Medical Doctor salary in Nigeria (2026)
Medical Doctor pay in Nigeria typically runs from ₦300,000 to ₦1,500,000 a month gross, with a median around ₦650,000. Below: what that buys in each city, and what you actually take home.
Salary data: NaijaCalc compiled range from published Nigerian salary surveys and job-board postings, Sep 2026. · Data as of 2026-09-10 · Confidence: medium
Figures are MONTHLY GROSS salary in naira, compiled as ranges from published Nigerian salary surveys (MySalaryScale, SalaryExplorer, Payscale, Glassdoor NG) and job-board postings. They are planning estimates for negotiation and budgeting — not offers, not averages from a census, and not tax advice. Every page renders the confidence tier and this caveat. The single highest-value maintenance task on this site is replacing these estimates with reader-submitted, verified payslips.
Take-home pay on the median
Under the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 the first ₦800,000 of chargeable income is tax-free, and 8% goes to pension. On a gross salary of ₦650,000:
| Line | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | ₦7,800,000 | ₦650,000 |
| Pension (8%) | −₦624,000 | −₦52,000 |
| Take-home (before PAYE) | ₦7,176,000 | ₦598,000 |
Get your exact take-home pay →
Medical Doctor salary by city
Adjusted using each city's overall cost index against a national baseline of 100.
| City | Low | Median | High | Cost index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lagos | ₦555,000 | ₦1,200,000 | ₦2,775,000 | 185 |
| Abuja | ₦510,000 | ₦1,105,000 | ₦2,550,000 | 170 |
| Port Harcourt | ₦435,000 | ₦940,000 | ₦2,175,000 | 145 |
| Ibadan | ₦290,000 | ₦625,000 | ₦1,440,000 | 96 |
| Kano | ₦265,000 | ₦570,000 | ₦1,320,000 | 88 |
| Enugu | ₦290,000 | ₦630,000 | ₦1,455,000 | 97 |
| Benin City | ₦270,000 | ₦585,000 | ₦1,350,000 | 90 |
| Kaduna | ₦260,000 | ₦560,000 | ₦1,290,000 | 86 |
| Warri | ₦355,000 | ₦765,000 | ₦1,770,000 | 118 |
| Jos | ₦250,000 | ₦540,000 | ₦1,245,000 | 83 |
| Abeokuta | ₦260,000 | ₦565,000 | ₦1,305,000 | 87 |
| Ilorin | ₦235,000 | ₦515,000 | ₦1,185,000 | 79 |
| Uyo | ₦280,000 | ₦610,000 | ₦1,410,000 | 94 |
| Owerri | ₦280,000 | ₦605,000 | ₦1,395,000 | 93 |
| Calabar | ₦255,000 | ₦550,000 | ₦1,275,000 | 85 |
| Sokoto | ₦230,000 | ₦495,000 | ₦1,140,000 | 76 |
| Maiduguri | ₦220,000 | ₦480,000 | ₦1,110,000 | 74 |
| Asaba | ₦295,000 | ₦635,000 | ₦1,470,000 | 98 |
Entry route
MBBS plus housemanship and NYSC, then residency for specialisation.
Public-sector CONMESS scales are modest; private practice and locum work dominate the upper range.