Nigeria’s cost-of-living pressures remained elevated across several states in December 2025, even as national inflation moderated following the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Other News
Nigeria’s headline inflation eased sharply to 15.15% in December 2025, following a methodological review by the National Bureau of Statistics, signalling a significant moderation in price pressures compared with both the previous month and the same period last year.
Data from the latest Consumer Price Index report showed that the CPI rose to 131.2 points in December from 130.5 points in November, indicating a slower pace of increase in average prices across the economy.
On a year-on-year basis, headline inflation fell to 15.15% in December 2025 from 17.33% in November and was far lower than the 34.80% recorded in December 2024. This reflected a sharp deceleration in inflation over the twelve-month period.
Food inflation recorded one of the sharpest improvements, falling to 10.84% year on year from 39.84% in December 2024. On a month-on-month basis, food prices declined by 0.36%, reversing the 1.13% increase recorded in November. The NBS linked the decline to lower prices of staples such as tomatoes, garri, eggs, grains, vegetables, beans, and fresh onions. The twelve-month average food inflation rate stood at 22.00%.
State-level data from the latest CPI report show that non-food inflation, rather than food prices, increasingly defines which states ranked as the most expensive places to live, especially in urban and commercial centres.
Below are the top 10 most expensive states to live in Nigeria in December 2025, according to the latest CPI data from the NBS:
Cross River (16.9%)
Cross River recorded a 16.9% year-on-year all-items inflation rate, but what stood out in December was the sharp 3.1% month-on-month increase, one of the highest across the states reviewed.
Food inflation stood at 10.7% year on year, while food prices declined by 0.5% month on month, indicating that the December spike was not food-led. Instead, rising transport, housing-related costs and services likely pushed overall prices higher, reinforcing the role of core inflation in driving living costs in the state.
Ekiti (16.9%)
Ekiti also posted 16.9% year-on-year inflation, but unlike Cross River, price pressures were largely flat in December, with 0.0% month-on-month change in all-items inflation.
Food inflation stood at 12.6% year on year, while food prices fell sharply by 1.7% month on month, easing household pressure. The data suggest that whatever inflation Ekiti experienced in 2025 was carried more by non-food components, with December offering temporary relief on food costs.
Enugu (17.0%)
Enugu recorded 17.0% year-on-year all-items inflation, with prices rising 1.6% month on month in December.
Food inflation came in at 10.7% year on year, with a mild 0.3% monthly increase, far below the headline rate. This gap confirms that non-food inflation, including housing, transport and services, played the dominant role in keeping Enugu among Nigeria’s more expensive states.
Borno (17.0%))
Borno also posted 17.0% year-on-year inflation, with a 1.9% month-on-month increase in December.
Food inflation stood at 11.8% year on year, but food prices declined by 0.6% month on month, meaning inflationary pressure came largely from non-food sources. This pattern reflects how insecurity, logistics disruptions and higher service costs can sustain inflation even when food prices temporarily soften.
Yobe (17.2%)
Yobe recorded 17.2% year-on-year all-items inflation, with prices rising 1.0% month on month.
Food inflation was notably higher at 15.2% year on year, with a 1.2% monthly increase, making Yobe one of the few states where food inflation closely tracks headline inflation. This suggests that food prices remain a central driver of the cost of living in the state, reflecting household vulnerability to supply shocks.
Lagos (17.5%)
Lagos posted 17.5% year-on-year inflation, with a strong 2.1% month-on-month increase in December.
Food inflation stood at 12.5% year on year, while food prices fell by 0.5% month on month. The divergence confirms that Lagos’ high cost of living is overwhelmingly core-driven, shaped by rent, transport, energy and service costs rather than food alone.
Abuja (18.0%)
The Federal Capital Territory recorded 18.0% year-on-year inflation, with prices climbing 2.5% month on month, one of the sharpest increases nationwide.
Food inflation stood at 13.2% year on year, but food prices declined by 1.0% month on month. This reinforces Abuja’s long-standing profile as a high-cost, non-food-driven location, where housing, transport and services dominate household expenditure.
Katsina (18.7%)
Katsina recorded 18.7% year-on-year all-items inflation, with a 1.1% month-on-month increase.
Food inflation came in at 11.2% year on year, with a 1.0% monthly increase, indicating that while food prices are rising, core inflation remains the main force pushing Katsina higher on the cost-of-living scale.
Ogun (18.8%)
Ogun posted 18.8% year-on-year inflation, with prices rising 1.8% month on month.
Food inflation stood at 14.1% year on year, but food prices fell by 0.9% month on month, again pointing to non-food inflation as the key driver. Ogun’s growing industrial and residential links with Lagos continue to exert upward pressure on rents, transport and services.
Abia (19.0%)
Abia topped the ranking with 19.0% year-on-year all-items inflation, alongside a steep 2.6% month-on-month increase.
Food inflation was relatively lower at 10.2% year-on-year, with a sharp 1.6% monthly decline. The data leave little doubt that core inflation was the dominant force, driven by costs likely linked to commerce, services, and housing, particularly around Aba’s trading and manufacturing hubs.
