Single urban Nigerian worker needs N372,300 monthly, over five times minimum wage
By Aboki Forex —
A single Nigerian worker living in an urban centre needs at least N372,300 every month to meet basic living costs, a new analysis by The Guardian shows. That is more than five times the current national minimum wage of N70,000.
The estimate covers housing, food, transport, healthcare, utilities, personal care, clothing and a monthly savings contribution. It comes ahead of Nigeria's next minimum wage review in 2027.
Where the money goes
Housing takes the largest share at N125,000 per month. The figure is based on an annual rent of N1.5 million for a one-room apartment.
Transport follows at N99,000 monthly. It is calculated on an average daily commuting cost of N4,500 over 22 working days.
Food costs come to N47,670 per month. The estimate uses the National Bureau of Statistics' healthy meal cost of N1,589 per adult per day.
Other monthly line items include N15,000 for utilities, N20,000 for personal care, N30,000 for clothing and N3,958 for health insurance.
The analysis also sets aside N32,326 each month for savings. That would grow into a contingency fund of roughly N1.164 million over three years.
Wage review and labour's target
Organised labour has said it will push for a N1 million monthly minimum wage in the upcoming negotiations. Employers have called for any new wage to reflect productivity levels and business costs.
At the last round of talks, labour proposed between N615,000 and N1 million for a six-member household. Those talks produced the N70,000 minimum wage that President Bola Tinubu signed into law in July 2024.
Deputy National President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Adewale Adeyanju, said labour's N1 million proposal would be anchored on current economic conditions and specific parameters that would be presented during the negotiation process.
The next round of talks is expected to bring together the federal government, employer groups and organised labour.
Pay versus cost of living
The real value of workers' earnings dropped by about N2.79 trillion in 2024 to N25.48 trillion after accounting for inflation. That underscores the widening gap between pay and the cost of living.
The Nigeria Labour Congress has also signalled it is gearing up for a major nationwide campaign to secure a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage. The union also committed to fight for the creation of a national minimum pension.
NLC president Joe Ajaero made the announcement during the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja. The event brought together workers and pensioners under the organised labour movement.
The N372,300 monthly estimate highlights the pressure on Nigerian workers and consumers, especially in cities where rent and transport costs keep rising. For businesses, the gap between the N70,000 minimum wage and actual living costs will shape the next wage negotiation.