Nigeria’s headline inflation eased to 16.05% in October 2025, down from 18.02% in September, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The moderation follows the full adoption of the new CPI base year (2024 = 100), which has significantly altered year-on-year comparisons.
Despite the softer annual figure, underlying price momentum picked up.
Month-on-month inflation rose to 0.93%, higher than 0.72% in September.
However, food inflation eased to 13.12% year-on-year from 39.16% in October 2024, a drop of 26.04 percentage points, following the change in the CPI base year. On a monthly basis, food prices rose -0.37%, an increase from -1.57% in September, indicating fresh upward pressure.
Despite signs of easing headline inflation across the country, the data from the NBS revealed that some states remain significantly costlier to live in than others.
Based on the latest CPI report for October 2025, these are the top 10 most expensive states to live in Nigeria:
Rivers recorded an annual inflation rate of 17.2%, with food inflation hitting 18.0% year-on-year. Interestingly, the state saw a 3.2% drop in month-on-month food prices, suggesting short-term relief in the food market, even as all-item inflation rose by 1.2% in October. This divergence indicates that non-food items, such as transport and housing, contributed more significantly to the rising cost of living in October.
