Nigerian Afrobeats star, Daniel Benson, widely known as BNXN, has ignited a fierce conversation on social media after boldly claiming that living in Lagos is more expensive than living in Los Angeles, one of the priciest cities in the United States.

The singer made the remarks during a TikTok livestream, where he opened up about his decision to relocate to the United States. BNXN said that beyond personal and safety reasons, the high cost of daily life in Lagos played a significant role in his move. He described how, since arriving in America, he had not once been approached by street beggars or hoodlums demanding money a stark contrast to his regular experiences back in Lagos.

“Lagos is super expensive. It is more expensive than Los Angeles,” BNXN said plainly during the stream, a statement that quickly made waves across Nigerian Twitter and other social platforms.

To put his financial situation in perspective, BNXN acknowledged that housing costs in the US are no small matter, revealing that he currently pays $12,000 a month in rent. However, he argued that beyond accommodation, day-to-day expenses in LA are relatively manageable. “Aside from housing, every other thing in LA is not expensive. Here you just pay your rent, and you’re good,” he explained.

The comments have divided opinions sharply. Many Nigerians pushed back on the comparison, pointing out that the two cities operate on entirely different economic scales and that the average Lagos resident earns far less than their American counterpart. Critics argued that BNXN, as a successful music artist, may be experiencing a version of Lagos living that is not representative of the average person’s reality.

Others, however, agreed with his broader point that Lagos has become increasingly unaffordable for middle and upper-class residents, with skyrocketing prices for food, fuel, rent, and imported goods, particularly following Nigeria’s currency devaluation in recent years.

Cost-of-living data from several global indices generally places Los Angeles as significantly more expensive than Lagos in absolute dollar terms.

However, when measured against local purchasing power and income levels, many Nigerians argue that Lagos can feel even more financially punishing for those who earn in naira while paying for goods priced in or influenced by the dollar.

BNXN’s comments have reignited broader conversations about Nigeria’s economic challenges, the growing wave of emigration often referred to locally as “japa” and what it truly means to afford a decent standard of living in Africa’s most populous city.