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  • Whether you’ve lived in Lagos before or not, the city’s reputation as one of the most expensive places to live in Nigeria precedes it, and you’re likely familiar with how crazy it gets. 

    From rent prices that feel like daylight robbery to transport costs that leave you actually feeling robbed, the cost of living in Lagos can be overwhelming. For some people, it’s a worthy price to pay to live in the “centre of excellence”. For others, the figures just stopped matching up.

    We spoke to four young Nigerians who left Lagos for cheaper Nigerian cities about changes in their living expenses and overall financial well-being since their move.

    Yemi*, 33, moved to Jos in 2024

    Can you describe your quality of life in Lagos? I lived in Ikorodu and worked at a real estate company in Victoria Island. For those who don’t know these places in Lagos, Ikorodu and VI are two very separate, far-flung locations. 

    The commute was crazy. I woke up at 4 a.m. every day to avoid the Ikorodu traffic. Also, my salary was only ₦150k, and I was spending almost ₦100k on transportation. I tried the Ikorodu to VI ferry a few times, but after the boat stopped in the middle of the sea on two separate occasions, I ran for my life. 

    I considered moving out of Ikorodu to reduce my transport costs, but rent in the central parts of Lagos was even crazier. I saw a one-bedroom apartment in Ketu that cost ₦900k/year. In fact, every place I saw in different locations was at least ₦500k. 

    It didn’t make sense to me; I wasn’t moving to the island, so transport costs and commute stress wouldn’t disappear. It wasn’t worth leaving my family’s house in Ikorodu to go and suffer even more.

    In 2024, a friend referred me to a job opportunity with an NGO in Jos. At that point, I’d already been toying with leaving Lagos. I have friends in other states and knew they lived far better than I did. I couldn’t progress or even consider marriage if I kept living like I did in Lagos — something needed to change. So, when the job opportunity came, I jumped on it. 

    What money-related change surprised you the most when you moved? Things are much cheaper in Jos. I expected things to be cheap, but the difference was startling. Some people still sell pepper for ₦50 here. Where will I see that in Lagos? Rent is also far more reasonable. I live alone in a spacious room and parlour apartment and pay only ₦300k. 

    What’s the most significant way moving has impacted your financial well-being? For the first time in a long time, I can consider buying things after receiving my salary. I’m not struggling to repay one loan and keep money aside for transport fare. 

    My ₦250k salary isn’t that much different from what I earned in Lagos, but I feel like I can now plan for my life. I only spend ₦30k/month on transportation, and ₦150k covers food and the rest of my living expenses. Don’t get me wrong; Nigeria is still hard, but at least I’m not spending all my money and my life on the road fighting with agberos.

    Rayo, 27, moved to Ado-Ekiti in 2023

    Can you describe your quality of life in Lagos? I’d lived in Lagos all my life, and just before I left in 2023, I got my first job as an HR assistant at a travel centre in Ikeja. 

    My salary was ₦80k/month, which was only enough to cover my basics: transport fare, data, and lunch at work. I lived with a family member, so rent was sorted. 

    I had no financial responsibilities and was pretty comfortable. It bothered me that I didn’t have any money left over at the end of the month to save, but I figured it was because I didn’t earn a lot. 

    I moved to Ado-Ekiti because my aunt fell terminally ill, and my mum wanted family around her. My aunt passed away in 2024, but I stayed back in Ado because I’ve grown to love the city. Nothing ever happens here, and it’s slow, almost to the point of boring, but it’s peaceful. 

    What money-related change surprised you the most when you moved? People aren’t in a terrible hurry to make money here. In Lagos, everyone moves fast, and most people are looking for someone to cheat. But I don’t get that vibe here. You can even carry your bag on the side of the road without worrying that someone is about to snatch it. 

    However, Ado-Ekiti is not the best place to find a great job. When I arrived, I thought I’d easily find a company to work for while I cared for my aunt, but jobs are very scarce here. Most people work in the universities and polytechnics. 

    Fortunately, my uncle helped me find a job at a bank last year. I earn ₦115k and save ₦50k every month because there’s nothing to spend money on besides eateries.

    What’s the most significant way moving has impacted your financial well-being? I went from zero savings to ₦500k within two years. It’s a big deal for me. I feel grown, like I can now start considering investment options and thinking about serious things like wealth building.

    Feranmi*, 31, moved to Ibadan in 2021

    Can you describe your quality of life in Lagos? I was the music director of a church and earned ₦85k/month. I got married during the COVID lockdown, and most months were just me trying to stretch the salary to cover our food and utility bills, while still trying to save ₦20k/month for rent. The rent for my room and parlour apartment was ₦400k, and my wife often covered most of it since she earned ₦180k/month.

    I tried to supplement my income by offering keyboard piano lessons at ₦15k/month, but clients weren’t regular. Sometimes, I’d have two clients in a month, and other times, I wouldn’t get a client for three months. 

    I couldn’t get an actual 9-5 job because my responsibilities at the church took up so much time, so my wife and I just managed as much as possible. 

    In 2021, the church transferred me to our new branch in Ibadan, and we’ve been here ever since.

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    What money-related change surprised you the most when you moved? I’m unsure why I expected Ibadan to be a village, but I did. So, I was surprised when I came and saw that things weren’t much cheaper than in Lagos. Sure, rent is more affordable, but that’s the only significant difference. I thought ₦85k would have me living like a king in Ibadan, but I was wrong. 

    Thankfully, I live in a church-provided apartment, so at least rent is out of our expenses. 

    What’s the most significant way moving has impacted your financial well-being? My financial anxiety levels have slightly reduced, mainly because I don’t have to worry about rent. The church increased my salary to ₦100k last year, so even if we have to rent our own apartment someday, I’m not very worried about being unable to afford it. 

    My wife also got a better job and now earns ₦250k. With both our salaries, we can afford to live a fairly comfortable life with our child. I don’t think that would be the case if we were still in Lagos.

    Nike*, 26, moved to Makurdi in 2024

    Can you describe your quality of life in Lagos? It was hectic. I was a secondary school teacher with a thrift business side hustle, making an average of ₦100k/month; ₦25k of which was the salary from my 9-5.

    I’d work all week, then enter the market on weekends to struggle with other thrift sellers to share bales of clothing for my business. Then, I’d iron the clothes, wear them for videos, post on Instagram, and fight with customers and delivery riders. 

    Even with all that stress, I didn’t see the impact of the money on my life. I was always broke and living from hand to mouth. The only thing I can point to using money for was paying my ₦350k/year rent. Sometimes, I even took loans when rent was due. I’m not sure how my money was going, because I hardly bought anything for myself. 

    I got married in 2024 and moved to Makurdi to join my husband. He’s a missionary and has lived here for the past three years.

    What money-related change surprised you the most when you moved? This is funny, but it’s how Makurdi makes you know exactly how you spend your money. I live in a quiet area of Makurdi, and there’s almost nothing to take your money here. 

    When you only buy food and fuel, there’s no room to wonder where all your money went — you can see it. Maybe I just find this interesting because it felt like my money had wings when I was in Lagos. 

    Since I moved here, I’ve not had an income, but my husband gives me ₦50k/month for the home’s expenses. I can budget ₦30k for food and spend exactly that—nothing more. Maybe it also helps that neighbours constantly give us free food from their farms. But it’s nice to plan my money and stick to a budget.

    What’s the most significant way moving has impacted your financial well-being? I just feel more relaxed. I’m still looking for ways to earn money, but I don’t feel this intense rush to hustle till I drop. In Lagos, I thought I’d end up under the bridge if I stopped moving and hustling for a second. It’s nice to be away from all that pressure.

    *Names have been changed for anonymity.

    NEXT READ: 5 Nigerians Open Up on How Relocation Has Shifted Their Financial Realities

    Join 1,000+ Nigerians, finance experts and industry leaders at The Naira Life Conference by Zikoko for a day of real, raw conversations about money and financial freedom. Click here to buy a ticket and secure your spot at the money event of the year, where you’ll get the practical tools to 10x your income, network with the biggest players in your industry, and level up in your career and business.

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  • Financial comfort in Lagos, a city known for its high cost of living and fast-paced lifestyle, is influenced by multiple factors. 

    While ₦100k might be a fairly comfortable figure for a single NYSC member who lives and works in Ikorodu, it might barely scratch the surface for a family of three in Ikeja or the 9-5er who lives on the mainland and braves the daily Mainland-Island commute for work.

    So, what’s the magic number? What salary can actually make life in Lagos feel comfortable? In this article, we’ll dive into the numbers and explore what it takes to live your best life in Nigeria’s bustling economic hub.

    But first, what does it mean to be financially “comfortable”?

    Defining “Comfortable”

    While a comfortable salary is subjective and primarily based on individual needs and lifestyle, a salary can be generally considered comfortable if it allows for a good quality of life without significant financial stress. 

    The level of comfort obtainable, however, differs across income categories, lifestyle and household size. Finance analyst Onome Ohwovoriole explains this below:

    • Borderline Poor/Basic Comfort: This category earns within the ₦70k – ₦100k/month range. While they can afford the essentials like rent or food, they are not without financial stress. The most affordable single room in Lagos costs an estimated rent of ₦200k – ₦300k/year, which is about ₦16k – ₦23k of the individual’s monthly income going to rent alone. This leaves them with around ₦50k – ₦70k left to figure out food, transportation and the bare utilities.
    • Lower Middle Class Comfort: This category earns within the ₦150k – ₦300k/month range. They can afford essentials like rent and food, but often have to supplement their income with tips or loans.
    • Upper Middle Class and Entry Level Rich or Affluent Comfort: These two categories earn above the ₦500k/month mark (usually within the ₦10m – ₦100m per annum range) and are lumped together because they can afford to go beyond essential expenses to consider travel, prioritise a better quality of life and other expensive lifestyle choices.  

    How Lifestyle Choices Impact Comfort

    According to Onome, spending habits also vary across the income categories, and these lifestyle choices play a huge role in the comfort levels of the individuals in these categories. Single people tend to have a higher propensity to spend compared to families. However, some families have a bigger pool to spend from, especially dual-income households. 

    For the average Lagos household, the bulk of expenses are food and transportation, with between 50% and 70% of the salary going to both categories jointly. The split between both buckets varies depending on household size and lifestyle choices.

    Food quality also differs from one household to another and across comfort levels. With food inflation constantly increasing, it means more people are limited to the food options they can afford, regardless of whether their nutritional needs are met. So, while a growing child needs protein like chicken and eggs for brain development, he might have to settle for crayfish if his family can’t afford ₦8k for a crate of eggs or ₦5k for a kilo of chicken. 

    Beyond food, transportation and rent, priorities start to change depending on demography. Households with young kids spend a chunk of money on tuition. For these households, comfort might mean letting go of expensive housing to afford better schooling options for the children. 

    The upper middle class can afford travel, but depending on priorities, they can consider cheaper alternatives, like local destinations, to overseas travel. So, there is comfort, but it is subject to multiple factors.

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    5 Lagos Residents on What Salary Feels Comfortable

    33-year-old male civil servant living in Badagry

    Salary: ₦95k/month

    What’s your current living situation? I live in a rented ₦200k/year one-bedroom apartment with my wife and toddler. My workplace isn’t far from where I live, so I walk 15 minutes to and from work. 

    I have the option to take a ₦200 keke in the morning (it sometimes increases to ₦250 in the evenings), but it feels like a waste of money. That’s almost ₦10k on transportation at the end of the month. I can’t afford that.

    Can you break down your typical monthly expenses? I give my wife ₦10k weekly for food, so that’s like ₦40k/month. She often complains that it’s not enough, but she makes it work. 

    Then, I contribute ₦20k/month to my ajo group to save for rent. Last year, I took a loan from work to support my brother in buying an okada, so I repay ₦15k every month and will finish all payments in August. I use the remaining money to buy snacks at work or toys for my toddler. 

    Most of the time, I’m broke by the middle of the month, and I have to borrow money from my wife, who’s a teacher. I don’t usually pay her back, but she does the same to me, so it’s fine.

    Do you feel financially comfortable? No, I’m far from comfortable. After repaying this loan, I plan to take another one to buy a keke so I can use it for business. If I make an additional ₦100k monthly, I should be okay.

    RELATED: 6 Nigerians Earning Between ₦30k and ₦4m Open Up About the Lives They Can Afford

    27-year-old female teacher living in Ikotun

    Salary: ₦70k/month. Online tutorials bring this to ₦120k/month

    What’s your current living situation? I live with my husband and his sister in a two-bedroom apartment that we rent at ₦600k/year. I teach at a school an hour from my house and often use public transportation. Other times, I hitch a ride with my colleague who lives a bus stop from my house and walk the rest of the way home. 

    Since I’m married, I don’t have to worry about rent, utility bills, or a significant chunk of food expenses. My sister-in-law is in secondary school, and I often assist my husband with her tuition and day-to-day needs like toiletries. But most of my income comes back to me. 

    Can you break down your typical monthly expenses? Transportation comes to ₦30k/month, and I spend ₦15k monthly on data. Then, about ₦30k on personal expenses like skin care and hair.

    I give my sister-in-law a ₦1k stipend for school transport and lunch every weekday, so that’s like ₦20k. Her tuition is ₦80k, but that’s every three months and sometimes my husband pays. Another ₦25k/month goes into supporting food expenses, usually when my husband is broke.

    I try to save ₦20k with a savings app, but I’m not consistent with that because by the time I remember to save, money has finished. 

    Do you feel financially comfortable? Not at all. I’m only surviving because my husband pays my bills. If not, I’d probably be living hand to mouth. I can’t even afford to put my parents on a consistent allowance. I only send them money when they ask. I need to earn like ₦400k to feel reasonably comfortable.

    26-year-old female banker living in Ikorodu

    Salary: ₦600k/month

    What’s your current living situation? I live with my elder sister in her apartment. Neither of us drives, so we use public transport. We hardly ever cook; we just order in. It’s not cost-effective, but no one has the strength to do anything after a long day at work.

    I earn more than most people I know, but I don’t know if I’m financially responsible for just myself, because the black tax is crazy. The billing from my parents is quite significant.

    Can you break down your typical monthly expenses? 10% goes to my tithe. Then, I send at least ₦60k monthly to my parents. I spend ₦210k on transport and feeding. Sometimes, emergencies come up, and those take up quite a bit.

    I save what I can with Piggyvest and Cowrywise. I recently depleted my savings by using them to finance my Master’s program and fund my dad’s business. However, my saving grace is my Cowrywise Duo Savings plan with my boyfriend. It’s comforting to know that I have some money somewhere. 

    I intend to explore investment opportunities this year and raise my savings up to ₦1m.

    Do you feel financially comfortable? I wouldn’t say I’m financially comfortable. I want to be able to save more. The more you earn, the more you tend to spend, so I can’t give an estimated amount that would put me at ease.

    23-year-old male architect living in Ikoyi

    Salary: ₦200k/month. Extra income from his side hustles at an interior design firm and architectural design studio brings his income to ₦1.5m

    What’s your current living situation? My family owns my house, so I don’t pay rent. Also, I live alone. My architecture work is fully remote, so I barely leave my house. I sometimes have to use ride-hailing services to supervise sites on the mainland and align with the builders and engineers to ensure they are working accurately.

    I’m not financially responsible for anyone. I get black tax, but it’s not consistent. I prefer to cook at home, but time is never on my side, so I order in mostly. As a result, my feeding expenses are usually on the high side. 

    Can you break down your typical monthly expenses? To be honest, I haven’t tried to track it before. But I know I spend about ₦200k on transport and ₦200k on feeding every month.

    I travel from Lagos to Abuja during festive periods twice a year, and a round trip costs close to ₦190k. I also subscribe to many entertainment platforms. I pay for Twitter, Netflix, Prime, Spotify, YouTube Music, Crunchyroll, and other entertainment platforms. I don’t keep tabs, but it should be over ₦100k/month. Internet data subscription also costs me ₦50k monthly.

    I don’t deliberately save or invest; I just keep whatever I have in my account. I don’t use any savings platform, but I have some crypto holdings.

    Do you feel financially comfortable? I’m financially comfortable, but if I can earn ₦20m monthly, I will be totally at ease.

    41-year-old male engineer living in Lekki

    Salary: ₦900k/month. 

    What’s your current living situation? I live in a rented ₦5m/year three-bedroom apartment with my wife and two kids. The only reason I live in such an expensive place is because of the proximity to my wife’s workplace. Plus, her annual bonus at work pays 60% of the rent, so the balance isn’t that crazy.

    Even though we’re a dual-income household, it still feels like we’re drowning in financial responsibilities. I have to pay a ₦2m/year service charge, handle school fees and whatever extra charges the school conjures up, and feeding. There’s still black tax because everyone thinks living in Lekki means I’m wealthy. 

    Can you break down your typical monthly expenses? I spend every single kobo of my salary every month, and it’s honestly not great. At least ₦400k goes to food, and another ₦100k goes to the live-in help and occasional dry cleaning. My car takes ₦56k for fuel every week, so that’s over ₦200k monthly. 

    Then, my parents, siblings and in-laws call for money occasionally, and I have to drop something. This doesn’t include the expenses my wife takes care of, like our children’s day-to-day expenses, medication, clothing, internet and other miscellaneous expenses. 

    I have no savings, but I have two plots of land, so that’s an investment.

    Do you feel financially comfortable? I don’t. I earn more than some of my friends, but I’m just one emergency away from abject poverty, and that’s concerning. I might feel comfortable if I earned ₦10m/month.

    The Bottomline

    While a salary plays a primary role in providing financial comfort, factors like location, household size and lifestyle are just as important.

    For single people living in more affordable areas of the Lagos mainland like Ikotun and Badagry, ₦150k – ₦300k can be a comfortable salary. For families, however, ₦500k – ₦900k might be more realistic for comfort, even more if they live in high-brow areas like Lekki.

    With inflation rising year-on-year, today’s comfortable salary may not be enough to afford the same quality of life next year. It’s essential to plan for continued financial comfort by exploring side hustles and passive income options, saving and investing for emergencies and income growth and generally taking financial management seriously. 

    ALSO READ: 5 Nigerians Open Up on How Relocation Has Shifted Their Financial Realities

    Join 1,000+ Nigerians, finance experts and industry leaders at The Naira Life Conference by Zikoko for a day of real, raw conversations about money and financial freedom. Click here to buy a ticket and secure your spot at the money event of the year, where you’ll get the practical tools to 10x your income, network with the biggest players in your industry, and level up in your career and business.

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  • Every week, Zikoko seeks to understand how people move the Naira in and out of their lives. Some stories will be struggle-ish, others will be bougie. All the time, it’ll be revealing.

    Nairalife #312 bio

    When did you first realise the importance of money?

    I was 11 years old, and my seat mate in my JSS 1 class showed me a ₦500 note. It was her lunch money. I was so shocked. 

    This was in 2012, so ₦‎500 wasn’t really a big deal, but we used that same amount to eat for a whole week at home. It was the first time I realised there are levels to this money thing. 

    Your family survived on ₦‎500 per week?

    Yes, we were the poorest of the poor. I grew up in Benue, and my parents were farmers. Our daily meals consisted of pounded yam and watery groundnut soup. We only ate meat if our neighbours caught bushmeat and shared it with us. When my dad caught bushmeat, he’d sell his catch for extra money.

    My education would’ve stopped at primary school like my siblings’. Fortunately, my aunt — she’s actually more like a distant family friend — had a baby and needed someone to assist her. My parents volunteered me, and I moved to Lagos to live with her in 2012. My aunt sent me to secondary school, and I stayed with her until I ran away in 2019. 

    Why did you run away?

    Her husband was trying to sleep with me. He bought me clothes and often gave me money to “toast” me. When my aunt noticed he had a soft spot for me, she responded by regularly beating me for the slightest reason. I ran away when I grew tired of the situation. I didn’t tell my parents the real reason I left, though. I only told them I wanted to hustle.

    I moved in with my boyfriend, who helped me get a bar waitressing job. It was my first job, and it paid ₦25k/month. I didn’t even enjoy the money because it was paid into my boyfriend’s account for the first three months.

    I didn’t have a bank account, so we submitted his details when I started the job. The agreement was that he’d give me my salary once he collected it, but he started telling me stories about how he had to “borrow” my money to settle one bill or the other. He never gave me a dime.

    The heck?

    I didn’t complain because I was doing “lover girl”. Thankfully, a friend I made at work spoke sense into me and marched me to a bank to open my own account. When my boyfriend didn’t receive my next salary, he got angry and slapped me. That’s how the relationship ended. 

    Good riddance. Where did you go after you left?

    I squatted at my friend’s and her siblings’ tiny flat. Her elder sister was a tailor, and I started assisting her to pay back their kindness in accommodating me. I’d run errands when I returned home from work, cut materials and pick styles for clients who needed help. 

    That’s how I realised I had a knack for styling people. Like, I just look at someone and can imagine what will fit them. I might have gotten some of that skill from my aunt. She was a fashionista who hardly repeated clothes. I lived for getting her hand-me-downs so I would experiment with different items and see if they matched. 

    If you’d asked me in secondary school what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d tell you I just wanted to have a wardrobe full of clothes. 

    I mean, it makes sense

    I left my bar job in November 2019 for another job at a club. I was a bottle service girl and worked weekends. My job was to wear a bikini and bring out bottles when VIP guests bought expensive bottles. My pay was ₦80k/month, but I earned up to ₦20k in tips every single week. 

    Horny men like to spend money, and drunk horny men spend even more. I just had to flirt with them, drop my number or just allow them to touch me a little. Sometimes, I hooked up with customers, but it was only because I wanted to, not that my job forced me to. 

    Omo, that job opened my eyes. Money dey this world o. Guys would come to the club and drop ₦800k – ₦1m on drinks in one sitting. The girls were the most interesting to me — they only had to look pretty and gum body with the guys who brought them, dance a little, and they’d get cash bundles.

    What were your financial responsibilities like at this time?

    Mostly my parents and siblings. I sent at least ₦50k to them monthly. I was also saving because I hoped to get my own apartment. Then COVID happened, and the club temporarily shut down. I had no source of income and relied on my savings.

    I’d love to say I spent the lockdown productively and learned new skills, but it’d all be a lie. I lazily scrolled through social media most of the time. However, lockdown helped me build the foundation of what I do now. I constantly participated in dance and transition video challenges on social media, which grew my followers.

    I also started following in the footsteps of Instagram influencers and posting cute “unaware” pictures with fine backgrounds. It was hard to do this from a room I shared with three people, but I made it work. 

    When activities resumed in 2021, I returned to the club. I expected my pay to increase, but my employer refused to pay more than ₦80k. I no longer thought ₦80k was good money, even with tips, so I started looking for other options. 

    What did you find?

    I tried to find work at another club, but they also wanted me to work on weekends, which didn’t work for my schedule. So, I decided to learn tailoring from my friend’s sister. She seemed to be making a lot of money from it, so I thought it’d be a great side income opportunity.

    Four months into my “apprenticeship”, my friend’s sister got an opportunity to make a dress for a rich Lekki babe. She wanted to appear professional, so she carried me along and told the client I was a stylist. My job was essentially to create the whole look: suggest colours, style and accessories to pull it all together.

    My friend’s sister and I ended up making three dresses for the client, and I made ₦180k from the deal. I felt cheated because we charged the client ₦500k for styling, but I kept it moving and decided to get my own styling gigs.

    How did that go?

    It wasn’t as easy as I expected. I DM’ed several influencers, offering to style them and got almost no responses. The only person who responded said, “You really expect me to hire someone whose IG feed is filled with selfies?” I nearly got offended, but she was right. Before people can believe you can do something, you must show workings.

    So, I decided to invest in myself. I started buying high-end clothes and posting pictures of my outfits on social media. I also deliberately started pursuing friendships with the girls who hung out at the club. From these girls, I learned that most of them use personal shoppers to get the designer boxes and packaging they always show off on Instagram. 

    Boxes?

    Yeah. You know how an influencer can post a picture of Chanel boxes, implying that she bought designer bags? Sometimes, those boxes are empty and just for the gram. Other times, the bags inside are imitation Chanel, but the packaging makes them look legit. 

    I used these designer item props to build my online image as a personal stylist and shopper. I also aggressively pushed my brand to girls I met at the club, and it paid off. I got my first client in 2022; I procured an original Van Cleef bracelet for her and made a ₦100k profit. 

    By 2024, business was coming in regularly enough to quit my job at the club. My salary had grown to ₦120k and I made up to ₦50k weekly in tips, but the job was no longer a good look for me. No one would take a stylist who danced and served drinks at the club seriously. 

    What’s your income like these days?

    Styling and personal shopping are my primary income sources, but the figures are all over the place. Sometimes, I make ₦100k from one client for the whole month. Other times, I can make ₦800k. 

    I don’t have any clients on retainer, and there are more popular stylists than me in this city, so business is often hard. Most of the time, I rely on my boyfriend to survive the month. He typically pays for food and some of my maintenance bills (nails, lashes and hair). My sugar daddy also sends me ₦300k every two or three months, which helps a little.

    How would you describe your relationship with money?

    My relationship with money is just vibes. I live way above my means because I need to look like I have it together to access places where I can meet potential clients. Lagos babes determine how seriously they should take you by how you look; I can’t approach someone for business if my lace wig is lifting. 

    No matter how broke I am, I must do my hair twice a month, buy clothes and go out to fancy restaurants with my friends.

    By the way, I moved out of my friend’s flat in 2024 and now pay an annual rent of ₦1.8m for a shared apartment because I need to live on the Island to be closer to potential clients. 

    Honestly, it’s difficult to maintain my standard of living, but I have to spend money to make money in my line of work. It’s a necessary sacrifice. 

    Speaking of, what does your typical month in expenses look like?

    Nairalife 312 expenses

    Half of the time, I don’t know how money enters my account. Money just comes. I try to save ₦20k/month but often spend it before the month ends. I also don’t know how I’ll make my next rent; I just know I will survive. 

    Out of curiosity, do you think you’ll continue offering styling and shopping services in the long term?

    My ultimate goal is to become a fashion and lifestyle influencer. Then, I can make money from brand deals and no longer have to chase after clients. I figure my current job is a good path to that goal. If more people get to know about me and what I do, I can transition into influencing. Fingers crossed that’ll happen within the next three years.

    Is there anything you want right now but can’t afford?

    A car. People afford others with more respect when they see them with their cars. I don’t intend to save towards getting a car sha. For how long will I save to make ₦10m – ₦20m? I just need to meet the right person who can buy it for me, or get a huge contract so I can pay for it outright.

    How would you rate your financial happiness on a scale of 1-10?

    4. I know I’ve come a long way from where I used to be, but I need so much more. I can’t be happy until I start dealing with millions of naira and dollars.

    If you’re interested in talking about your Naira Life story, this is a good place to start.

    Yes, I want to do a Naira Life!

    Find all the past Naira Life stories here.

    Subscribe to the newsletter here.

    Join 1,000+ Nigerians, finance experts and industry leaders at The Naira Life Conference by Zikoko for a day of real, raw conversations about money and financial freedom. Click here to buy a ticket and secure your spot at the money event of the year, where you’ll get the practical tools to 10x your income, network with the biggest players in your industry, and level up in your career and business.

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  • After watching the movie Worst roommate ever, we had to find out what Nigerians sharing apartments or hostels have been through. From fundamentally crazy roommates to the deeply disturbed ones, seven Nigerians talk about their experiences. They make living in your parent’s house look glorious.

    “He’d pee without flushing and take a shit with the door open”

    — Chuka, 28

    In 2015, I lived in a three-bedroom apartment with three guys and one babe. The rent was about  ₦450k and we wanted one more  extra person so we could split the rent by six people — we were undergraduates looking to cut back on cost as much as possible. We finally got a guy after about three months. “Lucky us,” I thought. Mind you, it was already a nightmare living with five people and sharing one bathroom. I managed to deal with it until this guy came along. He was disgusting. He’d pee without flushing and take a shit with the door open. The most baffling thing was his smoking habit. 

    This guy was asthmatic but he smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Clearly, he had some kind of death wish. The height of it for me was when he brought a dog to the house. Let’s note that he didn’t even ask anyone. The dog would piss and shit around the house. He had a babe that sometimes came over to clean up after him, but just imagine waking up to a house smelling of dog shit.  The day I confronted him about it, he just said “Bro, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve already paid for the dog.” I was so pissed. We quarrelled.  The next time we spoke, I was triggered by the pots he left piled up in the kitchen for almost a week. I was like, “Guy! Why the hell are you a fucking pig?” Next, he asked me how much money I made that gave me the guts to speak to him anyhow — On top the small influencer work he was doing o! We sha had to ask him to leave. When we started repainting the room, there were bed bugs everywhere. Cockroaches in the cupboards were literally falling from the door when we sprayed it. Talking about it now literally makes my skin crawl. 

    “She was always storing my used tampons for only God knows what”

    — Sarah, 27

    I’ve washed my hands from anything concerning roommates. I’d been looking for a roommate to share a one-bedroom flat at Surulere for a month. The girls who came along were either looking for something cheaper or not pleased with the rough road leading to the house. I didn’t have a car, so that wasn’t my business. When this girl came along — let’s call her Ada — she was interested and ready to pay on the spot. She didn’t ask me a lot of questions. Nothing about the light situation or the neighbourhood in general; she was just desperate to move in. In hindsight, I should have been bothered about that. Who rents a house without asking questions? 

    After a month, I noticed something off about her. She’d wake up at odd hours of the night and stand by the door murmuring to herself. I always assumed she was praying because sometimes she paced around. Two months went by and it stayed the same. Between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., she was up by the door, mumbling inaudible things. As the weeks went by, I also noticed an odd stench in the room. Surulere is notorious for gigantic rats, so I thought one of them had died somewhere in our apartment. I searched but didn’t find anything. There’s no kind of diffuser or spray I didn’t try — nothing worked. My roommate wasn’t even bothered. But I found out why that evening.

    By 3 a.m., she was up again with the same late night behaviour. Look, I was living a Nollywood film and I wasn’t even aware of it. In the middle of her mumbling, she pulled out a tile from underneath our bed. I don’t know if she thought I was asleep, because the room was dark. That’s how she brought out a box from underneath with stored pads and tampons. 

    I was the only one using tampons so clearly, they were mine — she had been storing them. She had been picking them from the bin in the bathroom… that was the smell that wouldn’t go away. I didn’t make a sound while she brought them out. She squeezed one of them and rubbed part of the blood on her chest. Look, all I can say is, people dey this Lagos. Nobody told me to pack my bags in my uncle’s house. Nobody.

    “This guy tried to stab me”

    — Kunle, 34

    My roommate — let’s pretend he’s Emeka — tried to kill me. I had made some mad money from crypto and thought it was great to celebrate at the club with my guys. Little did I know that Emeka had other plans. On our way back, I needed to take a piss. I lived at Nyanyan, on the outskirts of Abuja, at the time, so the drive was too long for me to hold it in. It was 2 a.m. and the streets were practically empty. I asked one of my guys that came along to take the wheels while I got down. 

    Emeka decided to follow me as well. I wasn’t surprised because he’dd also had quite a bit to drink. We went into a bush. In the middle of peeing, Emeka pulled a knife on me. At first, I thought it was a joke, but he came closer and went for my stomach. I screamed for help. The guy was too big to push off. Thank God for one of my guys that came to check in on us. He dragged Emeka off and we left him there. I never asked him why he did that. Maybe I was too drunk to think that far at the moment. All I know is, that was the last time I stayed with anyone. In fact, the last time I talked about money with people. Silent moves all the way.

    RELATED: Four Months of Living Together and Hopefully We Don’t Kill Each Other

    “He banged my babe”

    — Simon, 31

    There’s nothing worse than finding out your roommate is banging your babe. Nothing! Let’s name this guy Andrew. I can’t even call him a roommate because I covered most of the bills and rent; Andrew was a squatter. My babe typically came by on the weekends to cook for us — I still miss that woman’s banga soup. Whenever I went on trips, she’d still offer to bring food for me. Her excuse was either Andrew might be too broke to buy food or she’d say something like, “Oh babe, you know Andrew would have finished the food.” God punish Andrew wherever he is. 

    On one of my trips back, I went over to her house to surprise her. She wasn’t home and wasn’t picking her calls. I decided to just head back home. I felt she might have even beat me to the surprise and wanted to shock me — well, she sure did. When I got back, I didn’t have to knock. I had my own keys. I got in, threw my bags on the chair and noticed my babes shoes in the living room. “She’s here,” I thought. I knew she couldn’t have heard me if she was inside the room, so I snuck in to surprise her. When I got closer, I heard moaning and that was it. The relationship ended and I moved out. I didn’t need an explanation from any of them.

    “I found my dick pic”

    — Yinka, 23

    I knew I had to move out when I found a picture of me naked on my roommate’s phone. I needed to send pictures from his gallery and I stumbled on the photo. It was only one, but it was still creepy. I asked him why he did it and he said it was a mistake. Things weren’t the same after that. I was too cautious around him, so I decided I had to move out. 

    RELATED: Why Don’t Nigerians Talk About Their Personal Income? — 7 Nigerians Tell Zikoko

    “She had horrible body odour”

    — Christal, 24

    My college roommate had terrible body odour. The weird thing was that she always took her bath. Morning, afternoon, night, she was in the bathroom. She also took things and never returned them, the most annoying being my Rubyroo lipstick.. Anyway, that wasn’t the reason I moved out. Imagine living in a tiny cubicle with barely any ventilation and having to endure body odour. I couldn’t stand it. When I tried to come back to the room and take a few things, this babe tried to beat me up, ranting about how I left her alone in the room. That was the last straw for me.

    “All he did was watch porn without headphones”

    — Adam, 23

    I and my roommate stayed on bunk beds. If it wasn’t the sound of FIFA keeping me up at night, it was porn playing at full volume from his Ipad. Like bro, get your headphones! He had zero self-awareness and made cingeworthy sexual jokes about breasts and penises. One day, he broke the bed and that was my cue to leave. Only God knows what he’d been humping.

    CONTINUE READING: 17 Things You’ll Relate to if You Grew Up in Ibadan

  • Lagos will stress you out. It will kill you and devour your bones. To prevent that from happening, here are some things you must always carry with you if you want to survive Lagos.

    1. Pankere

    For flogging people who walk anyhow in front of you without considering the fact that they’re on the main road and people are in a hurry. Just land them one fiam on their back and watch them fast forward like a DVD.

    2. Pepper spray

    Police reveals it is illegal to go about with pepper spray in Nigeria

    For people who try to grope you anyhow or assume that they can touch you inappropriately.

    Nigerian Pepper Mix (Ata Lilo) - My Active Kitchen

    You can also use blended pepper as an alternative. Just store it in a plastic bottle and pierce the cap. If anybody tries nonsense with you, just squirt it in their eyes. Their father.

    3. A bottle of your urine

    What is a Pee Bottle? | How to Use Backpacking 101 - Greenbelly Meals

    Same as the blended pepper recommendation too. Simply pierce the cap and spray away. Will be good for those car owners who splash mud on you and those danfo drivers who move too close to your car in traffic.

    4. Extra leggings

    Marvell College Female Leggings

    Fight can break out anywhere in Lagos. You have to be prepared to japa.

    5. Handbag to put your wig in.

    Big tote bag - Woman | Mango Nigeria

    Especially when you want to enter danfo. Imagine them stealing wig your wig off your head while you’re struggling for molue in Oshodi. Because of N150 bus, you lost N40k wig.

    6. Fake baby/pregnancy

    Fake baby doll silicone 20" sleeping newborn babies dolls cloth body real baby dolls for children gift bebe alive bonecas reborn|real baby dolls|newborn baby dolldoll for - AliExpress

    People are kinder to pregnant people in Lagos. You might as well cash in on that sympathy.

    7. Catapult

    African Style Slingshot (Catapult) - Ochulo

    For those traders in Yaba who are convinced they have what you want and won’t leave you alone. Since they want to be mad, convince them that nobody has a monopoly on madness. You sef get am plenty.

  • Maintaining a social life can feel impossible when you live in a city as stressful as Lagos. Finding a balance between work and fun is basically an extreme sport, especially if you are on a tight budget.

    The struggle is real.

    To help you navigate this, we thought long and hard to create this list of 6 suggestions. If you no longer want to be a hermit in Lagos, only leaving your house to go to work, then this post is for you.

    1) Crash with a friend who lives close to your office:

    There’s a feeling of peace that comes with living close to your office — even if you have to squat with a friend. This way, you don’t spend most of your life in traffic, giving you more than enough time to catch up with friends.

    2) Attend free events:

    There are numerous ticket-free events in Lagos that give you a chance to mingle in a nice atmosphere. Some of these events include; Eyo festival, Fanti festival, Lagos Trade Fair, Adire festival, GTBank Food and Drinks and more.

    3) Splurge on Sundays:

    The best time to have a traffic-free and budget-friendly outing in Lagos is on a Sunday. Most people stay indoors and everything is slow-paced and serene, which gives you a chance to fully enjoy hanging with your squad.

    4) Go to parks with friends:

    Freedom Park and Jakande J Tinubu Park are some of the places to have fun with friends and family. To have a great time, just grab a book, some board games, cheap snacks, mats, sunscreen and some cash.

    5) Avoid public holiday outings:

    They are simply the worst. The malls, cinemas, parks, beaches and everything in between are often packed with people — mostly wailing children — and everything is so much more expensive.

    6) Be deliberate about parties you attend:

    It’s not every owambe you should attend, considering how expensive they can be. Having to buy an asoebi, sew new clothes, get gifts and all that jazz should guide you towards choosing the most budget-friendly parties.

  • Whether you’ve just moved into a new place or you’ve lived in your house for decades; we can guarantee that you’ve come across these typical Nigerian neighbours.

    The one who’s generator is always on. 24 hours a day. 7 days a week.

    Even if there’s light they won’t put it off because ‘NEPA will soon take the light’.

    The nosy ones who don’t even try to hide the fact that they are being nosy.

    Abeg sister that man that came to visit you last night, is that your brother?

    The ones that have the NEPA siren that goes off when there is light.

    If not for them you’ll just be wasting petrol.

    The ones who are always coming to beg you to charge their phones once you put on your gen.

    Oga you too on your gen now.

    The ones who block the street with canopies every weekend for party.

    Last week it was somebody’s naming ceremony. The week before that was birthday. This week it’s burial. And it’s not like they’ll even invite you for the party.

    The one who is forever knocking on your door to borrow something.

    If it’s not salt it’s broom. And before they return it, wahala.

    The ones who use their house for weekly fellowship and always asks when you’ll join them.

    Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

    The one who always corners you to give you gist that you didn’t ask for.

    “Did you know that Mummy Jamiu’s son impregnated someone? “

    The ones who will wake you up in the morning with prayers and keep you up at 1am with prayers.

    Because if their neighbours can’t hear them praying, God won’t answer their prayers.

    As if your prayer warrior neighbour is not enough, there must be a church on your street too.

    Sometimes even two or three. As one id finishing their service, the other one is starting.

    The ones who will appoint themselves as street or estate chairman.

    They’ll also take it upon themselves to start collecting monthly dues.

    The one you’ve never seen in your life.

    You can be living there for ten years and never meet them. You’ll only be seeing the light in their house going on and off.

    The one who has a bigger family than Abraham.

    Every day you will see a new face coming out of the house.

    The resident baby boy or baby girl.

    They don’t have any stress at all.

    So answer with your chest now; which neighbour are you?