Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Adama and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,021 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Adama
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Adama Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,021

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Adama and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Adama and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Adama vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Adama $1,021
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,672 per month in Adama vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Adama $1,672
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,323 per month in Adama vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Adama $2,323
Cape Town $3,307

Adama is about 35% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Adama sits 24% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 ETB 480

$11.78 R 194

-74.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.94 ETB 6,900

$46.55 R 768

-7.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ETB 789

$5.96 R 98.4

-17.62%

Cappuccino

$0.91 ETB 146

$2.47 R 40.80

-63.16%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ETB 94.0

$1.33 R 21.91

-55.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ETB 50.1

$1.03 R 16.99

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ETB 124

$3.01 R 49.72

-74.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ETB 364

$3.66 R 60.4

-37.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ETB 131

$1.39 R 22.96

-41.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 ETB 195

$1.19 R 19.60

1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ETB 345

$2.11 R 34.84

1.90%

Eggs

$1.81 ETB 291

$3.01 R 49.58

-39.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.25 ETB 1,165

$8.96 R 148

-19.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 ETB 1,626

$6.65 R 110

52.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 ETB 1,440

$9.29 R 153

-3.55%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 ETB 857

$1.83 R 30.13

191.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.90 R 31.31

-66.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ETB 340

$1.75 R 28.83

21.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 105

$2.09 R 34.41

-68.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.4

$1.55 R 25.64

-69.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 167

$1.49 R 24.53

-30.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.30 R 21.41

-49.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.7

$1.16 R 19.19

-50.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.21 ETB 1,320

$3.71 R 61.2

121.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 ETB 922

$6.06 R 100

-5.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ETB 115

$1.39 R 22.85

-48.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$2.20 R 36.32

-44.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ETB 209

$0.63 R 10.33

106.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.11

$1.53 R 25.29

-82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ETB 312

$4.81 R 79.4

-59.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ETB 143

$1.58 R 26.08

-43.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$54.7K ETB 8.8M

$35.5K R 585.7K

54.15%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$55.4K ETB 8.9M

$31.7K R 523.8K

74.49%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$204 ETB 32.7K

$116 R 1,920

75.11%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$7.21 ETB 1,159

$28.37 R 468

-74.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$211 ETB 33.8K

$40.69 R 671

417.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$3.86 ETB 620

$8.83 R 146

-56.29%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$136 ETB 21.9K

$261 R 4,314

-47.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

$6,702 R 110.6K

348.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.62 ETB 5,401

$55.4 R 914

-39.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

$32.27 R 532

117.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 ETB 12.5K

$118 R 1,939

-33.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 ETB 13.2K

$107 R 1,766

-23.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$350 ETB 56.2K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-65.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ETB 32.0K

$715 R 11.8K

-72.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 ETB 158.3K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-45.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 ETB 130.3K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-39.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$101 ETB 16.3K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-93.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

10.97

68.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Adama: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Adama

$422 41.4%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 56% $236

Groceries & Markets

Adama

$208 20.4%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 6.9% $14

Accommodation & Living

Adama

$199 19.5%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 260% $516

Clothing & Footwear

Adama

$118 11.6%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 18.6% $22

Eating Out

Adama

$62 6%

Cape Town

$174 11% 182% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Adama

$7.7 * 0.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 762% $59

Getting Around

Adama

$2.6 * 0.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 2752% $73

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $350 in Adama versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1513% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Adama versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $222 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Adama

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

07:10 7:10 AM

1 h behind Adama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,623

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Adama Cape Town 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Adama
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Adama vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,021 in Adama, $1,568 in Cape Town – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Adama and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Adama and $47.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Adama, where all-in costs run around $1,021, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Adama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,021 in Adama to $1,568 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Adama. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.