Abidjan vs Ibadan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Abidjan edges it, 38 to 36, winning 5 of the 9 factors. Abidjan is stronger on safety, air quality, visa ease; Ibadan on quality of life. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
West Africa's francophone business hub on the lagoon
Full Abidjan profile →Plan a trip with Navoy →Nigeria's sprawling university city, cheaper and slower than Lagos, with a train between the two
Full Ibadan profile →Where to stay in Ibadan →Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Abidjan | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 57 |
| Safety | 38 ✓ | 20 |
| Healthcare | 36 | 37 ✓ |
| Internet | 44 ✓ | 37 |
| Visa ease | 42 ✓ | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 47 ✓ | 44 |
| Climate | 42 | 42 |
| Air quality | 41 ✓ | 24 |
| Quality of life | 18 | 35 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Abidjan | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $1,076 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Abidjan | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 11 ✓ | 15.75 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 53.1 ✓ | 35.1 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 46 | 47 ✓ |
| Life expectancy | 63.5 yrs ✓ | 63.4 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Abidjan | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 8.6 Mbps ✓ | 6.7 Mbps |
| Upload | 5.6 Mbps ✓ | 2.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Abidjan | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | eTA required (online, before travel) ✓ | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) ✓ | e-visa required |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) ✓ | e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Abidjan | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 41 | 50 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Abidjan | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 5 | 5 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 31.6 µg/m³ ✓ | 39.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Abidjan or Ibadan?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Abidjan or Ibadan safer?
- Abidjan scores higher on safety (38 vs 20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Abidjan or Ibadan?
- Abidjan: a measured median of 8.6 Mbps versus 6.7 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Estimates of rates of homicides per 100 000 population; Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.