I would like to spend a few months visiting Nigeria for a few months beginning between January and March 2009. I have a few questions now and may come back to ask more in the near future as they come up. To start:

1. Would be the cost of living per month? as in living comfortably, but not necessarily at current standards. Would I be safe bringing only $1000 for a period of three months or would I need far more.
2. I know this will probably sound foolish, but I'll ask it anyway bc I heard some rumors: how safe will expensive electronic items (ie laptops, ipods, cameras) be at customs. (I don't mean to offend but I've heard about security officers and petty thieves being rampant at airports so I'd just like to confirm that these are just rumors)

That's all for now but I'm sure I'll have more questions in due time

thanks

It depends on the lifestyle you want to live when you get home. $1000 is about 120k if I am right.

For three months, that comes to about 40k per month. An average taxi cab depending on the distance is about 1K. A decent fast food meal also costs about 1K. So a return trip out with a taxi and a meal will set you back by about 3K. Going out for drinks will also cost you money. If you have a car available to you, you will likely spend less. Hope the $1000 does not include money to settle people?  Otherwise, it may not be enough!

You can carry whatever electronics you like. The situation is not that bad. They may not even stop you at customs point. If they are portable items and can fit into your hand luggage, then the better. Try to carry your portable and high value items in your hand luggage.

if u planning staying in a hotel that isn't enough.

I wont discourage you in anyway from going back to motherland for a visit but there is no way $1000 can take you for 3 months no matter how wise and cautious you want to be with money. Plan well before you go and from the look of things, this is your first visit home since you checked out like Andrew. Your first week in Nigeria will take you 50000 naira that is being very conservative. You land in lagos and then take a taxi home (if u dont have a car ready) and pay 4000 for that trip to ur house. U dont have a house or a place to stay in Lagos? then map out 4k for a moderate hotel. Consider your trips from one point to another in cab everyday, you will be spending at least 2k daily on transport within Lagos depending on your itineraries. Your meals will take money too.

Should you use a personal car? A liter of fuel costs 70 naira and daily you will need about 20 liters ( considering hold ups) and that is 1k4hundred. Planning on staying in a hotel all through then check the cost of hotels every night. Planning on staying in your house or putting up with someone, then 7 litters of petrol to be modest for the generator and that is about 500 naira plus your transport daily, you will be spending 2k5 for transport and generator daily excluding meals. 2k5 daily by 30 days is 75 thousand naira for the first month and for 3 months is 225000 naira for transport and gen alone.

You may decide to skip the gen after sometime though but please arrange well unless you will get support from your brothers and sisters.

For me it is harder. I dont have a house and I stay in a hotel each time I go and I go twice a year. Putting up with someone to skip the hotel bills is equally expensive as all thier problems becomes yours. they will be relying on you to buy food for everyone. Guy you sound lucky men. We drink and smoke and every evening na u go dey buy drinks for everyone. Can u imagine drinkming and ur friends will be looking and watching.

Even for an orphan without siblings and relatives and friends, 1k wont last three months. Give it a trial when u are broke you run back afterall no be Niger you for grow ? there were times when u didnt have 1k and u stayed for years. Now with 1k u can try 3 months.

As for gadgets, be on guard they wont take it at the airport. Niger people use all the latest electronic gadgets u can think of so it aint a big deal.

Try shaa. I will be there in mid october. I can do a market survey for you and tell you how to spend the 1k dollars

[quote author=chykeo

For me it is harder. I don't have a house and I stay in a hotel each time I go and I go twice a year. Putting up with someone to skip the hotel bills is equally expensive as all their problems becomes yours. they will be relying on you to buy food for everyone. Guy you sound lucky men. We drink and smoke and every evening na u go dey buy drinks for everyone. Can u imagine drinkming and ur friends will be looking and watching.

I can do a market survey for you and tell you how to spend the 1k dollars

Which hotel do you stay when in naija ? i wil be going in november.

so true about staying with someone u become automatcall responsible for their chop

i know last year i stayed with my bro in lagos and right from day minute i was feeding everyone from girlfriends to boyfriend to even nearby neighbours

Would I be safe bringing only $1000 for a period of three months

you are surely not in TUNE with Nigeria.

cheapest hotel that matches bit of quality is $250 per night.

in two days you are dead-broke. cheap hotel is about $70 a night: you get brown water, cockcroach, etc that gets you only 10days.

Nigeria is fucking expensive. For 3 months you need atleast $10,000 to live well.

Good Luck.

hahhah

$1000 will not scratch the surface at all. Unless you already have accommodation and transportation taken care of and it will not cost you anything. Where will you be staying and where would you be visiting while there. Anything you do there (just like any other country) will cost you some money.

[size=13pt]$1000 is not enough for 3wks, talkless of 3months, i don't think you are going to Naija or, maybe na Zimbabwe u dey go.
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@ poster looks like you watch too much western media. I posted a mini dvd player to my younger brother, he got it within week. I have posted other things since then and each time it arrives naija on time and in the same condition it left Europe.

Which hotel do you stay when in naija ? i wil be going in november.

so true about staying with someone u become automatcall responsible for their chop

i know last year i stayed with my bro in lagos and right from day minute i was feeding everyone from girlfriends to boyfriend to even nearby neighbours
[quote][/quote]

I stay mostly in Enugu and I am gonna be there till January. Man don dey tire for Europe.


@Jacq what happened to our independence party in Europe. maybe we will do it in Nigeria then since you are coming down in November