Lagos Life Beginner Guide

Three things to know before day one

You'll pick up most of Lagos Life by playing, but these three facts shape every decision in your first week. Learn them now and you'll skip the most common beginner disasters.

Saturday is rent day

Rent leaves your account every Saturday morning. Fall short and it becomes debt. Everything in this guide is built around reaching Saturday with the money ready.

Your start is random

After you create your character, the birth lottery makes you a Nepo Baby, a LAPO Baby or a UNILAG fresher. You can't choose or reroll it, so the plan you follow depends on what you got. Skip to your start below once you know.

Skills matter more than your first job

Every career has five levels, and each promotion needs a higher level in one skill. Level 5 can pay ten times what level 1 does. Your first job pays the bills; the skill you train decides how rich you get.

Day one checklist

Do these in order on your first day, before you go exploring.

1. 1

   Apply for a job

   Open your phone and apply. You start tomorrow, so don't wait. Not sure which? See all jobs.

2. 2

   Find your Saturday number

   Weekly rent, plus ₦12,000 if you have a LAPO loan. Write it down.

3. 3

   Eat cheap

   A plate at Amala Shitta starts from ₦100.

4. 4

   Do one no-skill gig

   Carry Load at Balogun Market pays ₦2,250, no skill needed.

5. 5

   Talk to people

   Social is one of your six needs, and other players are half the fun.

6. 6

   Sleep before your shift

   Start tomorrow's shift with full energy so you can finish it.

Work out your Saturday number

Your Saturday number is the money you must have by Saturday morning. Here's what it is for each start, and how much work covers it on a level-1 Banking job (₦11,600 a shift) or with Carry Load runs (₦2,250 each):

The good news: even the hardest start covers the bills with two Banking shifts. The rest of the week is yours to save, train and, yes, have a little fun. The bad news: that only works if you actually get the job on day one.

Your first week by starting path

Find your start and follow its plan. Days are in-game days.

💰 Nepo Baby

You can't really lose week one: Daddy pays your Lekki rent and your Branch Manager job brings in about ₦157,500 a week. The danger is the opposite of everyone else's: having so much that you waste it. It's very possible to spend ₦500,000 in one Victoria Island weekend and start week two broke.

• Days 1–5: work every manager shift (Monday to Friday) and finish each one.
• Evenings: pick the career you really want and train its skill. You already have Charisma 2, which feeds eight careers.
• After the first paycheck: buy a POS Stand (₦500,000) so money arrives every evening at 6 PM.
• Weekend: enjoy Quilox and the Island, with a budget you set before leaving home.

🏦 LAPO Baby

You owe ₦12,000 a week for six weeks on top of rent, and you have no job. Mushin keeps bills lowest (₦14,400/week total). Remember you learn skills 25% faster: that is your way out.

• Day 1: apply for Banking (best level-1 pay, no skill needed) or DJ (four night shifts, free days). Eat at Amala Shitta and do one Carry Load run.
• Days 2–5: work every shift. On free hours, do gigs. Your starting Hustle 2 means WhatsApp Hustle already pays ₦1,150 from home.
• Evenings: train your career's skill. Every level you gain comes 25% faster than for a Nepo Baby.
• Friday night: set aside rent plus the ₦12,000 repayment before anything else. Missed payments add a 10% penalty.
• Saturday: rent and the loan leave. Anything left is your savings toward a first business.

🎓 UNILAG fresher

Money is tightest here (about ₦1,800 spare a week), but there's no loan and graduates earn 25% more per shift for life. You're playing the long game.

• Day 1: pick your course. There are eight; choose one that fits the career you want later.
• Every day: lean on cheap campus activities at UNILAG, which has more to do than anywhere else on the map.
• Free hours: no-skill gigs are not optional. Two Carry Load runs a week more than triple your spare money.
• Saturday: the ₦1,200 hall rent comes out of your ₦3,000 allowance. Easy, as long as you don't spend the allowance by Thursday.

Stay alive on under ₦1,000 a day

Your six needs (hunger, energy, hygiene, bladder, fun and social) drain all day, and keeping them up is where beginner money quietly disappears. Here's the cheap version of every need:

• Hunger

  From ₦100

  Amala Shitta in Surulere. Cheapest proper meal in the city, open 7 AM to 10 PM.

• Energy, hygiene, bladder

  Free

  Sleep, wash and use the toilet at home. These three cost nothing, so never pay for them out.

• Fun

  From ₦100

  Oga Sunday Viewing Centre (₦100 – ₦500) or Elegushi Beach (₦200 – ₦1,500).

• Social

  Free

  Chat with other players anywhere. Freedom Park and the beach are busy, so it's easy to find people.

Fix a need when it drops below half, not when it hits zero. And check opening hours before you travel: Amala Shitta closes at 10 PM, and the hungry walk home from a closed buka is a rite of passage you can skip.

Week two and beyond

If you made it to your second Monday with rent paid, congratulations: the hardest part is over. Here's what to aim for next.

Your first promotion

Most careers ask for skill levels 1 → 3 → 5 → 7 to climb. Your starting skill can help: Nepo Babies begin with Charisma 2 (Banking, Law, Product Management and more), LAPO Babies with Hustle 2 (Trading, Hairstyling, Event Planning). Pick a career that uses the skill you already have and the first steps come quickly.

Your first business

Once rent is safe, save for a business. The Recharge & Data Kiosk (₦150,000) is the cheapest way in; the POS Stand (₦500,000) is the classic first buy. Both pay out every evening at 6 PM and earn back their price in about three months. The make money guide has a week-by-week savings plan.

Your first vote

Every week the city elects a governor at Polling Unit 001. Voting is free, and the winner's policy affects everyone: the minimum wage raise, for example, gives every player 15% more per shift. That's free money for a beginner.

Mistakes new players make

• Waiting to apply for a job. You start the day after you apply, so every hour you wait costs a shift.
• Leaving shifts early. You lose pay. Finish every shift, and try to win 4 tasks for the 15% bonus.
• Spending rent money on nights out at Quilox. It will still be there next week.
• Treating Eko Casino as income. It's open 24 hours because the house never gets tired of winning.
• Training the wrong skill. Fun skills are fine, but only your career's skill gets you promoted.
• Buying a business with your last naira. Bad days happen, and selling returns only 60%.
• Buying in-game money or "codes" from strangers. There are no codes, and exploited money gets reset.

Beginner tips most guides miss

• Add the game to your home screen. It opens like an app and saves typing the link. The play guide shows how.
• Pick your shift time. Since the 1 October update you can choose a 9–5 or a night shift. Night shifts leave daytime for Balogun runs.
• Repay the LAPO loan early if you have a good week. After it's gone, ₦12,000 more stays in your pocket every Saturday.
• Mind the transfer fee. Sending money to a friend costs 5% (minimum ₦50), paid by the sender.
• Do the daily gem hunt. Solve the clue for a free cash prize. It's the closest thing to a daily bonus.
• Keep one account. Extra accounts made to vote twice or dodge a ban are against the rules.

Ready for the full picture? How to play Lagos Life explains every system, from skills to the governor race.