Is Class A office cheaper in Lagos or Nairobi?

Nairobi is cheaper on a USD basis: $10/sqft vs $60/sqft.

Which has better talent depth, Lagos or Nairobi?

Lagos indexes higher on talent depth (74 vs 72).

Which has more sublease availability, Lagos or Nairobi?

Nairobi carries higher vacancy (21.4% vs 17.6%) and therefore typically more sublease overhang.

What lease term should I expect in Lagos vs Nairobi?

Lagos typical term is 2 years with 4 months rent-free; Nairobi typical term is 5 years with 6 months rent-free.

Lagos ($60/sqft, 17.6% vacancy) and Nairobi ($10/sqft, 21.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Lagos on talent depth and Nairobi on rent and tax.

Class A rent: Lagos $60/sqft vs Nairobi $10/sqft.
Vacancy: Lagos 17.6% vs Nairobi 21.4%.
Talent index: Lagos 74 vs Nairobi 72.
Corporate tax: Lagos 30% vs Nairobi 30%.
Premium flex/seat/month: Lagos $360 vs Nairobi $320.

Lagos vs Nairobi: Class A office comparison

Lagos ($60/sqft, 17.6% vacancy) and Nairobi ($10/sqft, 21.4% vacancy) compete on different axes: Lagos on talent depth and Nairobi on rent and tax.

TL;DR

Class A rent: Lagos $60/sqft vs Nairobi $10/sqft.
Vacancy: Lagos 17.6% vs Nairobi 21.4%.
Talent index: Lagos 74 vs Nairobi 72.
Corporate tax: Lagos 30% vs Nairobi 30%.
Premium flex/seat/month: Lagos $360 vs Nairobi $320.

Market data side-by-side

Metric	Lagos	Nairobi
Region	EMEA	EMEA
Country	Nigeria	Kenya
Class A rent (USD/sqft/yr)	$60	$10
Class A rent (local)	90000 NGN	1300 KES
Vacancy	17.6%	21.4%
Trend	flat	flat
Prime yield	9.6%	9.8%
Premium flex / seat / month (USD)	$360	$320
Submarkets covered	5	5
Corporate tax	30%	30%

Lease norms

Metric	Lagos	Nairobi
Typical term	2 yrs	5 yrs
Typical rent-free	4 mos	6 mos
Lease norms	USD-pegged or naira leases (USD common for international tenants). 2-3 year terms standard with renewal options. Often payable annually or 6-monthly in advance. Free rent of 3-6 months on a 3-year deal.	Net leases. 5-6 year terms with escalation clauses. Free rent of 4-8 months and TI of KES 4,000-7,000/sqm typical.
Tax note	30% Nigerian corporate income tax. 7.5% VAT. Tertiary Education Tax 2.5%. Investment promotion incentives available in selected free zones (Lekki Free Zone, Calabar Free Zone).	30% Kenyan corporate income tax. EPZ (Export Processing Zone) and SEZ incentives available. Significant withholding taxes on cross-border payments.

Talent

Metric	Lagos	Nairobi
Talent index (0–100)	74	72
Talent note	Deep banking, oil and gas, fintech, and creative talent. Strong English-language professional base. Strong feed from University of Lagos, Lagos Business School, and Covenant University. Nigeria's tech ecosystem (Flutterwave, Paystack, Andela) anchors deep talent.	Deep mobile money / fintech, NGO, and African operations talent. Strong English and Swahili bilingual professional base. Strong feed from University of Nairobi, Strathmore, and JKUAT.

Transit & commute

Lagos: Lagos Light Rail (Blue Line operating 2023, Red Line 2024). BRT (Lagos BRT). Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) bus-served. Heavy car dependency; Third Mainland Bridge anchors Mainland-Island commute.

Nairobi: BRT under construction; Standard Gauge Railway connects to Mombasa. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) bus-served. Nairobi Expressway connects Westlands to JKIA. Heavy car dependency.

Top submarkets — Lagos

Victoria Island (VI) — trophy tier · ₦100,000/sqm/yr · ≈ $6.22 PSF/yr USD
Ikoyi — trophy tier · ₦95,000/sqm/yr · ≈ $5.91 PSF/yr USD
Eko Atlantic City — trophy tier · ₦90,000/sqm/yr · ≈ $5.6 PSF/yr USD

Top submarkets — Nairobi

Westlands — trophy tier · KSh1,500/sqm/mo · ≈ $13 PSF/yr USD
Upper Hill — trophy tier · KSh1,400/sqm/mo · ≈ $12.2 PSF/yr USD
Gigiri (UN Corridor) — prime tier · KSh1,100/sqm/mo · ≈ $9.57 PSF/yr USD

Decision criteria

Pick by cost

Nairobi is the cheaper Class A market on a USD basis.

Pick by talent depth

Lagos has the deeper talent index (74/100 vs 72/100).

Pick by tax

Tax rates are tied.

Pick by lease optionality

Lagos typical term is 2 years with 4 months free; Nairobi runs 5 years with 6 months free.

Pick by transit

Lagos: Lagos Light Rail (Blue Line operating 2023, Red Line 2024). BRT (Lagos BRT). Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) bus-served. Heavy car dependency; Third Mainland Bridge anchors Mainland-Island commute. Nairobi: BRT under construction; Standard Gauge Railway connects to Mombasa. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) bus-served. Nairobi Expressway connects Westlands to JKIA. Heavy car dependency.

Run a 4-city comparison

Score Lagos, Nairobi and up to two more markets side-by-side on Class A rent, vacancy, talent, corporate tax, and premium flex pricing — all in USD.

Run a 4-city comparison →

Frequently asked questions

Is Class A office cheaper in Lagos or Nairobi?: Nairobi is cheaper on a USD basis: $10/sqft vs $60/sqft.
Which has better talent depth, Lagos or Nairobi?: Lagos indexes higher on talent depth (74 vs 72).
Which has more sublease availability, Lagos or Nairobi?: Nairobi carries higher vacancy (21.4% vs 17.6%) and therefore typically more sublease">sublease overhang.
What lease term should I expect in Lagos vs Nairobi?: Lagos typical term is 2 years with 4 months rent-free; Nairobi typical term is 5 years with 6 months rent-free.
How does transit and commuter access compare?: Lagos: Lagos Light Rail (Blue Line operating 2023, Red Line 2024). BRT (Lagos BRT). Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) bus-served. Heavy car dependency; Third Mainland Bridge anchors Mainland-Island commute. Nairobi: BRT under construction; Standard Gauge Railway connects to Mombasa. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) bus-served. Nairobi Expressway connects Westlands to JKIA. Heavy car dependency.

Editorial provenance

Reviewed by Samuel Okafor — EMEA contributing editor. Last updated 2026-04-15. See our methodology and editorial standards.

Primary sources for this page

CBRE Marketview reports — CBRE
JLL Office Insight — JLL
Cushman & Wakefield Marketbeat — Cushman & Wakefield
Savills World Research — Savills
Colliers Global Office Outlook — Colliers

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