Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Cotacachi

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotacachi: $720 a month against $951 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Lagos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
Learn more

Lagos Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cotacachi
Learn more

Cotacachi Living Index

Jump to prices

Lagos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$951

/mo nomad

Cotacachi

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$720

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lagos and in Cotacachi

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 Cotacachi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $951 in Lagos versus $720 in Cotacachi.

Lagos $951
Cotacachi $720

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,859 in Lagos versus $1,175 in Cotacachi.

Lagos $1,859
Cotacachi $1,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,768 in Lagos versus $1,629 in Cotacachi.

Lagos $2,768
Cotacachi $1,629

Living in Lagos is roughly 32% more expensive than in Cotacachi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lagos 30% lower, Cotacachi 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 ₦5,082

$3.96 $3.96

-3.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 ₦67.5K

$25.62 $25.62

98.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.38 ₦9,815

$4.41 $4.41

67.35%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ₦3,768

$2.18 $2.18

29.82%

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

$0.43 ₦577

$1.31 $1.31

-67.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₦291

$0.80 $0.80

-72.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₦1,348

$2.02 $2.02

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₦2,692

$4.08 $4.08

-50.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 ₦4,120

$1.11 $1.11

179.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₦1,989

$1.52 $1.52

-1.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.25 ₦1,669

$1.58 $1.58

-20.89%

Eggs

$2.27 ₦3,013

$2.16 $2.16

5.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.44 ₦4,578

$6.29 $6.29

-45.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ₦5,040

$5.47 $5.47

-30.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.58 ₦6,093

$7.45 $7.45

-38.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 ₦2,255

$2.24 $2.24

-24.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.29 ₦1,716

$1.14 $1.14

13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₦1,475

$1.32 $1.32

-15.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₦1,718

$1.14 $1.14

13.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 ₦1,823

$1.21 $1.21

13.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ₦1,803

$1.06 $1.06

28.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 ₦1,128

$0.83 $0.83

2.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₦528

$1.05 $1.05

-61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.60 ₦793

$4.48 $4.48

-86.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.52 ₦3,346

$7.63 $7.63

-66.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₦721

$1.57 $1.57

-65.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ₦612

$3.13 $3.13

-85.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₦532

$0.44 $0.44

-9.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 ₦26.2K

$15.20 $15.20

29.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 ₦864

$1.27 $1.27

-48.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 ₦1,270

$0.91 $0.91

4.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₦2,987

$9.86 $9.86

-77.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₦1,098

$0.75 $0.75

10.67%

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

$11.1K ₦14.8M

$20.7K $20.7K

-46.42%

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

$13.6K ₦18.1M

$28.5K $28.5K

-52.06%

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

$113 ₦150.7K

$29.15 $29.15

288.75%

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

$15.08 ₦20.1K

$12.84 $12.84

17.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 ₦44.0K

$26.50 $26.50

24.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.10 ₦37.4K

$29.46 $29.46

-4.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.79 ₦9,027

$9.84 $9.84

-31.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 ₦8,237

$6.56 $6.56

-5.64%

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

$659 ₦877.1K

$73.7 $73.7

795.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K ₦26.0M

$2,981 $2,981

555.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.85 ₦19.8K

$41.85 $41.85

-64.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.95 ₦23.9K

$42.72 $42.72

-57.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.30 ₦48.3K

$94.0 $94.0

-61.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.95 ₦65.1K

$60.6 $60.6

-19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₦936.6K

$268 $268

162.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₦554.1K

$191 $191

118.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,825 ₦3.8M

$479 $479

489.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 ₦2.0M

$417 $417

263.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,283 ₦4.4M

$609 $609

438.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,597 ₦2.1M

$506 $506

215.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$117 ₦155.2K

$429 $429

-72.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

10.12

81.72%

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

Last update for Lagos: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cotacachi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lagos

$417 43.8%

Cotacachi

$191 26.5% 54.2% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$161 17%

Cotacachi

$68 9.5% 57.6% $93

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$154 16.2%

Cotacachi

$190 26.4% 23.6% $36

Eating Out

Lagos

$98 10.4%

Cotacachi

$98 13.6% 0.7% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$53 5.6%

Cotacachi

$108 15% 103% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$40 4.3%

Cotacachi

$43 5.9% 5.2% $2.1

Getting Around

Lagos

$27 2.8%

Cotacachi

$23 3.2% 14.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $704 in Lagos and $268 in Cotacachi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cotacachi pays 267% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $51.0 in Lagos vs $26.00 in Cotacachi. Groceries flip the comparison at $154 vs $190, with Lagos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Lagos

🇪🇨 Cotacachi

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

09:56 9:56 AM

6 h behind Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,404,112

8,238

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

1 USD = 0.889 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to NGN – Nigerian Naira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇬 Nigerian Naira (₦)

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.889 EUR).

USD to NGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lagos Cotacachi 9,090 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lagos
Cotacachi

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 Cotacachi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lagos and Cotacachi differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($951 vs $720 including rent). Cotacachi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 267% lower in Cotacachi. 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: $704 in Lagos versus $268 in Cotacachi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cotacachi runs roughly 30% less than in Lagos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $659 in Lagos versus $73.7 in Cotacachi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $720 in Cotacachi versus $951 in Lagos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cotacachi but tight or insufficient in Lagos. The gap between the two cities makes Cotacachi 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 Cotacachi 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 Cotacachi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Lagos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.