A recent data submitted by locals has shown that to feed a family of four in Lagos for a month on essentials like rice, milk, eggs, and fruits would cost roughly N137,855.
As Nigeria battles a nationwide food inflation crisis, new data from Numbeo, a crowd-sourced platform for cost-of-living information, sheds light on the significant burden residents face in Lagos, the country’s most populous city.
Based on user-submitted data on food prices and consumption patterns, the study reveals rising food costs and their impact on the ability of residents to afford necessities.
The provided data shows that eating rice, milk, eggs and fruits for 31 straight days a month would incur a cost of N137,855.
The minimum meal for a person who eats rice and other things, including bread, milk, beef, apples, potatoes, and other foods and fruits, in a day stands at N4,446.
Users on the platform estimate the cost of everyday foods such as eggs at N266 per unit and apples at N552 per piece.
Numbeo said that anyone who can’t afford the minimum daily recommendation of food lives below the poverty line.
“According to our research, if a person has less money for food than our recommendation, he lives below the poverty line,” it said.
These findings come as Nigeria grapples with a nationwide inflation rate of 21.91%, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics in February 2024.
The inflation rose to 21.91 per cent from 21.82 per cent in January. The inflation rate between the two months was about 0.09 per cent.
“The contributions of items on a class basis to the increase in the headline index are presented, thus: Bread and cereal (21.67%), actual and imputed rent (7.74%), potatoes, yam and other tubers (6.06%), vegetable (5.44%) and meat (4.78%),” the report said.