Expert Info

Posted by
on 23 Jul 2012
My family is looking into possibly spending a few months in Ibidan, about 80 miles from Lagos, on a mission trip. We have 4 children, ages 2-16 and will be assisting at a Christian based church/school. We are both well travelled and lived abraod before, so a basic, condervative lifestyle would suit us. We have some queries though: 1) What kind of monthly expenses should we budget for with regards rent in Ibidan? 2) How is the sanitation? 3) Is it difficult to obtain visas? 4) What kind of food costs should we expect (compared to US prices)? 5) Is the area safe?
Anonymous (not verified) on 23 Jul 2012 - 08:28
Hi Damien

Your monthly expenses will depend on your lifestyle. Ibidan is likely to be much cheaper than in Lagos (which is one of the most expensive cities in the world), but you should still expect to be shocked by how much higher your monthly bills will amount to compared to the US, especially if you intend to eat Western food as you do at home. Have a look at Expat Arrivals' Cost of Living in Nigeria and Accommodation pages for more information.

Regarding your family's visas, you can find out everything you need to know on the Visas for Nigeria page.
Anonymous (not verified) on 23 Jul 2012 - 16:43
Hello Damien, i am Nigerian but i dont live in Nigeria so i can help in a little way. You are actually going to Ibadan not Ibidan.smile. I have asked a friend just now who grew up in Ibadan your questions and here are some answers that will help hopefully. 1.1) What kind of monthly expenses should we budget for with regards rent in Ibidan? Answer- a well known residential area is called Bodija and rent for a 3bedroom duplex will range between N300,000 to N350,000 excluding agent and legal fees.In pounds this is roughly 1155-1345 pounds per annum. 2) How is the sanitation? The sanitation, well, depends on where you are.For example, if you go to the market-an open market, it will not be clean.Basically some areas are clean whilst some areas are not. Nigeria is a tropical country so you will be needing your anti malaria shots as well as mosquito nets and other insecticides. 3) Is it difficult to obtain visas? Visas are not difficult to obtain, but be weary of Nigerian time at the embassy or consulate, but with Gods grace, you will have it easy. 4) What kind of food costs should we expect (compared to US prices)? Food is cheap in Ibadan.In lagos just like the previous poster said, for some odd reason its very expensive. There may be some brands you need to bring along with you as Ibadan is really laid back and you wont find the big chain stores there. 5) Is the area safe? Yes, for the most parts and the people are friendly as well .
Anonymous (not verified) on 24 Jul 2012 - 14:09
In addittion to what i wrote above, Also factor in the cost of petrol for your generator. This is not cheap.Petrol prices are quite high and because there isnt stable power supply, you will probably be needing to use a generator and possibly an inverter. Do let me know if you need any more information.i will be more than willing to help. Y
Anonymous (not verified) on 25 Jul 2012 - 12:13
I appreciate your comments Anon, the information is very useful as we build a budget and pray over this possible move.
Anonymous (not verified) on 30 Jul 2012 - 00:08
Hi. I am an expat living in Lagos. I can't help much about Ibadan per se, but there are many similarities, We love our lives here but food is definitely more expensive, I tend to bring Cheese, and speciality items in my suitcase every time I return from the states due to cost and availability. Gas and electrical costs in our home is very high. We run on generators most of time but our housing covers the generators so we don't have to worry about it. I don't have concerns about safety but we are smart about what we do and where we go. I go to all the markets and the local areas and haven't run into issues. I do understand that Ibadan is less expensive in all areas. I find the people warm and friendly and very open to expats. As for sanitation, we clean our food with Milton tablets, which is easy and safe. We take Malarone for maleria prevention. Also, Visas are very easy to obtain. Mine took less than 2 weeks and I filled it out online, then mailed in my documents. The Atlanta consulates office seems to do a great job. Let me know if I can answer additional questions. Praying that God will direct you. It's been a wonderful experience for us!
Anonymous (not verified) on 17 Sep 2013 - 13:30
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Anonymous (not verified) on 4 Feb 2014 - 14:23
Hi all, I'm new to this forum. My husband and I are contemplating a move (based on a secondment offer for me) to Lagos. Would like to find out more about cost of living, etc so as to ensure I'm not out of pocket by moving there and that the relevant costs are picked up by my firm. I've been told that we'll probably be put up in an apartment on VI. No news yet as to whether utilities, internet, etc are included. How much would a driver/car cost per month? (Although I'm certainly hoping we'll get a car/driver!). Grace