Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $968 a month against $1,306 in Addis Ababa, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
Learn more

Addis Ababa Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,306

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,306 in Addis Ababa versus $968 in Bansko.

Addis Ababa $1,306
Bansko $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,918 in Addis Ababa versus $1,479 in Bansko.

Addis Ababa $1,918
Bansko $1,479

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,531 in Addis Ababa versus $1,989 in Bansko.

Addis Ababa $2,531
Bansko $1,989

Living in Addis Ababa is roughly 35% more expensive than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Addis Ababa 3% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ETB 658

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-53.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.97 ETB 6,748

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-7.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.59 ETB 1,060

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-26.12%

Cappuccino

$0.94 ETB 152

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-59.66%

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

$0.60 ETB 96.2

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-59.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 103

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-22.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.79 ETB 127

$1.75 BGN 3.05

-54.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ETB 372

$2.01 BGN 3.49

14.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 ETB 170

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-38.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$0.86 BGN 1.49

36.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 ETB 305

$1.46 BGN 2.55

30.14%

Eggs

$1.73 ETB 279

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-25.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ETB 1,204

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-21.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.20 ETB 1,641

$6.30 BGN 10.96

61.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 ETB 1,441

$8.64 BGN 15.04

3.70%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 ETB 841

$1.32 BGN 2.29

296.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 ETB 103

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-61.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ETB 360

$1.74 BGN 3.02

28.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 ETB 112

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-63.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.2

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-50.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 176

$0.72 BGN 1.26

51.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ETB 112

$0.55 BGN 0.96

27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 92.0

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.99 ETB 1,284

$3.33 BGN 5.79

139.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 ETB 895

$5.08 BGN 8.84

9.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ETB 113

$1.12 BGN 1.95

-37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ETB 197

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-28.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 ETB 78.1

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-44.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.46 ETB 3,450

$27.08 BGN 47.11

-20.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-21.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.01

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-70.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-79.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ETB 146

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-39.33%

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

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

93.30%

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

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

159.28%

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

$205 ETB 33.0K

$92.5 BGN 161

122.03%

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

$7.50 ETB 1,206

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-48.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.7K

$12.13 BGN 21.11

1678.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.62 ETB 7,175

$31.84 BGN 55.4

40.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.90 ETB 5,933

$8.46 BGN 14.72

336.17%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 615

$5.51 BGN 9.59

-30.49%

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

$610 ETB 98.1K

$227 BGN 395

168.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K ETB 3.2M

$2,311 BGN 4,021

773.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.49 ETB 5,224

$30.56 BGN 53.2

6.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

$18.95 BGN 32.97

269.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 ETB 13.0K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

76.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.2 ETB 14.7K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

88.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ETB 112.2K

$510 BGN 887

36.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 ETB 62.4K

$364 BGN 634

6.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 ETB 366.7K

$624 BGN 1,085

265.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$767 ETB 123.4K

$566 BGN 985

35.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,967 ETB 316.2K

$1,166 BGN 2,028

68.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$994 ETB 159.9K

$969 BGN 1,686

2.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$208 ETB 33.5K

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-87.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

2.99

518.73%

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

Last update for Addis Ababa: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Addis Ababa

$429 32.8%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 72.2% $309

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$388 29.7%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 6.2% $24

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$210 16.1%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 8.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$124 9.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 47.7% $59

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$77 5.9%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 90.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$52 4%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 18% $9.4

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 41.6% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $698 in Addis Ababa and $510 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bansko pays about 8.1 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $42 in Addis Ababa vs $45 in Bansko. Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $193, with Bansko cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

02:55 2:55 AM

1 h behind Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Bansko 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
Bansko

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 Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,306 in Addis Ababa and $968 in Bansko, so Bansko is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 88% lower in Addis Ababa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $698 in Addis Ababa versus $510 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,306 per month in Addis Ababa versus $968 in Bansko – Bansko is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 21% less than in Bansko. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $968 in Bansko versus $1,306 in Addis Ababa, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bansko but tight or insufficient in Addis Ababa. The gap between the two cities makes Bansko 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.