Townleap

Cost of Living: Lagos vs Seville (2026)

Portugal vs Spain — relocation comparison

Your passport:
Lagos
Seville
$1,233/mo
Rent

1BR centre

$980/mo
−$3k/yr
Take-home savings

At each city's local median pay

$11k/yr
5 yr
PR path
5 yr
Tax breaks

Open incentive regimes for newcomers

Beckham Law (Régimen Especial), Startups Law — Entrepreneur & Remote-Worker Route into Beckham (Limited)
Freelance setup
Trabalhador Independente
  • VAT-free under €15k
  • 21.4% social
  • €900/yr accountant
WiseStripe
Autónomo
  • No VAT exemption
  • €1800/yr accountant
WiseStripe

Sourced from Numbeo · Updated May 2026

TL;DRSeville is 20% cheaper on rent ($980/mo vs $1,233/mo). Seville summers average 93°F vs 82°F. Both countries will let you complain about the government in public — and mean it.
Lagos and Seville are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin.
How the livability score breaks down
Lagos
Seville
17/25
💰 Affordability
19.4/25
14.3/15
🔒 Violent Crime
14.4/15
6.1/10
🛡️ Perceived Safety
6.3/10
6.3/15
Internet
5.3/15
12.1/15
🗳️ Democracy
12.2/15
8.7/10
🗣️ English
6.3/10
8.3/10
☀️ Climate
5.5/10
7.6/10
📊 Stability
7.2/10
7.5/10
🚗 Road Safety
9.7/10
8.5/10
🕊️ Geopolitical Safety
7.7/10
Household
Lagos
Metric
Seville
$518/mo
🛒
Living costs (no rent)
lower is better
$491/mo
$5,682
🧳
Cost to land
lower is better
$4,952
82 / 100
🛡️
Settler safety
higher is better
85 / 100
0.7 / 100k
🔒
Homicides
lower is better
0.6 / 100k
7.2 / 100k
🚗
Road deaths
lower is better
3.5 / 100k
61 / 100
🚨
Safety Index
higher is better
63 / 100
82°F
☀️
Summer high
personal taste
93°F
50°F
❄️
Winter low
personal taste
45°F
84 Mbps
Internet speed
higher is better
🌬️
Air quality (PM2.5)
lower is better
9.4 μg/m³
84 / 100
🏥
Healthcare
higher is better
88 / 100
8.1 / 10
🗳️
Democracy
higher is better
8.1 / 10
6.7 / 9
🤝
Migrant acceptance
higher is better
7.4 / 9
67 / 100
🏳️‍🌈
Rainbow Index
higher is better
76 / 100
72/100
🗣️
Street English
higher is better
38/100
$52k
💼
GDP per capita (PPP)
higher is better
$58k
2.4% · Boringly steady
📈
Inflation
lower is better
2.8% · Boringly steady
96/100
🗽
Freedom House
higher is better
90/100
A median Software Engineer in Lagos takes home $2,624/mo under Standard employee. In Seville: $3,336/mo under Standard employee.
$711/mo more in Seville
🎯 Seville's Beckham Law (Régimen Especial) isn't modelled above — if you qualify, take-home would be $3,470/mo instead.
Each city pays its own median — Software Engineer gross via Levels.fyi / Eurostat. Moving changes your salary too; that's the point.
$50k
💰
Gross income
$60k
−$13k
🏛️
Income tax
Standard employee
−$16k
−$6k
🛡️
Social contributions
−$4k
$31k/yr
$3k/mo
💵
Take-home pay
$40k/yr
$3k/mo
−$34k
🏠
Cost of living
−$30k
−$3k/yr
🐖
Annual savings
$11k/yr
Swap the local medians for your actual number

Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · Ookla · WHO · EIU · Gallup · World Bank · Freedom House · Updated May 2026

💰
Cost of Living
Seville
$253/mo cheaper on rent alone
☀️
Weather
82°F vs 93°F summers
🗣️
English
Lagos
higher proficiency score

Sun

How much sky you actually get

62% clear
Win
Spr
Sum
Fall
Sky clear
avg daytime
67% clear
Win
Spr
Sum
Fall
9.7h
Shortest day
Dec
9.6h
14.7h
Longest day
Jun
14.7h

Sun clocks out before 5pm in both cities come December. Plan accordingly.

Source: WeatherSpark (clear-sky share of daytime hours)

Settler Essentials

Democracy trend
stable
declining
Inflation trend
improving
Moderate
🇺🇸 Your visa
Moderate
Easy
EU visa
Easy
Complex
RU visa
Complex
Moderate
UA visa
Moderate
Recognized (2+ yr)
união de facto
Partner pathway
Conditional (1+ yr)
pareja de hecho

Visa stamps:Easy <90 daysModerate 3–6 moComplex 6+ mo

Sources: EIU · Freedom House · Startup Genome · official immigration portals

Reproductive Rights

Because your body shouldn't need a visa too

On request
Abortion access
On request
10 wk
Gestational limit
14 wk

On request up to 10 weeks since 2007 referendum. Mandatory 3-day reflection period.

On request up to 14 weeks. 2023 reform removed mandatory waiting period.

Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

LGBTQ+ Rights

Can you hold hands without doing a risk assessment first

Legal
Marriage
Legal
Joint adoption
Adoption
Joint adoption
Yes
Job protection
Yes
Yes
Hate crime law
Yes

Lagos vs Seville — Common Questions

Is Lagos cheaper than Seville?

Seville is cheaper. A 1-bedroom apartment in city centre costs around $980/month there vs $1233/month in the other city (Numbeo data).

Which is safer, Lagos or Seville?

Seville is statistically safer based on UNODC homicide data. Lagos has a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 and Seville has 0.61 per 100,000.

Should I move to Lagos or Seville?

Lagos and Seville are almost suspiciously well-matched. Flip a coin. See the full comparison above for rent, safety, internet speed, climate, and democracy scores to decide which city fits your priorities.

Which has better weather, Lagos or Seville?

Seville is warmer in summer (93°F vs 82°F). Lagos has milder summers, which suits those who prefer cooler weather. Climate preference is personal — use the weather section above to compare seasons.

Can I live in Lagos or Seville without speaking the local language?

Lagos is easier for street-level English (72/100) than Seville (38/100). That's the score that matters for doctors, landlords, and bureaucracy. Office English can still run higher than street English in both cities.

What's the cost of rent in Lagos vs Seville?

A 1-bedroom in the centre: $980/month in Seville, $1233/month in Lagos (Numbeo). That's 20% cheaper rent in Seville.

Plot twist: other matchups exist

Maybe the real city was the comparisons we made along the way.

Let the algorithm judge you

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