Rent Affordability & Advance-Rent Calculator for Nigeria

Nigerian rent maths has a twist almost no calculator handles: landlords commonly demand one or two years paid upfront. A rent that looks affordable monthly can still be completely out of reach as a lump sum. This tool checks both constraints — the monthly ratio and the cash you actually need on day one.

🏠 Calculator

₦900,000

months paid in advance: 12

Rent per month (as a ratio) ₦75,000

True monthly cost of the advance ₦75,000

Lump sum due before you move in ₦900,000

Rent as a share of annual income 21.4%

Comfortable ceiling (25% of income) ₦1,050,000

Stretch ceiling (30% of income) ₦1,260,000

Months to save the advance from scratch 3.9

Comfortable. This rent is within the conservative 25% guideline, leaving room for the irregular costs Nigerian households actually face.

Works without JavaScript — the figures above are a worked example using the default values.

Before you rely on this

Advance rent is not a deposit — you do not get it back, and you are exposed to a landlord who disappears. Where you can, negotiate a monthly or quarterly arrangement and pay a premium for it.
Budget for agent fee (typically 10%), agreement fee (10%) and caution deposit (10%) on top of the rent. On a ₦900,000 flat that is roughly ₦270,000 extra.

How this is calculated: Calculator logic in assets/js/calc-core.js, verified by the test suite in tests/calc-core.test.js. Rate inputs are prefilled from the figures below. · Data as of 2026-09-10
Prefilled rates are national reference values. Your own receipt, payslip or pump price always overrides them.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of my salary should rent be in Nigeria?

The standard guidance is 30% of gross income. In high-cost Nigerian cities, where incomes are irregular and renewals come with sharp increases, 25% of net income is the safer line. Above 40% you are effectively working for your landlord.

Is paying two years' advance ever a good idea?

It locks your rent against inflation for two years, which in a high-inflation economy has real value. The cost is the opportunity cost of that capital and the risk of a bad landlord. If you have no emergency fund, the risk outweighs the hedge.

How long should it take me to save for a two-year advance?

If it is more than about six months of disciplined saving, the property is priced above your reach and you are one setback away from losing the deposit. The calculator shows your exact figure.

Can my landlord increase the rent during a two-year advance?

Not during the paid period, unless your agreement says otherwise — which is why you read the agreement before paying. Increases apply at renewal, and in Lagos they routinely run 20-50%.

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