A new quality-of-life survey has identified Kano, despite low-income levels, as the best place for raising a family in Nigeria. It beat wealthier locations, such as Lagos, Abuja, and Rivers.
The report, released by SBM Intelligence, ranked Kano first among the eight surveyed locations on a composite quality-of-life index measuring safety, affordability, childcare access, healthcare, education, electricity supply, and other factors affecting family wellbeing.
The findings challenge the assumption that higher incomes automatically translate into better living conditions.
According to the report, Kano scored 3.92 out of five, ahead of Rivers (3.29), the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) (3.09), Oyo (2.97), Anambra (2.85), Bauchi (2.81), Lagos (2.61), and Cross River (2.1).
SBM Intelligence, an African-focused market intelligence and research firm, said the ranking reflects the factors families consider most important for daily life rather than income alone.
Kano, one of Nigeria’s largest commercial centres and a major hub for trade, agriculture, and small-scale manufacturing, is known for its vibrant informal economy and relatively lower cost of living compared to Lagos and Abuja.
The state also benefits from strong family and community networks, factors that may contribute to residents’ perceptions of quality of life despite lower average incomes.
Low incomes, high life quality
Kano’s top ranking comes with an apparent contradiction.
While the state emerged first overall, it also recorded the lowest income score among the locations in the survey sample.
The report found that more than 31 per cent of respondents in Kano earn less than N100,000 monthly, the highest proportion among the states surveyed.
Kano’s income score stood at 2.08 out of five points, placing it at the bottom of the income rankings. By contrast, Abuja recorded the highest income score at 3.16, followed by Cross River at 3.04 and Lagos at 2.43.
Despite this, the report argues that income alone does not determine whether families consider a place livable.
“Kano leads on safety, childcare, grid supply, and daily affordability. Its weakness is income. Families who can afford to earn less, or who have established livelihoods there, are rewarded with a quality of life that the wealthier cities cannot match,” the report read.
The findings suggest that safety, affordability and access to essential services may have a greater influence on family wellbeing than earnings alone.
Safety drives Kano’s advantage
The report identified security as Kano’s strongest advantage.
Describing the state as “by a clear margin, the safest state in the survey,” SBM Intelligence awarded Kano a safety score of 3.98, the highest score recorded across all indicators measured.
The survey assessed 15 indicators, including income, housing affordability, daily living costs, practical support networks, safety, school quality, healthcare quality, childcare access, family stability, power supply and overall life satisfaction.
According to the report, 80.4 per cent of respondents said they felt somewhat or very safe after dark and rarely worried about their children’s exposure to crime.
Among other surveyed locations, Rivers recorded a safety score of 3.47, Lagos scored 3.14, while Cross River, which ranked last overall, recorded the lowest safety score at 1.84.
The report suggests that safety may be a more important determinant of family well-being than income levels alone.
Affordability matters
Affordability was another major factor behind Kano’s performance.
Respondents rated the state as the most affordable location for daily family life among the states surveyed. Kano scored 3.53 on daily affordability, outperforming Abuja (2.25), Lagos (1.71) and Cross River (1.54).
By contrast, Lagos received the lowest housing affordability score and ranked among the weakest locations for daily living costs.
According to the report, rising rents and household expenses in Lagos and Abuja increasingly consume family incomes, reducing their ability to save or address emergencies.
Childcare and support networks
Kano also recorded the highest childcare access score in the survey.
The report found that families in the state benefit from stronger support systems and easier access to childcare than respondents in most other locations.
The state ranked second only to the FCT on practical support from relatives and friends who assist with childcare, school runs and emergencies. Abuja recorded the highest practical support score at 3.63, followed closely by Kano at 3.55 and Oyo at 3.40. Lagos scored 2.53, while Cross River recorded the lowest score at 1.97. Rivers posted a moderate score of 2.98.
The findings highlight the importance of community structures and informal support networks in improving family wellbeing.
Unexpected power supply edge
One of the report’s more surprising findings concerned electricity supply.
Although infrastructure conversations often focus on Lagos and Abuja, Kano achieved the highest score for grid electricity supply among all surveyed locations.
Only 9.5 per cent of respondents reported receiving fewer than eight hours of electricity daily, compared to 57.1 per cent in Abuja, 58.8 per cent in Rivers and 63.6 per cent in Cross River. Anambra recorded the worst electricity performance overall, with 81.4 per cent of respondents receiving fewer than eight hours of electricity daily.
The report described Kano’s electricity advantage as “the sharpest in the survey.”
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It also noted that the state’s electricity distribution company received the highest customer satisfaction rating among all locations surveyed.
Challenges remain
Despite topping the rankings, cautions SBM Intelligence, Kano’s position should not be interpreted as evidence that all development challenges have been resolved.
Low earnings remain a significant concern, and the state’s quality-of-life advantage could come under pressure if improvements in security and service delivery are not sustained.
The report warned that security challenges affecting parts of northern Nigeria could undermine the gains that currently distinguish Kano from wealthier cities.
Nevertheless, the findings suggest that for many Nigerian families, quality of life depends on more than income alone.
Factors such as safety, affordability, childcare support and reliable public services appear to play an equally important role in determining where families can thrive.
For now, Kano appears to have achieved a balance that many richer urban centres are still struggling to deliver.
