How much does it cost to look after an elderly parent in Nigeria each month? A 2026 budget

What goes into a monthly budget for an elderly parent?

A budget can be built from seven lines: food and household, medicines, check-ups, help at home, electricity and fuel, transport to hospital, and money set aside for emergencies.

Prices have been moving. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported headline inflation of 14.63% in September 2026, down from 15.39% in August, with food inflation at 19.59% year on year. On a month-on-month basis, food inflation was minus 1.55% in September 2026.

This page gives dated figures from neutral sources where they exist and labels any figure that comes from a single provider. It is general information to help you build your own figures, not financial advice.

What does help at home cost?

Nigeria's national minimum wage is ₦70,000 a month, signed into law on 29 July 2024, and the Federal Government said in October 2026 that the next review is due on 1 June 2027.

The minimum wage does not cover every worker: a law firm's summary of the 2024 amendment says it keeps the 2019 Act's exemptions, including for employers with fewer than 25 workers and for part-time workers.

Agency rates are higher. One Lagos home-care agency's published monthly rates, checked 4 November 2026, were ₦119,000 to ₦159,000 for a caregiver, ₦219,000 to ₦259,000 for a registered nurse, and ₦329,000 to ₦359,000 for both together. Our guide to finding a carer in Lagos covers how to choose.

What do medicines and check-ups cost?

Medicine costs depend on the condition and the brand; for diabetes, Arise News reported in October 2025 that insulin cost ₦7,000 to ₦12,000 a vial.

The same report said many patients need two or three vials a month, and estimated ₦30,000 to ₦35,000 a month for insulin. For blood pressure, one online pharmacy listed 28-tablet packs of amlodipine, a common blood pressure medicine, at ₦2,500 (10mg, one brand) and ₦5,100 (5mg, another brand) on 4 November 2026, both marked as last known prices.

For check-ups, The Guardian reported in June 2024 that a consultation at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) had risen from ₦2,700 to about ₦4,200, with a chest X-ray at ₦6,000; LUTH's chief medical director denied recent increases, while saying private partners in the hospital might have raised charges. Our guide to a health check-up for an older parent in Lagos covers what to ask for.

What do power, fuel and transport cost?

Band A electricity, for feeders committed to at least 20 hours of supply a day, costs ₦209.50 per kWh under NERC's September 2026 orders, unchanged since August 2024.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission's orders for the Ikeja Electric, Eko and Ibadan distribution areas set rates only for the states there that NERC still regulates: Ogun State in the Ikeja Electric and Eko areas, and Kwara, Ogun, Osun and Oyo in the Ibadan area. They do not set rates in Lagos. All three show Band A at ₦209.50 per kWh, with Band B (non-maximum demand) at ₦62.48 in the Ikeja Electric order. A monthly bill depends on how much power the home uses and which band its feeder is on.

Petrol for a generator or car cost ₦1,369 a litre at NNPC stations in Lagos on 28 October 2026, according to Legit.ng. For trips to hospital, the NBS put the average city bus fare at ₦1,431.25 a trip and the average okada (motorcycle) fare at ₦1,072.51 in May 2026.

What do the figures look like side by side?

The first table shows monthly figures where a source gives them; the second shows unit prices to multiply by your parent's own use.

• Band A electricity: ₦209.50 per kWh, about 12p (NERC-regulated states, not Lagos, September 2026).
• Petrol in Lagos: ₦1,369 a litre at NNPC stations, about 75p (Legit.ng, 28 October 2026).
• City bus trip: ₦1,431.25, about 79p; okada trip: ₦1,072.51, about 59p (NBS, May 2026).
• Amlodipine, 28 tablets: ₦2,500 to ₦5,100, about £1.37 to £2.80 (one online pharmacy, 4 November 2026).
• LUTH consultation: about ₦4,200, about £2.31 (The Guardian, June 2024).
• Brown beans: ₦1,344.93 a kg; tomatoes: ₦1,560.56 a kg; palm oil: ₦2,396.62 a litre (NBS, May 2026).

How much should go into an emergency fund?

We found no official guide; for scale, LUTH intensive care deposits were reported at about ₦500,000 to ₦1.2m for an adult in June 2024.

The Guardian reported about ₦500,000 in LUTH's older intensive care unit and about ₦1.2m in its new unit. The same report said one section of the intensive care unit at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) asked for a ₦1m deposit and ₦100,000 a day. Our guides to paying a hospital bill in Nigeria from the UK and to an emergency plan for a parent in Nigeria explain how families organise this.

How do you build your own budget?

Start from your parent's actual week: what they eat, which medicines they take, how often they see a doctor and how they get there, then price each line locally.

• List every medicine with its dose, and price a month's supply at their usual pharmacy.
• Ask their doctor how often they need check-ups and tests, and price each visit.
• Decide what help at home is needed, how many hours, and whether a nurse or a carer.
• Ask a relative to photograph the electricity meter or bill to see monthly use.
• Note how many hours the generator runs and how many litres it uses.
• Price the trip to hospital and back by the transport your parent uses.
• Ask a relative to price the weekly food shop at the local market.
• Agree an emergency amount and where it is held.
• Decide who in the family pays which line, and how money is sent.
• Review the budget every three months, as prices change.

Questions people ask

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