Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Abuja

For one person, living is cheaper in Abuja: $1,005 a month against $2,005 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Abuja
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Abuja Living Index

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Lagos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,005

/mo nomad

Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lagos and in Abuja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,005 in Lagos versus $1,005 in Abuja.

Lagos $2,005
Abuja $1,005

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,110 in Lagos versus $1,961 in Abuja.

Lagos $3,110
Abuja $1,961

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,215 in Lagos versus $2,916 in Abuja.

Lagos $4,215
Abuja $2,916

Living in Lagos is roughly 99% more expensive than in Abuja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lagos is 50% above, Abuja is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 €10.97

$2.01 ₦2,673

511.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.1 €51.0

$30.45 ₦40.5K

87.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 €7.31

$3.90 ₦5,177

110.26%

Cappuccino

$2.68 €2.39

$3.38 ₦4,496

-20.71%

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

$2.32 €2.07

$0.50 ₦667

364.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.72 ₦963

147.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.98 €3.55

$1.02 ₦1,349

290.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.04

$2.10 ₦2,791

115.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$3.75 ₦4,975

-72.53%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.30 ₦1,726

81.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 €1.88

$2.29 ₦3,045

-7.86%

Eggs

$3.42 €3.05

$1.80 ₦2,390

90.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 €15.80

$10.86 ₦14.4K

62.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 €7.19

$5.22 ₦6,931

54.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$5.78 ₦7,673

165.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.47

$1.98 ₦2,631

39.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.44 ₦1,918

-3.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.54 ₦2,044

20.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$2.26 ₦3,002

18.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.80 ₦2,385

10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.39 ₦3,172

-11.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.60 ₦802

113.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 €0.34

$0.38 ₦504

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 €5.37

$1.95 ₦2,595

208.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.48 €4.00

$5.96 ₦7,923

-24.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$1.23 ₦1,640

-28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 €2.58

$1.83 ₦2,433

57.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.44 ₦580

290.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.88 €30.23

$32.75 ₦43.5K

3.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.05

$0.63 ₦836

798.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.80 ₦1,062

23.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₦2,478

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.56 ₦741

260.71%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$26.0K ₦34.5M

28.60%

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

$35.9K €32.1K

$18.1K ₦24.1M

98.23%

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

$149 €133

$115 ₦152.3K

29.84%

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

$21.67 €19.34

$6.43 ₦8,537

237.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.97 €39.24

$29.45 ₦39.1K

49.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 €49.21

$26.20 ₦34.8K

110.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.89 €24.89

$9.60 ₦12.8K

190.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.58 €5.88

$6.59 ₦8,749

-0.15%

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

$543 €485

$45.94 ₦61.0K

1082.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$3,119 ₦4.1M

269.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 €71.9

$26.42 ₦35.1K

204.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.79 €44.43

$60.3 ₦80.0K

-17.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 €64.0

$79.3 ₦105.3K

-9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$107 ₦142.3K

6.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,026

$591 ₦785.2K

94.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 €962

$345 ₦458.2K

212.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 €2,173

$1,444 ₦1.9M

68.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,968 €1,756

$1,567 ₦2.1M

25.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,896 €3,476

$717 ₦952.4K

443.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,876 €4,351

$384 ₦510.5K

1168.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,214 €1,083

$170 ₦225.5K

614.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

22.5

-82.89%

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

Last update for Lagos: October 4, 2026

Last update for Abuja: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lagos

$1.1K 53%

Abuja

$345 34.6% 68% $733

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$277 13.7%

Abuja

$218 21.8% 21.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$215 10.6%

Abuja

$151 15.1% 29.8% $64

Eating Out

Lagos

$200 9.9%

Abuja

$83 8.3% 58.8% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$142 7%

Abuja

$123 12.3% 13.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$68 3.4%

Abuja

$39 4% 42.4% $29

Getting Around

Lagos

$51 2.5%

Abuja

$39 3.9% 23.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,150 in Lagos and $591 in Abuja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lagos pays 615% 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: $57.0 in Lagos vs $30.00 in Abuja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $218 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lagos

🇳🇬 Abuja

🕒 Local time

02:54 2:54 AM

Same time as Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,500

776,298 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,328 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.53 USD). 1 EUR = 1,490 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.71 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lagos Abuja 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Lagos
Abuja

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

Lagos vs Abuja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lagos and Abuja differ by about 99% in total monthly costs ($2,005 vs $1,005 including rent). Abuja is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 615% higher in Lagos, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,150 in Lagos versus $591 in Abuja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,005 per month in Lagos versus $1,005 in Abuja – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Abuja runs roughly 3% less than in Lagos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,005 in Abuja versus $2,005 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, Lagos and Abuja 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 99% less than in Lagos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.