Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abuja and Lagos

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $996 a month against $2,049 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
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Abuja Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index

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Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$996

/mo nomad

Lagos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abuja and in Lagos

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abuja and in Lagos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $996 in Abuja versus $2,049 in Lagos.

Abuja $996
Lagos $2,049

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,978 in Abuja versus $3,107 in Lagos.

Abuja $1,978
Lagos $3,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,959 in Abuja versus $4,164 in Lagos.

Abuja $2,959
Lagos $4,164

Living in Abuja costs roughly 51% less than in Lagos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Abuja is 26% below, Lagos is 52% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 ₦2,693

$12.43 €11.06

-83.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.94 ₦39.8K

$55.2 €49.08

-45.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.97 ₦5,276

$7.97 €7.09

-50.19%

Cappuccino

$3.34 ₦4,441

$2.70 €2.40

23.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₦633

$2.36 €2.10

-79.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₦896

$1.72 €1.53

-61.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₦1,360

$3.97 €3.53

-74.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₦2,771

$4.34 €3.86

-52.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.73 ₦4,967

$1.02 €0.91

265.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 ₦1,791

$2.36 €2.10

-42.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 ₦3,028

$2.13 €1.90

7.04%

Eggs

$1.88 ₦2,504

$3.45 €3.07

-45.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.18 ₦14.9K

$17.45 €15.52

-35.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 ₦6,886

$8.14 €7.24

-36.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.09 ₦8,095

$14.89 €13.25

-59.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₦2,644

$2.82 €2.51

-29.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 ₦1,981

$1.38 €1.23

7.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 ₦2,047

$1.78 €1.58

-13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 ₦3,046

$2.56 €2.28

-10.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 ₦2,382

$2.05 €1.82

-12.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 ₦3,136

$2.05 €1.82

15.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₦742

$1.25 €1.11

-55.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦523

$0.37 €0.33

5.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 ₦2,695

$5.88 €5.23

-65.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 ₦7,655

$4.50 €4.00

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₦1,644

$0.86 €0.76

44.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ₦2,458

$2.73 €2.43

-32.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₦619

$1.63 €1.45

-71.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.13 ₦44.1K

$33.85 €30.11

-2.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 ₦770

$5.66 €5.03

-89.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.83 ₦1,101

$0.98 €0.87

-15.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₦2,455

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 ₦721

$1.93 €1.72

-72.02%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.3K ₦34.9M

$33.5K €29.8K

-21.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.4K ₦24.5M

$36.1K €32.1K

-48.98%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$112 ₦148.7K

$146 €130

-23.66%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.52 ₦8,671

$21.27 €18.92

-69.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.53 ₦39.3K

$42.77 €38.04

-30.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.16 ₦34.8K

$53.9 €47.94

-51.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.71 ₦12.9K

$27.74 €24.68

-65.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.59 ₦8,760

$6.34 €5.64

3.94%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$45.16 ₦60.1K

$538 €479

-91.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,098 ₦4.1M

$11.3K €10.1K

-72.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.73 ₦34.2K

$80.5 €71.6

-68.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.2 ₦81.5K

$49.54 €44.06

23.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 ₦104.3K

$70.7 €62.9

10.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₦143.3K

$112 €99.9

-4.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 ₦793.2K

$1,135 €1,010

-47.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 ₦457.8K

$1,105 €983

-68.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,448 ₦1.9M

$2,414 €2,147

-40.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 ₦2.0M

$2,020 €1,797

-23.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$722 ₦959.8K

$3,987 €3,546

-81.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$376 ₦500.2K

$4,758 €4,232

-92.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$169 ₦224.8K

$1,206 €1,073

-85.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

3.85

484.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abuja: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lagos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Abuja

$344 34.5%

Lagos

$1.1K 53.9% 221% $761

Groceries & Markets

Abuja

$220 22.1%

Lagos

$275 13.4% 24.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abuja

$148 14.9%

Lagos

$211 10.3% 42.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Abuja

$123 12.3%

Lagos

$141 6.9% 14.6% $18

Eating Out

Abuja

$82 8.2%

Lagos

$201 9.8% 145% $119

Getting Around

Abuja

$40 4%

Lagos

$51 2.5% 28.3% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Abuja

$39 4%

Lagos

$67 3.3% 69.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $596 in Abuja and $1,135 in Lagos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lagos pays 614% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Abuja vs $55.0 in Lagos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $275 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Abuja

🇵🇹 Lagos

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

Same time as Abuja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

776,298 Capital

33,500

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Abuja Lagos 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Abuja
Lagos

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Abuja vs Lagos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abuja and Lagos differ by about 106% in total monthly costs ($996 vs $2,049 including rent). Abuja is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 614% lower in Lagos. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $596 in Abuja versus $1,135 in Lagos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $996 per month in Abuja versus $2,049 in Lagos – a 106% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 2% less than in Lagos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $996 in Abuja versus $2,049 in Lagos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Abuja but tight or insufficient in Lagos. The gap between the two cities makes Abuja the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Abuja and Lagos are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Abuja gentler on the wallet – expenses run 106% less than in Lagos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.