Is It Cheaper to Cook or Order In? Nigerians Know the Real Answer


The battle is familiar. You’ve had a long day, your body is weak, and your food delivery app is staring at you. The numbers don’t lie though. One plate of food delivered to your door now feels like a luxury, not just a convenience. Cooking, on the other hand, feels like stress until you realise how much money it saves you.

So, which one is truly cheaper in Nigeria today? Let’s look at it properly.


The True Cost of Ordering In:


Delivery apps have made eating out feel like the default. But convenience comes at a cost. A plate of jollof rice and chicken that should be around ₦2,500 in a restaurant easily climbs to ₦3,500 or ₦4,000 on delivery apps. By the time you add a drink and pay a delivery fee that ranges between ₦800 and ₦1,500, you’re already at ₦5,000 for a single meal.

Do this three times in a week, and you’ve spent over ₦15,000 on food that didn’t even last past the evening. That’s money that could have bought groceries to feed you for days. The trap is how subtle it feels. Small, small payments until you check your bank app and start calculating how you got here.


Here's What Cooking Offers You


Cooking isn’t just “cheaper.” It’s the only way to stretch your naira right now. Let’s use rice as an example. A 5kg bag costs about ₦9,000. Add ₦4,500 for chicken, pepper, tomatoes, oil, and seasoning, and you’ll have food that can comfortably give you five portions. That means each serving comes down to about ₦1,000, less if you stretch it with extras like plantain or salad.

It’s not only about cost. Cooking means leftovers, freedom to portion food for the week, and no surprise charges like “delivery fee.” The downside is the energy it takes, but that’s where planning saves you.


Do What Works For You


Cooking doesn’t have to feel like punishment. The real struggle is time and energy, but there are ways around it:


🍽️Cook in bulk on days you feel stronger and freeze the rest.


🍽️Choose meals that don’t demand too much. Pasta, noodles, or yam porridge can be ready in under 30 minutes.


🍽️Prep ingredients on weekends so weekday cooking is just a matter of throwing things together.


The truth is, nobody enjoys coming back from work only to start pounding yam. But simple meals and a little structure can save you thousands every week.

The Bottom Line

Ordering food has its place. Sometimes you’re too tired, sometimes you just want a treat. But if you’re trying to grow your savings or at least stop wondering where your salary went, cooking at home is still the smarter move. The difference between spending ₦5,000 on one meal and ₦5,000 on food that lasts four days is too big to ignore.

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