I’ve done both, and the answer is not as simple as “rent is cheaper far away”. When I stayed in places like Ikorodu and Mowe, rent felt like a win at first. 350k to 500k and you’re settled. But movement will humble you. A normal day can be 2k to 5k on transport, depending on where you’re going. Multiply that by a full month, and you’re easily doing 50k to 100k. That’s already close to what some people add to rent just to stay nearer.

Then there’s time. Leaving the house before 5 am, getting back at 8 or 9 pm. Your whole day is spent inside a bus and in traffic. You’re always tired, you start buying food outside more because cooking feels like stress, and that money adds up quietly. You also lose chances to do anything extra with your time.

When I moved closer to work around Yaba, Ikeja, the rent jumped. No sugarcoating it. But transport dropped heavily. Some days it’s one bus or even a short ride. Monthly transport became something like 15k to 30k. I had time again. I could go home early, cook, even do extra work online.

If you’re only checking rent, it looks cheaper. If you calculate transport, feeding, and your time, staying closer usually makes more sense. Most people only do half the math.

How much do you actually spend on transport in a week, and have you ever compared it to the rent where you really want to live?