There is no honest single figure for what a month in Lagos costs: Ikoyi and Ikorodu are different cities that happen to share a governor. So this calculator fills in a line only where a published price exists, and leaves the rest for you.
Lagos cost of living calculator
Build a monthly budget for Lagos - rent spread over the year, the commute, cooking gas, health cover, food, power and the rest - and compare it with Nigerian wages.
Where the starting figures come from
- Rent: a mid-range mainland one-bedroom at ₦1,800,000 a year, spread over twelve months. On the Island a two-bedroom is nearer ₦7,000,000. — The rent advance
- Getting to work: the dearest BRT fare, ₦1,080, each way, set by LAMATA. The Blue Line is ₦750 end to end. Danfo fares are not regulated and are usually higher. — Getting around Lagos
- Cooking gas: a 12.5kg refill at ₦24,363, the Lagos average the National Bureau of Statistics published.
- Health cover: Ilera Eko, the state scheme, at ₦8,500 a year. — Health insurance
The lines it leaves to you
Food, power, water and data have no published Lagos figure that would be true for you, so they start empty. For scale: a 50kg bag of rice was ₦53,000 in the state’s own price tracker, and a bag of sachet water around ₦500.
Power is two bills. Prepaid units for your band, and fuel for the generator, at about ₦1,385 a litre of petrol. — Electricity in Lagos
Everything else is not optional. Family support, contributions at church or mosque, weddings and owambes are a real, recurring expense for most Lagos households. Leave that line at nothing and the budget is fiction.
Rent is a lump, not a line
The calculator spreads rent across the year because that is what it costs you. The landlord does not see it that way: you pay a year or two up front, plus the agency, legal and caution fees. Save for the lump separately.
Everything you type stays on your device
The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere, logged or stored.