On a Sunday afternoon, I sit and people-watch at Ngor Beach. Young boys in green shorts play soccer at the edge of the water. White pirogues, painted in a rainbow of colors, rock steadily in the waves, yet remain anchored. A breeze washes over my skin as I sip a Gazelle beer and wait for the sky to turn deep orange, purple at the edges. I think to myself, I could live here.
I’m not the only Black woman of a certain age who feels this way.
Having been to Senegal three times and spent months there, I regularly meet Black women visitors and expats who have had the same thought and many who have acted on it. There is a slowness to the days, even amid the buzz of commerce, traffic, and sand-covered streets. You can breathe deeply here. You can release some of the burden that life in the U.S. places on Blackness while still being within an eight-hour direct flight of New York. What follows is a closer look at what it actually takes to build a life there later in life.
Aisha Bullard, 53, moved her family to Senegal in 2020 after first visiting in 2018. “We had an amazing experience,” she told me on my Black Beyond Borders podcast. “It felt like home.” But she’s also honest about life and language adjustments. “My brain just is not working to process French and Wolof,” Aisha admits. “The weather can be hot sometimes, and technology can be challenging—especially when the Wi-Fi goes out.”
For Sonia Fall, 63, the move came unexpectedly. After being introduced to a Senegalese man through a colleague, she visited him once and, a few months later, moved permanently to marry him. What surprised her most wasn’t just the warmth of the people, but the ease of daily life. Living costs are manageable, routines are simple, and she realized she could live comfortably on her future retirement income while designing a quieter, more intentional chapter now, while she is still working remotely.
Living in Senegal, The Real Deal
Transplants to this culturally rich region give many reasons for its appeal. Six are key among them:
- Reasonable cost of living
- Warm climate
- A slower, more mindful pace
- A cultural sense of belonging
- Welcoming expat communities
- Adequate transportation
Senegal sits on the westernmost edge of Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, with the capital, Dakar, on a peninsula. The city is home to about 1.3 million people, with nearly four million across the metro area. Beyond Dakar, the Petite Côte—places like Somone and Saly—offers a slower, beach-forward lifestyle. Saint-Louis, four hours north, draws people looking for history, culture, and small-town rhythms.
The climate does not disappoint, with temperatures ranging from the mid-70s to the low 90s. The dry season runs from October through May, while the rainy season lasts from June to October; the hottest months typically fall between August and October.