Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Abuja

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.

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

$2,049

/mo nomad

Abuja

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$996

/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: $2,049 in Lagos versus $996 in Abuja.

Lagos $2,049
Abuja $996

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

Lagos $3,107
Abuja $1,978

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

Lagos $4,164
Abuja $2,959

Living in Lagos is roughly 106% 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 52% above, Abuja is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.43 €11.06

$2.02 ₦2,693

515.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.08

$29.94 ₦39.8K

84.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 €7.09

$3.97 ₦5,276

100.76%

Cappuccino

$2.70 €2.40

$3.34 ₦4,441

-19.16%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$0.48 ₦633

391.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.67 ₦896

156.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.02 ₦1,360

289.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 €3.86

$2.08 ₦2,771

108.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.91

$3.73 ₦4,967

-72.65%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.35 ₦1,791

74.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$2.28 ₦3,028

-6.58%

Eggs

$3.45 €3.07

$1.88 ₦2,504

83.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.45 €15.52

$11.18 ₦14.9K

56.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.14 €7.24

$5.18 ₦6,886

57.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 €13.25

$6.09 ₦8,095

144.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.99 ₦2,644

41.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.49 ₦1,981

-7.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.54 ₦2,047

15.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.29 ₦3,046

11.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.79 ₦2,382

14.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.36 ₦3,136

-13.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.56 ₦742

123.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 €0.33

$0.39 ₦523

-5.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 €5.23

$2.03 ₦2,695

189.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.50 €4.00

$5.75 ₦7,655

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 €0.76

$1.24 ₦1,644

-30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.85 ₦2,458

47.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.47 ₦619

246.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.85 €30.11

$33.13 ₦44.1K

2.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.66 €5.03

$0.58 ₦770

875.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.83 ₦1,101

18.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₦2,455

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.54 ₦721

257.41%

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

$33.5K €29.8K

$26.3K ₦34.9M

27.46%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$18.4K ₦24.5M

96.01%

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

$146 €130

$112 ₦148.7K

30.99%

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

$21.27 €18.92

$6.52 ₦8,671

226.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.77 €38.04

$29.53 ₦39.3K

44.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.94

$26.16 ₦34.8K

106.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 €24.68

$9.71 ₦12.9K

185.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.34 €5.64

$6.59 ₦8,760

-3.79%

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

$538 €479

$45.16 ₦60.1K

1091.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$3,098 ₦4.1M

266.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.5 €71.6

$25.73 ₦34.2K

212.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.54 €44.06

$61.2 ₦81.5K

-19.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.7 €62.9

$78.4 ₦104.3K

-9.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$108 ₦143.3K

4.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,010

$596 ₦793.2K

90.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €983

$344 ₦457.8K

221.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,414 €2,147

$1,448 ₦1.9M

66.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,020 €1,797

$1,537 ₦2.0M

31.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,987 €3,546

$722 ₦959.8K

452.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,758 €4,232

$376 ₦500.2K

1165.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,206 €1,073

$169 ₦224.8K

613.71%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Abuja: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lagos

$1.1K 53.9%

Abuja

$344 34.5% 68.9% $761

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$275 13.4%

Abuja

$220 22.1% 19.9% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$211 10.3%

Abuja

$148 14.9% 29.8% $63

Eating Out

Lagos

$201 9.8%

Abuja

$82 8.2% 59.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$141 6.9%

Abuja

$123 12.3% 12.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$67 3.3%

Abuja

$39 4% 40.9% $27

Getting Around

Lagos

$51 2.5%

Abuja

$40 4% 22% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,135 in Lagos and $596 in Abuja. 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: $55.0 in Lagos vs $30.00 in Abuja for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $275 vs $220 per month, with Abuja cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lagos

🇳🇬 Abuja

🕒 Local time

01:18 1:18 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 = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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

Average pay runs 614% 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: $1,135 in Lagos versus $596 in Abuja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,049 per month in Lagos versus $996 in Abuja – 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, 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 106% less than in Lagos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.