NavoyNostos

Ibadan vs Lagos

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Lagos edges it, 38 to 36, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Ibadan is stronger on nothing outright; Lagos on air quality, internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Cost of living: 6.4 of 36 points (scores 57/100)Safety: 2.2 of 36 points (scores 20/100)Healthcare: 4.1 of 36 points (scores 37/100)Internet: 4.1 of 36 points (scores 37/100)Visa ease: 3.6 of 36 points (scores 32/100)Getting there & around: 4.9 of 36 points (scores 44/100)Climate: 4.6 of 36 points (scores 42/100)Air quality: 2.6 of 36 points (scores 24/100)Quality of life: 3.8 of 36 points (scores 35/100)36
Ibadan
out of 100

Nigeria's sprawling university city, cheaper and slower than Lagos, with a train between the two

Full Ibadan profile →Where to stay in Ibadan →
Cost of living: 7.0 of 38 points (scores 63/100)Safety: 2.2 of 38 points (scores 20/100)Healthcare: 4.1 of 38 points (scores 37/100)Internet: 5.2 of 38 points (scores 47/100)Visa ease: 3.6 of 38 points (scores 32/100)Getting there & around: 4.3 of 38 points (scores 39/100)Climate: 3.7 of 38 points (scores 33/100)Air quality: 3.8 of 38 points (scores 34/100)Quality of life: 3.8 of 38 points (scores 35/100)38
Lagos
out of 100

Africa's biggest city and startup scene

Full Lagos profile →Where to stay in Lagos →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

MetricIbadanLagos
Cost of living5763 ✓
Safety2020
Healthcare3737
Internet3747 ✓
Visa ease3232
Getting there & around44 ✓39
Climate42 ✓33
Air quality2434 ✓
Quality of life3535

Cost

MetricIbadanLagos
Monthly cost, one person$1,076$922 ✓
Central one-bedroom rentno data$532

Safety and health (country-level)

MetricIbadanLagos
Homicides per 100k15.7515.75
Political stability (0–100)35.135.1
UHC service coverage (0–100)4747
Life expectancy63.4 yrs63.4 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

MetricIbadanLagos
Download6.7 Mbps11.2 Mbps ✓
Upload2.5 Mbps4.7 Mbps ✓

Visa

MetricIbadanLagos
Nomad visanone listednone listed
Minimum income for the visano datano data
Entry, US passporte-visa requirede-visa required
Entry, EU passporte-visa requirede-visa required
Entry, UK passporte-visa requirede-visa required

Getting there and around

MetricIbadanLagos
Non-stop airport destinations5050
Walkability (1–5, editorial)2 ✓1
Transit (1–5, editorial)11

Climate and air

MetricIbadanLagos
Comfortable months per year5 ✓4
Annual mean PM2.539.3 µg/m³34.6 µg/m³ ✓

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Ibadan or Lagos?
Lagos is cheaper: about $922 per month versus $1,076 for one person.
Is Ibadan or Lagos safer?
Ibadan scores higher on safety (20 vs 20), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Ibadan or Lagos?
Lagos: a measured median of 11.2 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); 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.