Lagos is a global city. As Nigeria’s commercial capital, the state holds a lot of potentials – economically, socially, and in many other aspects – but there are pros and cons of moving to Lagos.

Currently, Lagos has a population of over 20 million people. Even with this, there is a place for everyone with the plan of chasing a dream. The slogan of the state says ‘Centre of Excellence’ and it shows in the number of success stories that come out of Lagos.

To be one of the achievers who enjoy the many opportunities in Lagos, it takes a lot of planning, physically and mentally as Lagos can be an amazing place to be just as the experience can turn sour real quick if you don’t know what you are doing.

Pros and cons of moving to Lagos

Just like every other place in the world, there are pros and cons of moving to Lagos. They can be different for different people, and we might not be able to highlight it all but we will try to be in-depth with the ones we talk on.

Knowing and understanding the pros and cons of moving to Lagos will help you prepare your mind towards what you will expect to meet when you get to Lagos.

Pros of moving to Lagos

• Diverse lifestyle.
• Amazing places to visit.
• Great atmosphere.
• Easy shopping.
• No communication problem.

Diverse lifestyle

Moving to Lagos will expose you to a diverse lifestyle. You will meet people from different cultures and places in Lagos. A lot believe that Lagos is the city where dreams come true, so moving to Lagos was a dream for many, which is why you will most likely find people from all tribes or ethnic groups present in Lagos.

Being exposed to this level of diversity makes you understand different cultures and prepares you to be tolerant of the cultures and traditions of others.

Amazing places to visit

Life in Lagos will help you develop your social life. There are lots of amazing places to visit in Lagos, creating an opportunity for you to meet people and network.

Several people work during the week and leave out their weekends for their social life. Visiting places like restaurants, nightclubs, art galleries, beaches, and many other places where you can have fun.

In Lagos, you can never run out of places to visit.

Great atmosphere

Lagos is a great place to be. For some, it might be too much while for some others, it’s all vibe and cruise. Knowing how to handle this will make you enjoy your time in Lagos. You will meet different people almost every day and their actions will affect you either directly or indirectly. Most times, all you need when you’re in a bad mood is just to go out to see the funny things happening around you.

In Lagos, almost everyone makes a joke out of their daily lives.

Easy shopping

In Lagos, there is a market for everything you need, if you know where to look.

Shopping is easy because there are lots of markets in Lagos, all with segments where you can get the different things you need for your day-to-day activities.

If you need food items, you can easily get them in Mile 12 or Oyingbo market. For clothing items, you can get them at Tejuosho Market, Yaba. You can get electronics of all kinds at Alaba International Market, and if you need auto spare parts, you just need to find your way to Ladipo Market, Mushin.

Shopping is easy in Lagos if you know where to look and know your way around in the markets.

No communication problem

You can never have a communication problem in Lagos, simply because you will always find someone that understands your language.

As we said earlier in this article, there are lots of different ethnic groups living in Lagos, and some parts of Lagos are filled with people of the same ethnic group. More often than not, some people prefer to live among ‘their people’ than in areas where they have to learn to live with different cultures. But no matter where you find yourself in Lagos, you will find someone who speaks your language.

If worst comes to worst, you can easily communicate with pidgin.

Cons of moving to Lagos

• Culture shock.
• High cost of living.
• Flood risk.
• Violence and crimes.
• Traffic.

Culture shock

Even though Lagos has different people from different places living in it, settling into the Lagos lifestyle can be a struggle for a while. Having to deal with the ‘busy people’ and the way a lot of people live their life will seem new to you and many find it hard to adjust.

Driving on Lagos road is different from every other part of the country. You will most likely find seven inpatient drivers out of ten in Lagos, just as you will find people shout at you to hurry and move out of the road when you’re walking slowly. If you’re not careful, you will be swindled many times before you adjust.

Due to a large number of people, you will see different people with their different way of living, unlike where you’re coming from where it’s just you and your people.

High cost of living

To live in Lagos, there are some basic things you need to first consider as part of your cost of living and they are things you cannot do without.

Accommodation in Lagos will frustrate you. They are mostly overpriced. In many parts of Lagos, you cannot find a decent room for less than N200,000 yearly (excluding all the other agent fees you have to pay).

Cost of transportation is another thing entirely. Some factors affect this like petrol price, disturbance from agberos, traffic, etc. One thing you should know is that cost of transportation never goes down once it goes up in Lagos.

Feeding is another thing you need to consider. Except you can cook for yourself every day, you will have to buy food from restaurants. Due to the rise in the cost of food items, you can hardly get food for N500 anywhere in Lagos.

There are many other factors that contribute to the high cost of living in Lagos but the three mentioned above are the primary ones. Others like electricity, social outings, etc will take hits on your pocket.

Flood risk

Lagos is surrounded by a body of water. Examples of such bodies are Lagos Lagoon, Lekki Lagoon, 5-Cowrie Creek, Badagry Creek, and more.

According to a paper published on Researchgate, water from the Atlantic Ocean moves into the Lagos Lagoon during high tides. This and other factors like poor drainage system, and waste blocking drainages causes flood in many parts of the state.

There have been reports of places where the apartments of people are flooded and their valuables destroyed by water.

Before moving to Lagos, you need to carefully consider the part of Lagos you are moving to and determine if it’s a flood-affected area.

Violence and crimes

The most commonly reported crimes in Lagos are traffic robberies, assaults, and harassment from touts in the late hours of the day.

Other common crimes are periodic outbursts of violence resulting from clashes among localized street gangs which most times result in the loss of properties and lives.

In Lagos, you can never be too careful, and if you plan to move to Lagos, consider the part of Lagos you will live. Also, know that violence and crimes are in every part of the state but just dominant in some parts than the others.

Traffic

There is no way we can talk about the cons of living in Lagos and forget to mention Lagos traffic. On the list of the major problems people face in Lagos, traffic has to be between one to five on the list. For many, the nightmarish traffic has become a part of their everyday life in Lagos.

Planning to avoid traffic in Lagos is a waste of time, rather, you can only prepare your mind towards it, finding alternatives that are less likely to be congested, etc.

If you plan to move to Lagos, you need to be able to accept Lagos traffic as part of your life along with the crazy drivers you will encounter daily on Lagos road.

Conclusion

Many see moving to Lagos as the big dream, but most times, they fail to plan out many things that surround life in Lagos. This is the first reason lots of people get to Lagos and are welcomed with a life of frustration.

Understanding the pros and cons of moving to Lagos helps you prepare your mind and condition you towards what to expect when you move to Lagos, determine if it is worth it and a lifestyle you want to live or not.