Everything nobody tells you about living in Lagos

Free, independent guides to Nigerian bureaucracy, housing, money and daily life. Written for anyone making Lagos home — people arriving from abroad, people arriving from other states, and Lagosians who have simply never had a reason to read the Tenancy Law before.

Lagos State, by local government area. Choose one to open it on the map. Explore the map →

Explore Lagos

Things to play with, not just read.

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The things that block everything else. Until these are done, you cannot open a bank account, sign a lease or get paid properly.

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All dates ➞

Public holidays. Eid and Maulud are declared by the Sultan of Sokoto on sighting the moon, so the dates shown for them can be a day out.

Work it out

All 10 calculators ➞

The same figures as the guides, worked out on your own device. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

The numbers, today

Every figure on this site comes from one dated file, so a guide can never quietly go stale. How that works ➞

What How much Where it bites
Minimum wage ₦70,000 A month, since the 2024 Act
Tax-free income ₦800,000/year About ₦66,666.67 a month
Pension off your payslip 8% Your employer adds another 10%
VAT 7.5% No levies stacked on top
Legal maximum rent advance 12 months Landlords routinely ask for 24

Browse everything

Moving to Lagos

Guides for the first weeks - a NIN, a bank account, a phone number that works and somewhere to sleep.

  1. How to move to Lagos
    1. Visas and arriving
    2. Residence permit
    3. Your first week checklist
    4. Short-lets and hotels
    5. Registering with LASRRA
    6. Hosting visitors
    7. Leaving Lagos
    8. SIM cards and internet
    9. Buying a phone
    10. Weather and seasons
  2. Lagos neighbourhoods
    1. How Lagos grew
    2. Religion in Lagos
    3. Ramadan in Lagos
  3. Yoruba and Pidgin
  4. Food in Lagos
    1. Street food and bukas
  5. Visiting Lagos
  6. Things to do in Lagos
    1. Lagos markets
    2. Beaches
    3. Day trips from Lagos
    4. Festivals
    5. Live music
    6. Nightlife
    7. Weekends with children
    8. Libraries and bookshops
    9. Running and fitness
    10. Going to an owambe
    11. Tailors, hair and barbers
  7. Which Lagos agency does what
  8. Scams in Lagos
  9. Dealing with the police
  10. Domestic and sexual violence
  11. Emergency numbers
  12. Pets and vets
37 guides ➞

Housing

What a Lagos landlord will ask for, what the Tenancy Law actually allows, and what moving in really costs.

  1. The rent advance
    1. How to find a place in Lagos
    2. Lagos neighbourhoods
    3. Furnishing a flat
    4. Home security
    5. Flooding
    6. Estate and street life
    7. Pest control
    8. Tenancy agreements
  2. Finding a tradesperson
  3. Hiring help at home
  4. Buying land in Lagos
  5. Being a landlord
13 guides ➞

Money and tax

Your bank account, personal income tax under the new Act, your pension, and who you actually pay.

  1. Opening a bank account
    1. Cash, POS and transfers
  2. Income tax and the LIRS
    1. Your pension and your RSA
    2. Tax clearance certificate
  3. VAT in Nigeria
  4. Sending money abroad
  5. The naira and inflation
  6. Consumer rights
  7. Insurance
10 guides ➞

Work and business

Finding a job, the NYSC year, what the Labour Act gives you and who it leaves out, and how to register a business of your own.

  1. Finding a job in Lagos
    1. NYSC
  2. Your rights as an employee
  3. Workplace culture
  4. Registering a business
  5. Freelancing, and the tax on it
  6. Working remotely from Lagos
  7. The Lagos tech scene
  8. Learning a trade
  9. Running a small shop
10 guides ➞

Identity and paperwork

The NIN, and the documents that depend on it - which is nearly all of them.

  1. Your NIN and NIMC
    1. Nigerian passport
    2. Police character certificate
  2. Nigerian citizenship
  3. Birth certificate
  4. Swearing an affidavit
    1. Change of name
    2. Replacing lost documents
    3. Getting documents accepted abroad
  5. Your data and privacy
  6. Voting
  7. Registering a death
    1. Funerals in Lagos
13 guides ➞

Family and school

Getting married, having a baby, registering the birth, and choosing a school - and why the kind of marriage you choose matters later.

  1. Getting married
    1. Planning a wedding
    2. Change of name
  2. Having a baby
    1. Birth certificate
  3. Schools in Lagos
    1. Universities
    2. Studying abroad
  4. Childcare
  5. Caring for ageing parents
10 guides ➞

Health

Doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, malaria, health insurance - which is compulsory in Lagos - and what to do in an emergency.

  1. Seeing a doctor in Lagos
    1. Malaria
    2. Pharmacies and medicines
  2. Health insurance and Ilera Eko
  3. Mental health
  4. Dentists and eye care
  5. Coping with the heat
  6. Air quality
  7. Disability and accessibility
9 guides ➞

Getting around

Danfo, keke, BRT, the Blue Line, and why the answer is usually "leave earlier".

  1. Getting around Lagos
    1. Driver's licence
    2. Importing a car
    3. Buying a used car
    4. Car servicing and mechanics
    5. Ride-hailing apps
    6. Driving in Lagos
    7. Ferries and boats
  2. Domestic flights
  3. Travelling around Nigeria
10 guides ➞

Power, water and the calendar

Your DisCo, your band, the generator you will end up buying, where your water really comes from, and the days the city closes.

  1. Electricity in Lagos
    1. Solar and inverters
    2. Gas cylinder safety
  2. Water in Lagos
  3. Waste and recycling
  4. Online shopping and delivery
  5. Supermarkets and groceries
  6. Volunteering and giving
  7. Sending parcels
  8. Public holidays
10 guides ➞

Calculators

Take-home pay, tax and the true cost of a loan, worked out with the same figures the guides use. Everything runs in your browser.

  1. Salary calculator
  2. Rent advance calculator
  3. Cost of living calculator
  4. Pension calculator
  5. VAT calculator
  6. Withholding tax calculator
  7. Loan repayment calculator
  8. Import duty calculator
  9. Vehicle import duty calculator
  10. University admission checker
10 guides ➞

Letters and templates

A rent receipt, a resignation letter and a contract checklist you can copy and adapt.

  1. Rent receipt
  2. Resignation letter
  3. Contract checklist
3 guides ➞