Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jos and Lagos

For one person, living is cheaper in Jos: $535 a month against $951 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lagos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

26

Cost of Living Index in Jos
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Jos Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index

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Jos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$535

/mo nomad

Lagos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Jos 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 Jos and in Lagos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $535 per month in Jos vs $951 in Lagos, rent included.

Jos $535
Lagos $951

A couple spends around $1,104 per month in Jos vs $1,859 in Lagos, rent included.

Jos $1,104
Lagos $1,859

A family of three spends $1,674 per month in Jos vs $2,768 in Lagos, rent included.

Jos $1,674
Lagos $2,768

Jos is about 44% cheaper than Lagos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Jos and Lagos are more affordable than the global median – Jos 60% lower, Lagos 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.96 ₦2,604

$3.82 ₦5,082

-48.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.24 ₦40.2K

$50.8 ₦67.5K

-40.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.92 ₦5,208

$7.38 ₦9,815

-46.88%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ₦4,385

$2.83 ₦3,768

16.61%

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

$0.48 ₦633

$0.43 ₦577

11.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 ₦948

$0.22 ₦291

222.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₦1,348

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₦2,765

$2.02 ₦2,692

2.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.61 ₦4,799

$3.10 ₦4,120

16.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 ₦1,153

$1.50 ₦1,989

-42.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₦2,909

$1.25 ₦1,669

75.20%

Eggs

$1.88 ₦2,506

$2.27 ₦3,013

-17.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 ₦13.2K

$3.44 ₦4,578

188.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 ₦6,463

$3.79 ₦5,040

28.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.15 ₦5,517

$4.58 ₦6,093

-9.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 ₦2,653

$1.70 ₦2,255

17.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ₦1,989

$1.29 ₦1,716

16.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ₦1,964

$1.11 ₦1,475

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 ₦3,134

$1.29 ₦1,718

82.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 ₦2,489

$1.37 ₦1,823

36.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ₦3,272

$1.36 ₦1,803

80.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₦797

$0.85 ₦1,128

-29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₦525

$0.40 ₦528

-2.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 ₦2,647

$0.60 ₦793

231.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 ₦7,854

$2.52 ₦3,346

134.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₦1,584

$0.54 ₦721

120.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ₦2,474

$0.46 ₦612

304.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₦532

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ₦26.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 ₦828

$0.65 ₦864

-4.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 ₦1,071

$0.95 ₦1,270

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.90 ₦2,531

$2.25 ₦2,987

-15.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.54 ₦717

$0.83 ₦1,098

-34.94%

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

$25.9K ₦34.4M

$11.1K ₦14.8M

132.76%

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

$18.5K ₦24.6M

$13.6K ₦18.1M

35.72%

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

$101 ₦135.0K

$113 ₦150.7K

-10.45%

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

$6.36 ₦8,458

$15.08 ₦20.1K

-57.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.17 ₦38.8K

$33.09 ₦44.0K

-11.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.27 ₦53.6K

$28.10 ₦37.4K

43.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.15 ₦16.2K

$6.79 ₦9,027

78.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ₦8,463

$6.19 ₦8,237

2.75%

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

$44.69 ₦59.4K

$659 ₦877.1K

-93.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,010 ₦1.3M

$19.5K ₦26.0M

-94.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.90 ₦13.2K

$14.85 ₦19.8K

-33.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.29 ₦20.3K

$17.95 ₦23.9K

-14.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.73 ₦66.1K

$36.30 ₦48.3K

37.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.21 ₦65.4K

$48.95 ₦65.1K

0.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₦936.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₦554.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$561 ₦746.3K

$2,825 ₦3.8M

-80.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$494 ₦656.8K

$1,516 ₦2.0M

-67.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₦2.6M

$3,283 ₦4.4M

-39.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,525 ₦2.0M

$1,597 ₦2.1M

-4.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$102 ₦135.0K

$117 ₦155.2K

-12.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

18.39

22.35%

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

Last update for Jos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lagos: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jos

$203 38%

Lagos

$154 16.2% 24.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jos

$137 25.6%

Lagos

$161 17% 17.9% $24

Eating Out

Jos

$81 15.1%

Lagos

$98 10.4% 21.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Jos

$56 10.4%

Lagos

$53 5.6% 4.9% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Jos

$53 9.9%

Lagos

$40 4.3% 23.6% $13

Getting Around

Jos

$4.7 * 0.9%

Lagos

$27 2.8% 475% $22

Accommodation & Living

Jos

- * 0%

Lagos

$417 43.8%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 15% higher in Lagos, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Jos versus $51.0 in Lagos. Groceries tell a different story – $203 in Jos vs $154 in Lagos – so Lagos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Jos

🇳🇬 Lagos

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

Same time as Jos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900,000

10,404,112

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Jos Lagos 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jos
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

Jos vs Lagos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $535 in Jos, $951 in Lagos – roughly 78% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $802 per month in Jos and $1,426 in Lagos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Jos and $51.0 in Lagos. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Lagos – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Jos, where all-in costs run around $535, than in Lagos at $951. In Jos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lagos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Jos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lagos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.