciated if you could respond! Thank you 🙂

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