• by George

The choice between 1-bedroom vs 2-bedroom apartments in Accra turns on one number most buyers never calculate: the net yield after every deduction. Two units sit in the same Airport Residential tower. The 1-bed costs less. The 2-bed earns more rent. Higher rent looks like the better deal. It rarely is.

When Each Size Wins

A 1-bed wins on entry cost, furnishing spend, and running costs. It suits single professionals, couples, and short-stay guests, and ties up less capital.

 

A 2-bed wins on absolute income and flexibility. It suits sharers, small families, a home office, and buyers who plan to live in the unit later.

 

These are tendencies, not guarantees. The building, the price, and your exit plan decide the outcome.

Who Rents What in Accra

Airport Residential, Cantonments, and Ridge draw diplomats and senior professionals, often on dollar-denominated leases. Labone, Dzorwulu, and Roman Ridge attract corporate tenants and couples. East Legon and Tema hold families and shared households.

 

Ask one question before you choose a size. Is your area dominated by single professionals, or by families and shared households? The answer points to the unit size with the shorter void period.

How to Compare 1-Bedroom vs 2-Bedroom Apartments

Look past the headline price. Compare price per square metre, parking allocation, furnishing status, monthly service charge, remaining lease years, and the quality of building management.

 

Then separate three numbers.

 

Gross rent is the total collected. Gross yield is annual rent divided by purchase price, times 100. Net yield deducts service charge, management, maintenance, vacancy, and the 8 percent withholding tax on gross residential rent set by the Ghana Revenue Authority.

 

Most marketing quotes gross. You live on net.

The Worked Example, With Every Deduction Shown

Illustrative figures for Airport Residential, not a price quote from any development.

 

Line item	1-Bed	2-Bed
Purchase price	$170,000	$270,000
Monthly rent	$1,300	$2,050
Annual gross rent	$15,600	$24,600
Gross yield	9.2%	9.1%
Rent tax at 8%	-$1,248	-$1,968
Management at 10%	-$1,560	-$2,460
Service charge	-$2,160	-$3,480
Maintenance at 5% of rent	-$780	-$1,230
One month vacancy	-$1,300	-$2,050
Net income	$8,552	$13,412
Net yield	5.0%	5.0%

 

The gap closes to nothing. The 2-bed earns $4,860 more per year and demands $100,000 more capital.

 

Run the conservative case at 80 percent occupancy, with the service charge still payable on an empty unit. The 1-bed returns 4.3 percent net. The 2-bed returns 4.2 percent. Any Accra projection above 8 percent net on a long let has left something out.

Buying Off-Plan: Protect the Money First

Yield means nothing if the tower stalls. Before you sign, ask six questions.

 

• What is the payment schedule from reservation to handover?
• Where do staged payments sit, in escrow, under a bank guarantee, or on the developer’s balance sheet?
• What happens to your money if construction stops for two years?
• Which handover dates has the developer hit on completed projects, against the dates promised?
• Will the developer connect you with two owners from a delivered building?
• Is there a written penalty for late delivery?

 

A sold-out project proves a developer sells units. Delivery records prove delivery.

Currency: Where Your Return Leaks

Your rent arrives in one currency. Your return gets measured in another. Confirm three things in writing.

 

Which currency the lease is denominated in, cedi or dollar. Which currency the service charge is billed in. How rental income moves to London, New York, Toronto, or Amsterdam under Bank of Ghana rules.

 

A cedi lease against a dollar purchase price exposes you to depreciation even at full occupancy. Dollar leases are common in Airport Residential and Cantonments, and rare elsewhere.

Advance Rent and Tax, End to End

Section 25(5) of the Rent Act 1963 (Act 220) caps advance rent at six months for tenancies longer than six months. The Rent Control Department has signalled firmer enforcement from April 2026. Six months upfront changes your cash flow if you manage the unit from abroad, so build the assumption into your model rather than budgeting for a year.

 

On tax, the 8 percent withholding on residential rent is the start. Confirm with a Ghanaian tax adviser whether the deduction settles your Ghana liability or requires an annual return. Then check your home country position. The UK and Ghana hold a double taxation agreement, so relief is often available against HMRC, subject to your circumstances. Similar treaties apply in other markets.

What You Legally Own in a Tower

An apartment is not a plot. Establish these points before payment.

 

Under Article 266 of the Constitution and the Land Act 2020, a non-Ghanaian holds leasehold for no more than 50 years at a time. Citizens and dual nationals reach up to 99 years. If you hold two passports, confirm in writing which term applies to your purchase.

 

Ask how many years remain on the head lease today, whether the head lease is registered at the Lands Commission or pending, and whether you receive a registered sublease in your own name. Ask who owns the common areas, how the service charge budget is set, and whether owners vote on increases. Use a REAC-licensed agent and an independent lawyer, never the developer’s lawyer alone.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Reading gross rent as return.
• Modelling full occupancy in a building holding forty near-identical units.
• Ignoring the furnishing gap between a 1-bed and a 2-bed.
• Skipping the Lands Commission title search.
• Assuming short-let permission when building rules forbid it.
• Buying two units without doubling legal fees, title searches, service charges, and furnishing budgets.

Local Insight on Resale and Exit

Prime Accra luxury stock sells slowly. Ghana Property Finder’s Q1 2026 report puts typical marketing periods beyond six months, and luxury net yields below mid-market ones. Price the exit accordingly.

 

A 1-bed sells to investors and first-time buyers, which supports resale liquidity. A 2-bed sells to families and owner-occupiers, which holds price better in a soft market. Shorter lease years weaken both resale and mortgage eligibility.

 

Prime Accra luxury suits a hold of seven to ten years. Buyers needing liquidity inside three years should look elsewhere.

Two Accra Investor Scenarios

Scenario A, the yield-first diaspora investor. Budget under $200,000, no appetite for hands-on management, wants proximity to offices and the airport. A 1-bed fits. Lower entry, broad tenant pool, simpler furnishing, faster resale.

 

Scenario B, the future returnee. Wants income now and a move to Accra within five years. A 2-bed in Labone or East Legon earns rent today and becomes the family home later, so the lower yield buys optionality.

 

Neither wins in the abstract. The goal decides.

Head-to-Head: 1-Bed vs 2-Bed

Factor	1-Bedroom	2-Bedroom
Entry price	Lower	Higher
Monthly rent	Lower	Higher
Gross yield potential	8 to 12 percent	7 to 10 percent
Realistic net yield	4 to 6 percent	4 to 6 percent
Running costs	Lower	Higher
Best long-term tenants	Single professionals, couples	Families, sharers
Short-stay fit	Largest guest pool	Higher nightly rate
Management complexity	Lower	Moderate
Resale audience	Investors, first-time buyers	Families, owner-occupiers
Best for	Yield and liquidity	Income and flexibility

 

The winner varies by building, neighbourhood, price, and strategy. Test both against your own numbers.

Checklist Before You Buy

• All-in budget set, including legal fees, furnishing, taxes, and service charges
• Priority ranked: cash flow, appreciation, or personal use
• Likely tenant named for the exact location
• Comparable rents verified against signed leases, not adverts
• Annual service charge and management commission confirmed in writing
• Competing units in the same building counted by bedroom type
• Short-let permission confirmed under building rules
• Remaining lease years and renewal position confirmed
• Payment schedule and fund protection confirmed for off-plan
• Numbers tested at 80 percent occupancy

How Deiterra Measures Against This Checklist

Landmark Homes has built in Accra since 2012. The Sapphire and The Madison, both in Labone, are sold out. Our current development is Deiterra, a 140-unit twin-tower project in Airport Residential Area, with studios through penthouses and in-house management under the Prive brand.

 

We hold Deiterra to the same test this article sets. Here are the answers, in the same order.

 

• Lease term and passport position: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Head lease registration status at the Lands Commission: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Landmark Homes REAC licence number: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Unit mix by bedroom count across the 140 units: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Estimated service charge per square metre: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Prive management commission, long let and short let: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Short-let permission under building rules: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Payment schedule and where staged payments are held: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Handover dates achieved on Sapphire and Madison against dates promised: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]
• Lease denomination and service charge currency: [CLIENT TO CONFIRM]

 

On the letting queue, Prive shows tenant enquiries in order of availability, and owner units are never ranked below unsold developer stock. Ask us to put the policy in your management agreement.

Key Takeaways

Choosing between 1-bedroom vs 2-bedroom apartments comes down to fit, rather than size. The yield gap between them is narrow once you deduct tax, service charge, management, maintenance, and vacancy. A 1-bed rewards liquidity and lower capital exposure. A 2-bed rewards absolute income and future personal use. Verify the lease term, the service charge, and the letting policy for your exact building, then let the net number decide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do 1-bedroom apartments have better rental yields than 2-bedroom apartments in Accra?

Marginally, and less often than buyers expect. Accra 1-beds reach 8 to 12 percent gross against 7 to 10 percent for 2-beds, but the gap nearly disappears at net level once service charge, management, maintenance, vacancy, and the 8 percent rent tax come out. Compare net yield on signed local comparables before deciding.

Is a 2-bedroom apartment easier to rent out in Ghana?

It depends on the district. A 2-bed lets faster in family areas such as East Legon and Tema. A 1-bed lets faster where single professionals cluster, including Airport Residential, Osu, and Ridge. Check the tenant mix within one kilometre of the building, rather than the citywide average.

Which apartment size is better for Airbnb or short stays in Accra?

Both perform, with different risks. AirROI data for 2026 shows 1-bed listings as the largest single segment of active Accra supply, with 1-beds and 2-beds together near 70 percent. A 1-bed faces more direct competition. A 2-bed earns a higher nightly rate from groups. Confirm the building permits short lets first, since many Accra towers restrict them.

Should I buy one 2-bed or two 1-beds as an investor?

Two 1-beds spread vacancy risk across two micro-markets and often lift the blended yield. They also double your legal fees, title searches, service charges, furnishing budgets, and management relationships. One 2-bed simplifies operations and suits a future family home. Cost the duplication in full before assuming two units win.

How do I protect my money when buying off-plan in Accra?

Ask where staged payments are held, whether escrow or a bank guarantee applies, and what remedy exists if construction stalls. Request handover dates achieved against dates promised on completed projects, and ask to speak with owners from a delivered building. Instruct an independent lawyer to review the sale agreement before you pay a reservation fee.

What costs should I include before comparing 1-bed and 2-bed returns?

Purchase price, legal fees of 3 to 10 percent, the Lands Commission title search, furnishing, monthly service charge, management commission, maintenance, vacancy allowance, and the 8 percent residential rent tax from the Ghana Revenue Authority. Add currency conversion and repatriation costs if you earn abroad.

Talk to Us Before You Decide

Compare our numbers against two other Accra developments. We would rather lose a sale to a better-informed buyer than win one on a yield figure you later find inflated.

Book a consultation or a Deiterra site viewing, or request our diaspora buyer’s guide. Visit landmarkhomesgh.com or call +233 501 622 422.

Disclaimer: These figures are illustrative and reflect market ranges at the time of writing. Verify current prices, rents, service charges, taxes, financing costs, and lease terms with an independent lawyer and tax adviser before you buy.