Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lagos and Ibadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibadan: $251 a month against $952 in Lagos, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Lagos
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Lagos Living Index
12

Cost of Living Index in Ibadan
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Ibadan Living Index

Jump to prices

Lagos

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$952

/mo nomad

Ibadan

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$251

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lagos and in Ibadan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $952 in Lagos versus $251 in Ibadan.

Lagos $952
Ibadan $251

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,852 in Lagos versus $558 in Ibadan.

Lagos $1,852
Ibadan $558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,753 in Lagos versus $865 in Ibadan.

Lagos $2,753
Ibadan $865

Living in Lagos is roughly 280% more expensive than in Ibadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lagos 30% lower, Ibadan 82% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.62 ₦4,856

$1.10 ₦1,473

229.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 ₦68.0K

$29.84 ₦40.0K

69.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 ₦10.3K

$6.06 ₦8,136

26.57%

Cappuccino

$2.82 ₦3,782

$0.78 ₦1,047

261.54%

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

$0.43 ₦578

$0.22 ₦295

95.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₦324

$0.13 ₦179

84.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₦1,306

$0.53 ₦715

83.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₦2,622

$1.15 ₦1,546

69.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.20 ₦4,298

$0.58 ₦783

451.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 ₦2,000

$0.60 ₦799

148.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 ₦1,694

$1.10 ₦1,480

14.55%

Eggs

$2.27 ₦3,048

$1.57 ₦2,105

44.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.42 ₦4,593

$3.62 ₦4,863

-5.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.77 ₦5,056

$3.83 ₦5,135

-1.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.36 ₦5,850

$0.72 ₦963

505.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₦2,189

$1.64 ₦2,205

-0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 ₦1,781

$1.27 ₦1,698

4.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 ₦1,516

$1.09 ₦1,466

3.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 ₦2,002

$0.29 ₦388

413.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₦2,160

$0.57 ₦770

182.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ₦2,039

$0.23 ₦309

560.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 ₦1,192

$0.21 ₦282

323.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.40 ₦532

$0.12 ₦159

233.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$0.55 ₦735

$0.58 ₦782

-5.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.37 ₦3,182

$1.11 ₦1,485

113.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₦720

$0.40 ₦531

35.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ₦666

$0.50 ₦670

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₦512

$0.14 ₦187

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.99 ₦29.5K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₦936

$0.66 ₦885

6.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ₦1,298

$0.62 ₦826

56.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 ₦2,824

$1.14 ₦1,524

84.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.85 ₦1,138

$0.57 ₦759

49.12%

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

$11.3K ₦15.2M

$4,183 ₦5.6M

170.33%

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

$29.0K ₦38.9M

0.08%

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

$112 ₦149.8K

$11.37 ₦15.2K

881.88%

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

$14.92 ₦20.0K

$3.83 ₦5,134

289.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.44 ₦43.5K

$8.60 ₦11.5K

277.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.80 ₦37.3K

$21.27 ₦28.5K

30.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.91 ₦9,273

Cinema Ticket

$6.23 ₦8,359

$1.47 ₦1,975

323.81%

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

$654 ₦877.4K

$48.34 ₦64.9K

1252.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K ₦26.9M

$622 ₦834.0K

3129.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.83 ₦19.9K

$11.76 ₦15.8K

26.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.94 ₦24.1K

$5.62 ₦7,537

219.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.62 ₦49.1K

$14.86 ₦19.9K

146.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.49 ₦63.7K

$20.99 ₦28.2K

126.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₦944.9K

$123 ₦165.2K

472.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₦560.1K

$45.67 ₦61.3K

813.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,809 ₦3.8M

$444 ₦595.2K

533.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 ₦2.0M

$293 ₦392.8K

411.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,242 ₦4.3M

$849 ₦1.1M

281.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ₦2.2M

$30.37 ₦40.8K

5191.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$118 ₦158.1K

$57.7 ₦77.4K

104.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.39

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

Last update for Lagos: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ibadan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lagos

$417 43.9%

Ibadan

$46 18.2% 89.1% $372

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lagos

$159 16.7%

Ibadan

$24 9.5% 85% $135

Groceries & Markets

Lagos

$156 16.4%

Ibadan

$86 34.3% 44.9% $70

Eating Out

Lagos

$97 10.2%

Ibadan

$43 17.1% 56.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lagos

$53 5.5%

Ibadan

$24 9.6% 54.5% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Lagos

$40 4.2%

Ibadan

$24 9.7% 39.9% $16

Getting Around

Lagos

$29 3.1%

Ibadan

$4.3 * 1.7% 85.2% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $704 in Lagos and $123 in Ibadan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lagos pays about 2 times 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: $51 in Lagos vs $30 in Ibadan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $156 vs $86 per month, with Ibadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇬 Lagos

🇳🇬 Ibadan

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

Same time as Lagos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,404,112

3,034,200

💱 Currency

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 NGN = 7.45 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.45 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Ibadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibadan wins on cost – living expenses run 74% lower than in Lagos. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Ibadan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Lagos is about 2 times higher, 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: $704 in Lagos versus $123 in Ibadan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $654 in Lagos versus $48 in Ibadan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ibadan – a meal for two runs $30 versus $51 in Lagos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $251 in Ibadan versus $952 in Lagos, a $800 budget is realistic in Ibadan but tight or insufficient in Lagos. The gap between the two cities makes Ibadan 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.

It comes down to priorities – Ibadan wins on affordability, Lagos on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.