In Lagos, it is often perceived as a step up when you relocate from the Mainland to the Island. Many

consider it as a form of economic aspiration as you climb up the social ladder and cement your

position in the middle class. Thus, when Dafe a Senior Banker who just purchased a 4 bedroom

apartment, moved to the Island, his experience wasnt as rosy as he fought. Scaling up the social

ladder did come with some cost particularly if it involved moving to the Island.

Power

Oblivious to Dafe and so many others who recently moved to the Lekki from the Mainland, electricity

just as a nice neighbourhood is also a luxury on the island. By relocating to the Island, he had no

choice but to buy a new 20KVA Diesel and 10 KVA Petrol Generators respectively. But even people

on the Mainland buy Generators as well dont they? The only difference however, is that he spends

thrice as much on buying diesel and fuel. Every Sunday, he goes to the filing station with four 50

litre Jerry Cans. He buys 100litres worth of Diesel at N160 per litre and another 100 litre gallon of

fuel at N97 per litre. Both cost him a combined N25,700 a week minimum. On the Mainland, he

spends about half that amount and that is in a very bad week.

Tolls

Moving to Lekki also meant paying Tolls as he and his family commute everyday to work and school

and back. At first, Dafe considered the N120 he paid as he crossed each toll as a mere stipend and

money well spent in exchange for a good access road with minimal traffic. After all, whilst the road

leading to his erstwhile neighbourhood of Maryland was equally good, the traffic congestion he had

to preserve en route home from the Island was frustrating. By the end of his first month, the family

was already spending north of N20,000 every month. A switch to the all access E-Pass hardly

changed anything instead his expenses raked up. By the time he realised Toll was costing him and

his family between N20,000 N25,000 monthly.

School Fees

One of the excitements of relocating to the Island was finally giving Dafe and his family an

opportunity for his kids to get quality education. Surely, there were good schools on the

Mainland but the Island had a different feel to it. What he however, failed to consider was the

disparity in school fees between the Island and the Mainland. Now he had to shell out N200,000 per

term for his 3 year old Sons school fees compared to the N120,000 he paid back in Maryland. To

make matters worse, the N200,000 he has to part with could have gotten him a chance at one of the

top three schools on the Mainland of which the equivalent on the Island was between N250,000 to

N350,000 per term. His eldest child even cost more to maintain. At a school fees of N800,000 per

term for Junior secondary education, there is no hiding place for him.

Security

Security in Lagos is pretty much challenging no matter where you live. However, kidnapping and car

jacking seemed more lucrative to perpetrators on the Island. Estates such as the one, Dafe moved

to had to resort to ingenious and effective ways to curb the menace. These off course involved

money and most people didnt like to compromise when it comes to security even if the financial

drain is killing. Dafe now spends at least N5,000 every month on various security dues in the Estate.

This is in addition to the N20,000 he pays his Gate Man every month.

Rent & Fees

Everyone who plans to move to the Island knows rent over there is typically higher than what

obtains on the Mainland. However, what Dafe probably doesnt know yet is that the location effect

also affects rent increases. Luckily for him, he pays no rent but for his neighbours and colleagues

who live in rented apartments and complain of frustrations with draconian landlords, he starting to

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Thinking Of Moving To The Island? Here Are 7 Painful Expenses You

Should Be Aware OfBy Nairametrics Published Sunday 24 November 2013 9:03 AM 5 Comments Tags: fees, Lagos Island, living expenses, location, mainland, rent

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grasp with the reality on ground. People on the Island pay far more not just in rent but in agency

fees. They also have to dole out more cash with the landlord hiding under the weakness of the

Tenancy Act to charge two year rentals. Dafe however, doesnt escape rentals. His Land Use

Charge cost him about N15,000 per annum as his house is considered to be in the medium range

considering its location.

Nature

Nature is often forgotten when people change to a new location but Dafe fortunately did consider

nature in choosing his present location. His cousin Tobes experience was a startling reminder.

Tobe moved to the Island years before and settled beside a former popular beach destination

around the Chevron round about. Life was good for the first three years until a major rain that fell a

few years ago forced him to abandon his residence for good. He was at work when he got a call

from his neighbours that his house was flooded. Believing it wasnt so serious, he ignored the

urgency of the call until a picture was sent to his cellphone. His compounded was flooded and his

other car virtually submerged. By the time he got back home, he only just managed to pack his

soaked clothes, documents and water proof belongings. His electronics, furniture and even car was

not salvageable.

Utilities & Living Expenses

Perception like some say is reality. Markets also view this concept as logical basis for pricing.

Electricity bills, water, refuse bins, supermarkets, salons etc all seemed to cost a lot more on the

Island. Dafe started noticing this when he realised his light bills was costing him about N25,000 a

month compared to N15,000 he paid on the Island and this was even because Nepa rarely gave

them light and he cant even remember when last he slept he light provided by Nepa. At N15,000

per month he saw more electricity on the Mainland. Despite living in an area surrounded by water,

water was as scarce as it gets. He had to spend over N200,000 sinking a borehole. Groceries,

confectionaries and services all seemed to cost a little more.

The post above and its ensuing comments, if any, is purely the opinion of the writer(s). It therefore

should never be considered as an investment advise of any sort. If required, readers should please

consult a competent professional financial adviser for any investment decision.

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5 Comments so far. Feel free to join this conversation.

d4gmail

Big Man, Big Problem.

Dom

Lol, more money more problems

diamond

What a horrible written and biased report.

Cant believe and reading this on Ugometrics blog.

It not even worth a rebuttal.

Ugo, please ban who ever wrote this and going forward, his reports should be properly

reviewed for an acceptable level of accuracy before being published.

Nairametrics

What exactly is wrong with the report? It would be nice to get specifics

from you

Tosin

You didnt mention Water and the cost of everything on the island.

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