Cost of cooking Jollof rice jumps to over 400% across Nigeria – SBM Report

The cost of preparing a pot of jollof rice has surged by more than 400 percent across all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria over the past decade, highlighting the deepening impact of food inflation on household budgets, according to a new report by SBM Intelligence.

The report, titled Rebasing, Redefining, and the Weather's Toll on the Pot, uses the firm's Jollof Index to track changes in the cost of cooking one of Nigeria's most popular meals, painting a stark picture of declining purchasing power nationwide.

Southwest records highest increase

Among the six geopolitical zones, the Southwest experienced the sharpest rise, with the cost of cooking jollof rice increasing by 708.2 percent since 2016.

Other regions also recorded substantial increases:

Northcentral: 567.3%

South-South: 489.9%

Northeast: 467.5%

Southeast: 441.3%

Northwest: 428.0%

Historical data in the report showed that the Northwest entered the index in July 2016 with an average cooking cost of ₦4,890, while the Southeast and Northcentral started at ₦4,120 and ₦4,095, respectively. The South-South was added in June 2017 at ₦5,685, while the Northeast joined the index in April 2019 with an average cost of ₦5,700.

South-South now most expensive region

Although the Southwest posted the fastest long-term increase, the South-South currently has the highest cost of preparing a pot of jollof rice.

According to the latest index:

South-South: ₦33,533

Northeast: ₦32,350

Southwest: ₦31,625

Northcentral: ₦27,325

Northwest: ₦25,820

Southeast: ₦22,300

SBM Intelligence said the persistent rise in food prices reflects a combination of economic and structural challenges, including high inflation, insecurity affecting farming communities, rising transportation costs, naira depreciation, and climate-related disruptions that continue to strain food production and distribution across the country.

Nigeria outpaces Ghana in food inflation

The report also compared Nigeria's food inflation with Ghana's, where the Jollof Index has been monitored since 2023.

During that period, Accra recorded a 41.9 percent increase in the cost of cooking jollof rice, while Kumasi posted a 45.5 percent rise. Both figures remain significantly lower than the increases recorded across every region in Nigeria, underscoring the severity of the country's food inflation crisis.

The findings come as official inflation data continues to reflect sustained pressure on food prices. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), food inflation rose to 16.06 percent in April 2026, surpassing the headline inflation rate of 15.69 percent for the first time since August 2025.

For many Nigerian households, the escalating cost of staple meals such as jollof rice illustrates the continued erosion of the naira's purchasing power, forcing families to spend a greater share of their income on food while reducing overall consumer spending.