Cost of Living in Nigeria
Image credit: Uzoma Ozurumba
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Nigeria: $7,994/capita.
Cities in Nigeria
Income Category
Happiness
4.9 / 10
#100 globally
GDP per Capita
Population
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 72% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Child Education
Public-school quality, expat access, instruction language, and homeschool legality for relocating families.
Public schools
How realistic the local public-school path is for a relocating family in Nigeria.
Quality
Limited public-school fit
Expat access
Usually not practical for expats
not practicalInstruction
English
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
Nigeria's public-school system is too uneven to treat as a reliable default for internationally mobile families, even though English helps.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident access can exist, but quality, consistency, and practical fit make the public route usually unattractive for expat families.
❓ Homeschooling
Varies by stateNigeria has compulsory education laws but enforcement is inconsistent. Homeschooling exists in a gray area and is practiced by a growing community, particularly in Lagos and Abuja. No federal framework; some states are more tolerant. WAEC exams available for certification.
Homeschool legality in Nigeria — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current city samples for the family-support costs we track in Nigeria.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$350-$550
1 tracked city, not a national average
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$650-$950
1 tracked city, not a national average
Source: curated family relocation research
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Nigeria.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, doctor staffing is lighter, and hospital capacity looks tighter weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedA visible public hospital footprint help, but public coverage looks thinner and public funding looks lighter.
Private care
GoodA large tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
47/100
2023
Physicians
0.38/1k
2023
Hospital beds
0.50/1k
2004
Out of pocket
72%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
54.6 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
993/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
39.0/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Nigeria yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | — |
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Public Administration & Defence | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
2024 annual wages in Nigeria · Source: ILO ILOSTAT
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
About Nigeria
Nigeria is Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest economy and most populous country, with Abuja as the capital and Lagos as the heavier commercial draw for many relocators. Costs are very low by regional expat standards, among Africa’s cheapest, but the savings come with tradeoffs that matter day to day: inconsistent electricity, serious traffic in Lagos, and bureaucratic processes that can take patience. English is the official language, which lowers the initial friction for work and housing searches, while urban internet is a real advantage, with 4G/5G widely available and 20-50+ Mbps common in major cities. Safety is mixed: Lagos and Abuja can be workable with local awareness, while some regions require more caution. Private healthcare should be budgeted for, since good hospitals are concentrated in major cities and rural access is limited.
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Common questions about Nigeria
Sourced from SortaRich's public-data ranking engine — every figure links to its institutional source.
Is Nigeria a good country to live in?
Nigeria is a lower-rated country to live in per the World Happiness Report (4.9 of 10, ranking #100 globally). Whether it's right for you depends on your priorities — use SortaRich's free quiz to see how Nigeria ranks for your specific income, family, and visa profile.
Sources: World Happiness Report, SortaRich Methodology
How much does it cost to live in Nigeria?
The cost of living in Nigeria is about 72% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), with an overall cost-of-living index of 28. SortaRich personalizes these numbers to your home city's purchasing power so the comparison is real, not nominal.
Sources: SortaRich Cost of Living, World Bank ICP 2021
How far does $1 go in Nigeria?
$1 goes about 7.8x further in Nigeria than in the baseline market — your home-country income stretches that much more (current PPP ratio: 7.75). The figure adjusts every year as exchange rates and local prices shift. SortaRich uses World Bank ICP 2021 as the anchor and Penn World Tables 11.0 for cross-validation.
Sources: World Bank ICP 2021, Penn World Tables 11.0
What visa do I need to move to Nigeria?
To move to Nigeria you have these visa options: Tourist entry: evisa. Visa rules change frequently — confirm the current terms with the official immigration authority before booking flights.
Source: SortaRich Visa Database
What are the best cities to live in Nigeria?
The best cities to live in Nigeria are Abuja, Lagos — those are the most-searched options among the 2 cities profiled in the SortaRich database. Each city page includes a personalized PPP comparison versus your home city plus subnational price data where available.
Source: SortaRich City Index