Compared to other countries, what's the cost of living in your country?
Cost of living in my country varies greatly from one region to another. In some areas, the cost of living is very high and in some areas, its very low but in general, I would say the cost of living is low when compared to developed countries but relatively same when compared to other developing countries especially our African neighbours.
How are the prices of goods and services compared to other countries?
Goods and services cost way less than they would in developed countries.
One would imagine that a low cost of living would translate to standard living conditions, with all amenities efficient, good healthcare, good transportation, etc.
On the contrary, the low cost of living is mostly as a result of substandard amenities and a lifestyle that revolves around improvisation. Simply put, we make do with what we have, because we can't have all we need, heck! We can't even have half of what we need.
This is to say that this low cost of living is not even easily affordable to a great majority of the citizens.
Low cost of living in my country just entails that it is possible to survive by spending ridiculously low on goods and services. Unlike some other countries.
There are numerous examples.
This is one of the cheapest places you can get things from in the market (the roadside seller). This is because they spend the least as they don't have shops which will incur rent, they don't even have tables which are extra expenses. They only pay little daily taxes to the authorities for the small space they occupy.
Sometime last year, we had a seminar and I learnt that Medical students in a particular European School all have their own mobile ultrasound device. The visiting foreign doctor and his wife showed us a sample of the device and then promised to give some to the hospital. I applauded their generosity but this is a pointer to the reason for the relatively low cost of healthcare in Nigeria; shortage of medical equipments.
During the discussion with my lecturers, i observed with pride that despite the financial constraints, everything he demonstrated was already being done in our centre but some of them were achieved using improvised alternatives. With the end product being patients recovery.
Truth is that the purchasing power of the average Nigerian is low. Even the available equipments cannot be afforded by most patients. The health insurance is minimal to absent unlike in the developed countries.
You may have all the necessary equipments but the patient would not be able to pay for it.
The physician treats patients with minimal investigations but due to our tenacity and intelligence, the outcome is mostly favourable.
The cost of of housing for instance is just a fraction of what my friend pays in Germany in a shared apartment, despite my apartment being very similar in size as his. But to emphasize this minimalism, my shower is not always running, rarely runs even unlike his apartment with constant water. He has 24 hours of power supply unlike myself.
For transportation, we mostly rely on the tricycle because they are mostly cheaper than the more comfortable alternatives. Even though we have uber, bolt and other transport schemes, they are only a leisure and are used occasionally for specific reasons and not for daily movements.
All these are what makes the cost of living in my country to be low.
We can barely afford leisure, take football for instance, we are either too busy trying to make ends meet or lacking in funds to pay expensive ticket prices to watch matches life. Hence, the stadium is almost always empty regardless of the weight the match carries.
Will your earnings fetch you more or less in those countries?
My earnings in Nigeria would definitely see me suffer greatly in a developed country, even if I should travel with all my savings. Because, the high cost of living would be too high for my survival. That is to say that my earnings would fetch me far less than it would have done here.
If you had the chance, would you relocate over there?
Currently, my answer is Yes. Except the changes which I plan and anticipate yield positive result. Only then would I want to remain in my country. But with the current situation of things and most notably the poor decision making of the leadership, if I had the chance to relocate, I would.
Summary;
Despite the low cost of living, living is not cheap in my country. But we are able to get by and have a meaningful life regardless of our situation.
All images are mine
