Artisan Prices in Nigeria 2026: What Plumbers, Electricians, Painters and Tilers Charge
Day rates and job prices for plumbers, electricians, painters, tilers, AC and generator repairers, cleaners and stylists in Nigeria in 2026, with sources.
By Gikswork team · Published 6 Nov 2026 · 12 min read
Nobody in Nigeria publishes an official price list for artisans. There is no regulator that fixes what a plumber or painter may charge, so prices are agreed job by job. What does exist is a handful of 2026 cost guides, trade pay surveys and retailer price lists. We read them, kept the figures that are dated and sourced, and put them together below. Every number has its source and month next to it. Where good data does not exist, we say so.
Treat these as starting points for a conversation, not fixed prices. Your job, your street and the artisan's experience will move the price.
How much do artisans charge per day in Nigeria in 2026?
On building sites and bigger jobs, most trades work for a day rate. The figures below come from a Nigerian trade-by-trade labour-cost guide published on 30 April 2026, as quoted in Profolio's 2026 trade pay guides. They are labour only. You buy the materials.
| Trade | National day rate | Lagos | Abuja | Other cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plumber | ₦10,000 to ₦22,000 | ₦16,000 to ₦22,000 | ₦14,000 to ₦20,000 | Not published, expect the lower end |
| Electrician | ₦12,000 to ₦25,000 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Tiler | ₦12,000 to ₦18,000 | 20 to 40% above small cities | 20 to 40% above small cities | Kano, Enugu, Owerri at lower end |
| Carpenter (roof and formwork) | ₦10,000 to ₦22,000 | 20 to 40% above small cities | 20 to 40% above small cities | Lower end of national range |
| Mason or bricklayer | ₦10,000 to ₦18,000 | ₦14,000 to ₦18,000 | ₦12,000 to ₦18,000 | Port Harcourt ₦11,000 to ₦16,000; Ibadan, Kano ₦10,000 to ₦12,000 |
| Painter | ₦10,000 to ₦14,000 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
A second tracker, current to July 2026 and also quoted by Profolio, gives a narrower figure for skilled site labour: ₦12,000 to ₦15,000 a day in Lagos and ₦8,000 to ₦10,000 in the northern states. The two sources disagree by a few thousand naira a day, so read the table as a range, not a rate card.
Prices have climbed fast. A comparable guide from March 2025 put a Lagos mason at ₦7,000 to ₦15,000 a day, according to Profolio's bricklayer guide. The 2026 floor is about double that.
What about Uyo, Calabar and other smaller cities?
We could not find any published 2026 price survey for Uyo, Calabar, Eket or most state capitals. The guides above only say smaller cities sit 20 to 40 per cent below Lagos and Abuja. If you are in Akwa Ibom, the honest advice is to collect two or three written quotes and compare them against the national ranges here.
How much do plumbers charge in Lagos and other cities?
Plumbers work in three ways, and each is priced differently.
- Day rate on a site: ₦16,000 to ₦22,000 in Lagos and ₦14,000 to ₦20,000 in Abuja (April 2026 labour-cost guide, via Profolio).
- Whole-house installation, labour only: ₦120,000 to ₦200,000 for basic plumbing, ₦200,000 to ₦350,000 for a standard house, and ₦350,000 to ₦600,000 for a duplex or complex system (2026 installation-cost guide, via Profolio).
- Whole job with materials: ₦350,000 to ₦700,000 for a three-bedroom house, of which only ₦120,000 to ₦250,000 is labour (same guide).
For a borehole, a July 2026 guide quoted by Profolio gives ₦900,000 to ₦2,500,000 in total, made up of ₦600,000 to ₦1,600,000 for drilling and ₦300,000 to ₦900,000 for the pump and installation.
What about small plumbing jobs?
We found no reliable 2026 price list for single repairs such as fixing a leaking pipe, changing a tap or installing a WC. Plumbers quote these after seeing the problem. A fair way to judge a small-job quote is against the day rate: a repair that takes half a day in Lagos should not cost much more than ₦8,000 to ₦11,000 in labour, plus parts and transport.
Electrician price list in Nigeria
Electricians charge either by the day or by the point.
- Day rate: ₦12,000 to ₦25,000 nationally (April 2026 guide). Other Nigerian cost guides quoted in Profolio's electrician guide put skilled electricians at ₦10,000 to ₦20,000 a day.
- Wiring labour: ₦3,500 to ₦8,000 per point, where a point is one socket, switch or lighting position (same guide).
Worked example: wiring a 3-bedroom flat
Say your flat has 35 points between sockets, switches and lights. That number is our example, not a standard. Count yours on the drawing.
- Labour at ₦3,500 per point: 35 x ₦3,500 = ₦122,500.
- Labour at ₦8,000 per point: 35 x ₦8,000 = ₦280,000.
- Add cables, conduit, boxes, breakers and the distribution board, which you buy separately.
So labour alone could sit anywhere from about ₦122,500 to ₦280,000. The gap is why you should get the point count and the rate written on the quote.
How much do painters charge in Nigeria?
Painters quote per day, per square metre, per room or per job. The per square metre rates below come from a Nigerian cost guide updated on 13 July 2026, quoted in Profolio's painter guide.
| Painting job | Labour only, per m2 | Supply and apply, per m2 |
|---|---|---|
| Interior emulsion | ₦400 to ₦900 | ₦900 to ₦1,600 (mid-range paint) |
| Interior emulsion, premium paint | Same as above | ₦1,500 to ₦2,500 |
| Exterior masonry | ₦500 to ₦1,100 | ₦1,000 to ₦2,000 |
| Gloss on doors, windows and rails | ₦600 to ₦1,500 | Not published |
| Textured finishes | Not published separately | ₦2,500 to ₦8,000 |
Per room and per job, with paint included, a Lagos paint retailer's guide dated 14 January 2026 (via Profolio) gives:
- one room plus ceiling: ₦85,000 to ₦145,000;
- three-bedroom flat, interior only: ₦280,000 to ₦950,000;
- four-bedroom duplex, inside and outside: ₦850,000 to ₦2,200,000.
What does paint cost in 2026?
The Nigeria Housing Market 2026 paint price list gives these 20-litre prices:
| Paint | 20 litres |
|---|---|
| Finecoat emulsion (standard) | ₦18,000 to ₦25,000 |
| Meyer Ultimate emulsion | ₦85,000 to ₦110,000 |
| Sandtex Premium Satin | ₦125,000 to ₦145,000 |
| Dulux Silk or Satin emulsion | ₦155,000 to ₦175,000 |
| Dulux Weathershield (exterior) | ₦170,000 to ₦185,000 |
| Screeding putty (20kg) | ₦15,000 to ₦28,000 |
The same guide says moving paint from Lagos and Ogun factories to the North and East can add up to ₦2,000 per bucket.
Worked example: repainting a 3-bedroom flat
Suppose the painter measures 300 square metres of walls and ceilings and says you need 8 buckets of 20 litres. Both numbers are for illustration. Ask your painter for the real ones.
- Labour at ₦400 to ₦900 per m2: 300 x ₦400 = ₦120,000, up to 300 x ₦900 = ₦270,000.
- Budget paint: 8 x ₦18,000 = ₦144,000, up to 8 x ₦25,000 = ₦200,000.
- Premium paint instead: 8 x ₦155,000 = ₦1,240,000.
With budget emulsion the job lands around ₦264,000 to ₦470,000. With premium paint the paint alone costs more than the whole budget job. The brand you choose matters far more than the painter's rate.
How much do tilers charge per square metre?
Tilers usually price per square metre. A Nigerian building-cost guide from January 2026, quoted in Profolio's tiler guide, gives these labour-only rates:
| Tiling job | Labour per m2 |
|---|---|
| Floor, straight lay | ₦1,500 to ₦2,500 |
| Floor, diagonal or pattern | ₦2,200 to ₦3,500 |
| Wall, flat | ₦2,000 to ₦3,500 |
| Bathroom wall with cuts | ₦2,500 to ₦4,500 |
| Large tiles, 60 by 120cm and above | ₦3,000 to ₦5,000 |
| Skirting, per running metre | ₦800 to ₦1,500 |
A July 2026 tracker puts mid-range floor tiling, supplied and laid, at ₦8,000 to ₦12,000 per square metre. That means labour is only about a fifth of a tiling bill.
Worked example: tiling a living room and two bedrooms
Say the floor area is 60 square metres with a straight lay.
- Labour: 60 x ₦1,500 = ₦90,000, up to 60 x ₦2,500 = ₦150,000.
- Supplied and laid at mid-range: 60 x ₦8,000 = ₦480,000, up to 60 x ₦12,000 = ₦720,000.
Before work starts, agree who buys the adhesive, grout and spacers. Profolio notes that labour-only rates leave these out.
How much do carpenters charge?
- Day rate for roof and formwork carpentry: ₦10,000 to ₦22,000, and ₦15,000 to ₦35,000 for a foreman (April 2026 guide, via Profolio's carpenter guide).
- Built-in wardrobe, mid-range, supplied: ₦1,200,000 to ₦1,800,000, of which installation labour is ₦80,000 to ₦240,000 (2026 price guide, via Profolio).
Most of a furniture price is board, timber, hardware and finish. Ask for labour and materials as separate lines.
How much do AC technicians charge?
From the Zit 2026 split AC guide, last updated December 2025:
| AC job | Price |
|---|---|
| Install split unit, 1 to 1.5HP | ₦20,000 to ₦35,000 |
| Install split unit, 2 to 2.5HP | ₦30,000 to ₦50,000 |
| Install cassette unit | ₦50,000 to ₦100,000 |
| Multi-split system | ₦80,000 to ₦200,000 or more |
| Basic service | ₦8,000 to ₦12,000 |
| Deep cleaning service | ₦15,000 to ₦25,000 |
| Gas refill, if needed | ₦15,000 to ₦30,000 extra |
The guide says Lagos and Abuja run 20 to 30 per cent above other cities. A gas top-up is mostly the cost of refrigerant, so ask the technician to show you the gas reading before and after.
How much does generator repair cost?
Nigerian 2026 price guides quoted in Profolio's generator technician guide give these prices, parts included:
- routine service, small petrol set: ₦5,000 to ₦20,000;
- carburettor work: ₦5,000 to ₦40,000;
- AVR replacement: ₦15,000 to ₦65,000;
- alternator rewinding: ₦50,000 to ₦180,000;
- diesel engine overhaul on a 20 to 100 kVA set: ₦120,000 to ₦500,000 or more;
- call-out and diagnosis in Lagos and Abuja: ₦2,000 to ₦8,000.
How much do cleaners and hair stylists charge?
House cleaners
The Guardian's April 2026 guide to housekeeper rates gives daily rates of ₦6,000 to ₦10,000 on Lagos Island, ₦4,000 to ₦7,000 on the Lagos Mainland, ₦5,000 to ₦8,000 in Abuja, ₦4,000 to ₦6,000 in Port Harcourt and ₦3,000 to ₦5,000 in Ibadan and Kano. More experienced cleaners charge more. Our house cleaner cost guide covers this in detail.
Hair stylists
Lagos salon menus quoted in Profolio's hairstylist guide list cornrows with attachment at ₦12,000 to ₦42,500, braids and twists with extensions at ₦16,800 to ₦70,000, keratin smoothing at ₦150,000 and bridal packages from about ₦80,000 to well over ₦200,000. Abuja cornrows start from ₦2,000. Many of these prices include the attachment, so ask.
Why do artisan prices vary so much?
- City and area. Lagos and Abuja cost more, and so do Ikoyi, Lekki and Maitama compared with other parts of the same city.
- Labour only or supply and fix. This one question can change a quote several times over.
- Size and access. High walls, upstairs work and tight bathrooms take longer.
- Urgency. Weekend, night and same-day call-outs cost more.
- Transport. Many artisans add transport for distant jobs.
- Skill. Large tiles, textured paint and inverter or solar wiring cost more because fewer people do them well.
How to get a fair quote
- Describe the job clearly, with photos and measurements if you can.
- Get two or three quotes for anything above about ₦50,000.
- Ask each one to separate labour, materials and transport.
- Ask how many days the job will take and how many people will come.
- Agree the price, the finish date and what happens if the work is faulty, in writing.
- Pay part at the start for materials only if you must, and keep receipts.
- Release the balance only when you have inspected the work.
Paying safely when you hire
Paying the full amount upfront is how many homeowners lose money. Paying everything at the end is how many artisans lose money. A middle way is to have the money held until the job is done.
On Gikswork you post a job with what you will pay, and the money is held in escrow, secured by EscrowPay, until the work is finished. Every worker has their NIN or BVN checked before taking a job, and ratings go both ways. You can browse plumbers, electricians, painters, tilers and AC technicians, and read about our fees and safety checks. Artisans can join as a worker for free.
Sources
- Profolio, Plumber salary and job prices in Nigeria 2026, quoting a Nigerian labour-cost guide of 30 April 2026
- Profolio, Electrician pay guide 2026
- Profolio, Painter pay and price guide 2026
- Profolio, Tiler pay and price guide 2026
- Profolio, Carpenter pay guide 2026
- Profolio, Bricklayer pay guide 2026
- Profolio, Generator technician pay guide 2026
- Profolio, Hairstylist pay guide 2026
- Nigeria Housing Market, Price of paints in Nigeria 2026
- Zit, Split air conditioners in Nigeria 2026 guide, updated December 2025
- The Guardian, Housekeeper daily room cleaning amount in Nigeria, 11 April 2026
Questions people ask
How much does a plumber charge per day in Lagos in 2026?
A Nigerian labour-cost guide of April 2026, quoted by Profolio, puts a plumber's site day rate at ₦16,000 to ₦22,000 in Lagos and ₦14,000 to ₦20,000 in Abuja. Small repair jobs are usually priced per job, so ask for a written quote.
How much do electricians charge per point in Nigeria?
Nigerian cost guides quoted by Profolio in 2026 put wiring labour at ₦3,500 to ₦8,000 per point, meaning each socket, switch or light. Cables, boxes and fittings are extra.
How much does it cost to paint a 3-bedroom flat in Lagos?
A Lagos paint retailer's guide of January 2026 puts a 3-bedroom flat interior at ₦280,000 to ₦950,000 with paint included. The paint brand you choose moves the total more than the painter's labour does.
Are artisans cheaper in Uyo, Ibadan or Port Harcourt than in Lagos?
Usually yes. Published 2026 guides put Lagos and Abuja day rates 20 to 40 per cent above smaller cities, and one gives a Port Harcourt mason ₦11,000 to ₦16,000 a day against ₦14,000 to ₦18,000 in Lagos. We found no published price survey for Uyo.
Should I buy the materials myself or let the artisan buy them?
Either can work, but agree it in writing first. A labour-only quote and a supply-and-fix quote for the same job can differ several times over, so always ask which one you are being given.
How much does AC servicing cost in Nigeria?
A Nigerian AC retailer's 2026 guide puts a basic service at ₦8,000 to ₦12,000 and a deep clean at ₦15,000 to ₦25,000, with a gas top-up adding ₦15,000 to ₦30,000. It says Lagos and Abuja run 20 to 30 per cent higher than other cities.