Areas in Port Harcourt: Full List by Local Government

Port Harcourt is spread across two local government areas of Rivers State. Port Harcourt City Local Government Area holds the older core: Town, Borokiri, Old GRA, New GRA in Phases 1 to 5, D-Line and Diobu. Obio-Akpor Local Government Area holds the districts that grew up around it: Rumuola, Rumuokoro, Rumuigbo, Eliozu, Woji, Ada George, Choba and many more communities. Trans-Amadi and the Peter Odili Road corridor are the industrial and new-estate side in the east. This guide lists them by local government and says what each is like; the short version for tenants is in the best areas to rent in Port Harcourt.

The two local governments

Port Harcourt City covers the original port town and the planned districts laid out north of it. Obio-Akpor wraps around it to the north, east and west, and is where most of the city's recent growth has happened. The boundary runs through built-up streets, so neighbours such as New GRA and Rumuola are in different local governments. It matters for forms and for land documents, and it matters for price, because adverts stretch the GRA name across the line. Title anywhere in the city is a Rivers State matter; the steps are in buying property in Port Harcourt.

Port Harcourt City: Town and Borokiri

Town, the old Port Harcourt township, is the original settlement at the southern end of the city, beside the port. Aggrey Road is its best-known street and Creek Road its market. It is commercial and busy, with older buildings and flats above shops, and it suits traders and people who work at the port or in the offices nearby.

Borokiri continues south from Town to the waterside. It is a dense, long-settled residential district with affordable flats and rooms, schools and churches on almost every street. The streets closest to the creeks are low-lying, so ask about flooding before you pay.

Port Harcourt City: Old GRA and New GRA

Old GRA is the colonial-era Government Reserved Area near Government House and the Rivers State House of Assembly. It has wide tree-lined roads and some of the largest plots in the city, and it remains one of the most established addresses. Read the Old GRA guide and the Old GRA area page.

New GRA is the later extension, organised in Phases 1 to 5, and it is where most of the oil and gas corporate housing, managed apartment blocks and restaurants are. When a company housing policy says “GRA Phase 2”, this is the district it means. See the New GRA guide, the street-by-street detail in streets in New GRA and the New GRA area page.

Port Harcourt City: D-Line and Diobu

D-Line borders both GRA districts and is the established mid-market address of the core: central, densely built and mixed, with newer managed blocks beside older bungalows and compounds. It suits professionals who want to be central without paying GRA rents.

Diobu is the large, densely populated district known by its Mile 1, Mile 2 and Mile 3 sections along Ikwerre Road, with the big Mile 1 and Mile 3 markets. Rivers State University is on the Mile 3 side. Rents are among the lowest in the core, housing is mostly tenement buildings and small blocks of flats, and the streets are busy and loud. It suits traders, students and tenants who put price and transport first.

Obio-Akpor: Rumuola, Rumuigbo and Rumuokoro

Rumuola borders New GRA and is one of the most searched-for addresses in the city, because it offers flats and family houses well below GRA prices within reach of the GRA and Trans-Amadi. See the Rumuola guide and the Rumuola area page.

Rumuigbo is a residential community on the Ikwerre Road side of the city, between the Diobu end and Rumuokoro. It is a middle-income area of family compounds and blocks of flats, quieter than Diobu and cheaper than Rumuola.

Rumuokoro is the junction where Ikwerre Road meets the East-West Road, with a large market and motor park. Ikwerre Road continues from here towards the airport, so it is one of the main transport points of the city. Homes are affordable, and the junction itself is congested for much of the day.

Obio-Akpor: Eliozu, Woji, Ada George and Choba

Eliozu lies along the East-West Road near Rumuokoro and is one of the most affordable places to rent or buy in the city, which is why it has grown so quickly. See the Eliozu guide.

Woji is a community on the eastern side of the city with a good deal of new estate development, popular with young professionals and families who want a newer building at a mid-market rent. It is not the same place as Woji Street in GRA Phase 2.

Ada George is the area along Ada George Road on the western side of the city. The road is commercial, the streets off it are residential, and the mix of flats, duplexes and small estates makes it a common choice for middle-income households.

Choba is on the East-West Road beyond Rumuokoro and is home to the University of Port Harcourt. Students and university staff drive the rental market, so self-contains and small flats dominate and they let fastest at the start of the session.

The eastern side: Trans-Amadi and Peter Odili Road

Trans-Amadi is the main industrial layout of the city, home to oil service companies, warehouses and factories, with managed residential estates among them. It is practical rather than peaceful, and it suits people whose employer is in the same corridor. See the Trans-Amadi area page. Peter Odili Road, which runs on from the Trans-Amadi side, is a corridor of newer gated estates; adverts often label these “GRA”, so ask for the estate name and price it on its own merits.

Indicative annual rents by area

These are indicative asking ranges for a full year for a 2-bedroom flat, before service charges. Managed compounds with steady power sit at the top of each range.

• New GRA: ₦2,000,000 – ₦5,000,000 per annum
• Old GRA: ₦1,500,000 – ₦4,000,000 per annum
• D-Line: ₦800,000 – ₦2,000,000 per annum
• Rumuola: ₦800,000 – ₦2,000,000 per annum
• Woji: ₦700,000 – ₦1,800,000 per annum
• Eliozu: ₦600,000 – ₦1,500,000 per annum

Move-in costs are set out in renting in Port Harcourt, and sale prices in Port Harcourt property prices. To see what is on the market now, browse properties in Port Harcourt, flats for rent in Port Harcourt or houses for rent in Port Harcourt. Landlords and agents can list a Port Harcourt property on Cabans free.

What to check before renting in Port Harcourt

• The real district: ask for the street and, in the GRA, the phase. “GRA” on an advert can mean Old GRA, a New GRA phase, the Rumuola side or Peter Odili Road.
• Flooding: the city is low-lying and wet for much of the year. View after heavy rain and look at the drains on the street.
• Power and diesel: ask how many hours the generator runs and who pays for the fuel.
• Security: ask what the compound or estate provides, and what the service charge covers.
• Agreement and receipts: insist on a signed tenancy agreement and a receipt from the landlord or a named agent before paying.

Frequently asked questions

What are the main areas in Port Harcourt?

In Port Harcourt City Local Government Area: Town, Borokiri, Old GRA, New GRA in Phases 1 to 5, D-Line and Diobu. In Obio-Akpor Local Government Area: Rumuola, Rumuokoro, Rumuigbo, Eliozu, Woji, Ada George, Choba and many other communities. Trans-Amadi and the Peter Odili Road corridor are on the eastern side of the city.

Which local governments make up Port Harcourt?

The Port Harcourt urban area is made up of two local government areas of Rivers State: Port Harcourt City, which covers the older core, and Obio-Akpor, which covers the districts that grew up around it. Most of the newer residential areas are in Obio-Akpor.

Is GRA in Port Harcourt City or Obio-Akpor?

Both Old GRA and New GRA are in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area. Rumuola and Rumueme, which border New GRA, are in Obio-Akpor, so the local government boundary runs along the edge of the district and adverts on the Obio-Akpor side are sometimes labelled GRA.

Is Woji the same as Woji Street in GRA?

No. Woji is a community in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area. Woji Street, sometimes written Woji Road, is a street in GRA Phase 2 in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area. Confirm which one an advert means before you compare prices.

Which areas of Port Harcourt are most affordable?

The outer Obio-Akpor communities, such as Eliozu, Rumuokoro and Rukpokwu, and the dense older districts such as Diobu, have the lowest rents. The GRA districts are the most expensive, and D-Line, Rumuola and Woji sit in between.

Where do students of the University of Port Harcourt live?

Mostly in Choba, the community in Obio-Akpor on the East-West Road where the university stands, and in the communities next to it. Self-contains and single rooms are the commonest units, and they let quickly at the start of each session.

How much is rent in Port Harcourt?

It depends on the area. Indicatively, a 2-bedroom flat in New GRA rents for ₦2,000,000–₦5,000,000 a year before service charges, while a 2-bedroom flat in Eliozu is ₦600,000–₦1,500,000 a year. Landlords usually ask for a year or more in advance, plus agency and legal fees.

Related guides: Best areas to rent in Port Harcourt, Renting in Port Harcourt, Old GRA, New GRA, Streets in New GRA, Rumuola, Eliozu, Buying property in Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt property prices. Area page: Port Harcourt area guide and listings.