Cost-of-Living Comparator
Compare two Nigerian cities
Enter a monthly salary and pick two cities. Updates as you change any input. Baseline: Lagos = 100.
Cost-of-living index by Nigerian city
Lagos = 100 baseline. Directional index built from rent, transport, and food weightings across markets.
Cost-of-living comparison for Nigerian cities
Lagos is Nigeria's most expensive city on rent, transport and services. A monthly salary that feels comfortable in Ibadan or Enugu will feel stretched in Lekki, and vice versa. This comparator uses a directional cost-of-living index anchored on Lagos = 100 to translate a salary into its equivalent in another city.
For example: NGN 800,000 per month in Lagos buys roughly the same standard of living as NGN 495,000 in Ibadan. That's not because Ibadan is a lower-value job market - it's because the base costs (rent especially) are materially lower. Use this before accepting a relocation package or when negotiating a salary against a remote alternative.
The index is directional not authoritative. Housing choice within a city (Ikoyi vs Yaba, Wuse vs Kubwa) creates bigger cost deltas than city-to-city moves. Treat this as your first-pass estimate.
Frequently asked questions
What is NGN 800k in Lagos equivalent to in Abuja?
Roughly NGN 704,000 in Abuja for the same standard of living. Abuja rents are lower than Lagos but food and services can be higher, so the net saving is smaller than raw rent suggests.
Which Nigerian city has the lowest cost of living?
Kano is typically the lowest of the major job-market cities, followed by Benin, Enugu and Kaduna. But their formal job markets are smaller - the salary savings are often offset by more limited opportunities.
Should I accept a lower salary to move to a cheaper city?
Only if the pay cut is proportional to the cost drop AND the role has equivalent career trajectory. A common trap is accepting a 30% pay cut for a 15% cost drop - you end up materially worse off.