Moving to Nigeria from Sri Lanka
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Sri Lanka to Nigeria — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Sri Lanka to Nigeria, you would find that Nigeria is 26.5% more expensive than Sri Lanka overall. A LKR25,000,000 salary in Sri Lanka would need to be roughly NGN127,000,000 in Nigeria to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.
Planning this move? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes ↓Is Nigeria cheaper than Sri Lanka?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 14.0% less
Groceries
pay 2.0% less
Transportation
pay 6.5% more
Housing
pay 65.1% more
Childcare
pay 6.7 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 18.3% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Nigeria?
What does your salary buy?
LKR25,000,000 → NGN127,000,000
To maintain the same standard of living in Nigeria
Calculate with your salary →Get free moving quotes to Nigeria
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Sri Lanka to Nigeria.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Sri Lanka performs better than Nigeria across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Sri Lanka generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Nigeria leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Sri Lanka generally does better on environment, though Nigeria leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Sri Lanka generally does better on infrastructure, though Nigeria leads in water stress level.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Sri Lanka generally does better on employment & economy, though Nigeria leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Sri Lanka performs better than Nigeria across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Sri Lanka Inland Revenue Department (2016), Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria (2016). How we calculate this
Weather in Nigeria vs Sri Lanka
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Colombo | Lagos |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 88°/73°F (31°/23°C) | 91°/74°F (33°/23°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 88°/77°F (31°/25°C) | 88°/74°F (31°/23°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/77°F (30°/25°C) | 83°/71°F (28°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 86°/74°F (30°/23°C) | 88°/72°F (31°/22°C) |
View all months
| Month | Colombo | Lagos |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 88°/72°F (30.9°/22.3°C) | 90°/72°F (32.2°/22.3°C) |
| Feb | 88°/73°F (31.2°/22.6°C) | 92°/74°F (33.1°/23.5°C) |
| Mar | 89°/75°F (31.7°/23.7°C) | 91°/75°F (32.7°/23.8°C) |
| Apr | 89°/76°F (31.8°/24.6°C) | 90°/74°F (32.1°/23.6°C) |
| May | 88°/78°F (31.1°/25.5°C) | 88°/74°F (30.9°/23.1°C) |
| Jun | 87°/78°F (30.4°/25.5°C) | 85°/73°F (29.2°/22.6°C) |
| Jul | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.2°C) | 83°/72°F (28.1°/22.1°C) |
| Aug | 86°/77°F (30.0°/25.1°C) | 83°/71°F (28.1°/21.7°C) |
| Sep | 86°/77°F (30.2°/24.8°C) | 84°/71°F (28.9°/21.9°C) |
| Oct | 86°/75°F (30.0°/24.0°C) | 87°/72°F (30.4°/22.3°C) |
| Nov | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.2°C) | 88°/73°F (31.0°/22.6°C) |
| Dec | 87°/73°F (30.3°/22.8°C) | 89°/72°F (31.9°/22.4°C) |
Data:
National Meteorological Centre,
Nigerian Meteorological Agency
Can you move from Sri Lanka to Nigeria?
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Sri Lanka and Nigeria. To live, work, or study long-term in Nigeria, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Nigeria's immigration authority.
Sri Lanka passport holder visiting Nigeria
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Nigeria passport holder visiting Sri Lanka
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Nigeria than Sri Lanka?
No — Nigeria is on average about 26% more expensive than Sri Lanka. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Nigeria?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly NGN31,750,000 in Nigeria on a LKR25,000,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees).
Can I work remotely from Nigeria?
Internet is rarely the blocker — Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people. The real questions are legal: digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
Is Nigeria safe for expats?
Sri Lanka performs better than Nigeria across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Nigeria is 15.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.3 in Sri Lanka.
How is healthcare in Nigeria compared to Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Nigeria leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Nigeria, compared to 11.4 in Sri Lanka. Nigeria scores 38 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Sri Lanka: 67).
What's the weather like in Nigeria compared to Sri Lanka?
The average high temperature in Lagos is 87°F, compared to 87°F in Colombo. Lagos receives around 60.6 in of rainfall per year, while Colombo gets 99.4 in.
What language do they speak in Nigeria?
The official language in Nigeria is English. In Sri Lanka, the official languages are Sinhala and Tamil.
