Benin City vs Ibadan
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Ibadan edges it, 35 to 29, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Benin City is stronger on nothing outright; Ibadan on air quality, climate. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Edo State's capital and the historic seat of the Kingdom of Benin
Full Benin City profile →Plan a trip to Benin City →Nigeria's sprawling university city, cheaper and slower than Lagos, with a train between the two
Full Ibadan profile →Plan a trip to Ibadan →Where they differ
- Air quality. Ibadan leads on air quality, 24 to 0, against Benin City. PM2.5: 52.1 µg/m³ vs 39.3 µg/m³.
- Climate. Ibadan leads on climate, 42 to 25, against Benin City. Comfortable months: 3 vs 5.
- Internet. Ibadan leads on internet, 37 to 29, against Benin City. Measured download: 4 Mbps vs 6.7 Mbps.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Benin City if you want
- no clear edge over Ibadan in the data
Pick Ibadan if you want
- faster internet (6.7 Mbps measured)
- a longer comfortable season (5 months against 3)
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Benin City | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 72 | 72 |
| Safety | 20 | 20 |
| Healthcare | 39 | 39 |
| Internet | 29 | 37 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 32 | 32 |
| Getting there & around | 5 | 12 ✓ |
| Climate | 25 | 42 ✓ |
| Air quality | 0 | 24 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 40 | 40 |
Cost
| Metric | Benin City | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,050 | $1,050 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Benin City | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 15.75 | 15.75 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 35.1 | 35.1 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 47 | 47 |
| Life expectancy | 62.9 yrs | 62.9 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Benin City | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 4 Mbps | 6.7 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 2.6 Mbps ✓ | 2.5 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Benin City | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, EU passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
| Entry, UK passport | e-visa required | e-visa required |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Benin City | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 50 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Benin City | Ibadan |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 5 ✓ |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 52.1 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, Benin City or Ibadan?
- Benin City and Ibadan cost about the same: roughly $1,050 per month for one person.
- Is Benin City or Ibadan safer?
- Benin City and Ibadan score the same on safety (20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Benin City or Ibadan?
- Ibadan: a measured median of 6.7 Mbps versus 4 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); 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.