Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Assela

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,307 in Addis Ababa, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index

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Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,307

/mo nomad

Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Addis Ababa and in Assela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,307 in Addis Ababa versus $835 in Assela.

Addis Ababa $1,307
Assela $835

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,926 in Addis Ababa versus $1,203 in Assela.

Addis Ababa $1,926
Assela $1,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,544 in Addis Ababa versus $1,571 in Assela.

Addis Ababa $2,544
Assela $1,571

Living in Addis Ababa is roughly 57% more expensive than in Assela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Addis Ababa 3% lower, Assela 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.92 ETB 630

$3.96 ETB 636

-1.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.93 ETB 6,730

$42.32 ETB 6,793

-0.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 ETB 1,072

$6.66 ETB 1,069

0.30%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$0.96 ETB 153

-8.33%

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

$0.63 ETB 100

$0.64 ETB 102

-1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 102

$0.68 ETB 109

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.82 ETB 131

$0.83 ETB 133

-1.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ETB 365

$2.20 ETB 353

3.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 ETB 170

$1.05 ETB 169

0.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ETB 195

$1.17 ETB 188

4.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

Eggs

$1.76 ETB 282

$1.78 ETB 286

-1.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.19 ETB 1,153

$7.18 ETB 1,152

0.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ETB 1,645

$10.17 ETB 1,632

0.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 ETB 1,486

$9.17 ETB 1,471

0.98%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 ETB 871

$5.43 ETB 871

-0.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 104

$0.68 ETB 109

-4.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ETB 352

$2.17 ETB 348

0.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 112

$0.66 ETB 106

6.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 80.4

$0.47 ETB 75.4

6.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 167

$1.05 ETB 169

-0.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ETB 104

$0.66 ETB 106

-1.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 97.0

$0.60 ETB 96.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.20 ETB 1,316

$8.03 ETB 1,290

2.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.76 ETB 924

$5.49 ETB 881

4.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.66 ETB 106

3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 ETB 204

$1.22 ETB 196

4.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ETB 83.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.49 ETB 3,449

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$1.29 ETB 207

5.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.70

$0.29 ETB 46.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$2.03 ETB 325

-0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

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

$56.0K ETB 9.0M

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

3.13%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

0.12%

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

$206 ETB 33.1K

$201 ETB 32.2K

2.60%

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

$7.16 ETB 1,149

$7.11 ETB 1,141

0.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.6K

$209 ETB 33.5K

3.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 ETB 7,128

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.94 ETB 5,929

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 ETB 599

$3.83 ETB 614

-2.61%

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

$134 ETB 21.5K

$137 ETB 22.1K

-2.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

0.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.22 ETB 5,331

$33.25 ETB 5,337

-0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.9 ETB 11.2K

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

-1.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 ETB 12.7K

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

1.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 ETB 13.5K

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 ETB 114.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 ETB 62.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 ETB 361.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 ETB 126.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,965 ETB 315.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 ETB 161.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 ETB 32.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

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

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 12, 2026

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Addis Ababa

$429 32.8%

Assela

$417 50% 2.8% $12

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$391 29.9%

Assela

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$213 16.3%

Assela

$211 25.3% 0.9% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$120 9.2%

Assela

$119 14.3% 0.7% $0.8

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$76 5.8%

Assela

$77 9.2% 1.7% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$52 4%

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9% 85.3% $44

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3% 89.6% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Addis Ababa vs $42.00 in Assela. Groceries flip the comparison at $213 vs $211, with Assela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Assela

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

Same time as Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

139,500

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Addis Ababa Assela 130 km

From you

Addis Ababa
Assela

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

Addis Ababa vs Assela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Addis Ababa and Assela differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,307 vs $835 including rent). Assela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,961 in Addis Ababa and $1,252 in Assela to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Addis Ababa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,307 per month in Addis Ababa versus $835 in Assela – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,307 in Addis Ababa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Addis Ababa. The gap between the two cities makes Assela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Addis Ababa and Assela are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Addis Ababa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.