What It Is Like To Live In Lagos

Living in Lagos, Nigeria can be quite an experience. The city is the largest in Nigeria in terms of the area people are occupying and not land mass.

It is known for its bustling streets, vibrant culture, and lively markets. However, it also has its fair share of challenges.

One thing is sure. If you live in this city and do a 9 to 5 job, you will feel like 24 hours of the day is not enough. Most of your time had been sacrificed to endless days of traffic jam.

Traffic can be heavy and chaotic, and the cost of living can be quite high. Additionally, different hustlers are in the state and that makes instances of crime and violence high.

Indeed, it is important to take necessary precautions.

Despite these challenges, many people find Lagos to be a vibrant and exciting place to live.

It’s home to a diverse population and is a major center of business and commerce in the western region.

There are two type of Lagos experience- mainland experience and island experience.

Lagos Mainland

Lagos mainland is erroneously believed to house the poor and average earners. The city is usually rough and noisy due to overpopulation. The traffic here is like bread and butter and if you are inpatient, you will hate it here.

it is often the survival of the fittest, as many are ready to misbehave and carry on with pride of; ‘I don outsmart am’ (I out-smarted him).

Owning to the overpopulation, you will meet different kind of people with different characters.

Here, in Lagos mainland, you will see the street touts (Agbero), yellow public buses, the hawkers, pickpockets and even traffic thieves. The Mainland is a no-man’s land of aggression and serious hustle, and a place where you got to ‘shine-your-eyes well‘.

In the Lagos mainland, everything you need is a stone throw away from you. you will find supermarket, restaurant, market and open bar around you.

This part of Lagos is known for nightlife.

Even at late hours, everywhere is bubbling and you do see people moving from one place to the other but you need to be security conscious.

When it comes to security, your are expected to be alert all the time. But not to worry, you will always see some kindhearted people who will be ready to help, especially if you lost your way around the hood.

If you love street food, nightlife and a place to buy affordable fashion items like ‘okrika’ wear (thrift wear), then you will love it here.

People Also Read: Abuja or Lagos: The Best Place To Live

Lagos Island

Oh! This is a part that you will love to live, especially if you love amore serene environment.

Lagos island houses the rich or wealthy people. It consists of the upscaled neighborhoods  like Dolphin Estate, Lekki, Banana Island, Ikoyi and VGC. You can expect the kind of lifestyle you experience in modern city.

There is also traffic but in a civilized way, people don’t throw insults around but they will definitely switch to your lane and expect you to be cool about it.

The road is well tiled and managed. People are friendly and electricity is mostly stable. Security is far better than Lagos mainland.

It’s a less crowded and less noisy. Because most building are surrounded by water, you will experience the luxury of fresh air straight from the ocean.

Lagos island is the go-to location for foreigners because of the serenity and safety.

There are lots of nice social places to visit on the Island. Here you can find high-end clubs. film houses, hyper supermarket, beautiful beaches and luxury restaurants.

If you live there, you will hate to visit the mainland.

What To Expect In Summary

If you want to visit Lagos, the few things we identified here will help guide your decision.

However, we will put all that happens in Lagos Mainland and Island in a summary.

Expect a city that is full of the beautiful, terrible, and ugly aspects of life that is alive, dynamic, multi-ethnic, and diverse.

Expect bustle and street violence.

Be prepared for corrupt behaviour and religious extremism.

Expect warm locals and delicious regional cuisine.

Expect snarled traffic in every region and unstable power supplies.

The wealthy, the destitute, the miserable, the learned, the uneducated, and anything else you can think of can all be found in one place, Lagos.