Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,287 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,287

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Addis Ababa 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 Addis Ababa and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Addis Ababa versus $1,568 in Cape Town.

Addis Ababa $1,287
Cape Town $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,891 in Addis Ababa versus $2,438 in Cape Town.

Addis Ababa $1,891
Cape Town $2,438

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,495 in Addis Ababa versus $3,307 in Cape Town.

Addis Ababa $2,495
Cape Town $3,307

Living in Addis Ababa costs roughly 18% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

The two cities straddle the global median: Addis Ababa is 4% below, Cape Town is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ETB 658

$11.78 R 194

-65.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.95 ETB 6,901

$46.55 R 768

-7.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ETB 1,061

$5.96 R 98.4

10.74%

Cappuccino

$0.89 ETB 142

$2.47 R 40.80

-63.97%

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

$0.59 ETB 94.2

$1.33 R 21.91

-55.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 103

$1.03 R 16.99

-37.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.81 ETB 131

$3.01 R 49.72

-73.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ETB 372

$3.66 R 60.4

-36.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 171

$1.39 R 22.96

-23.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.19 R 19.60

-1.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 349

$2.11 R 34.84

2.84%

Eggs

$1.75 ETB 281

$3.01 R 49.58

-41.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 ETB 1,181

$8.96 R 148

-17.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 ETB 1,632

$6.65 R 110

52.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.15 ETB 1,470

$9.29 R 153

-1.51%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 ETB 853

$1.83 R 30.13

190.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 110

$1.90 R 31.31

-64.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ETB 347

$1.75 R 28.83

23.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 105

$2.09 R 34.41

-68.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 ETB 79.3

$1.55 R 25.64

-68.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 167

$1.49 R 24.53

-30.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.30 R 21.41

-46.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ETB 92.5

$1.16 R 19.19

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.83 ETB 1,258

$3.71 R 61.2

111.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 ETB 927

$6.06 R 100

-4.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$1.39 R 22.85

-51.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$2.20 R 36.32

-41.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 ETB 78.1

$1.51 R 24.98

-67.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 ETB 3,411

$61.0 R 1,006

-65.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ETB 214

$0.63 R 10.33

111.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.19

$1.53 R 25.29

-82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ETB 327

$4.81 R 79.4

-57.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$1.58 R 26.08

-43.04%

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

$55.7K ETB 8.9M

$35.5K R 585.7K

56.88%

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

$56.7K ETB 9.1M

$31.7K R 523.8K

78.54%

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

$204 ETB 32.9K

$116 R 1,920

75.70%

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

$7.20 ETB 1,156

$28.37 R 468

-74.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$208 ETB 33.5K

$40.69 R 671

411.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.98 ETB 7,066

$48.85 R 806

-9.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.11 ETB 5,803

$11.13 R 184

224.44%

Cinema Ticket

$3.74 ETB 600

$8.83 R 146

-57.64%

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

$137 ETB 22.0K

$261 R 4,314

-47.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

$6,702 R 110.6K

349.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.12 ETB 5,322

$55.4 R 914

-40.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.5 ETB 11.5K

$32.27 R 532

121.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 ETB 12.7K

$118 R 1,939

-32.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 ETB 13.5K

$107 R 1,766

-21.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 ETB 111.6K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-31.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ETB 62.7K

$715 R 11.8K

-45.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 ETB 371.0K

$1,801 R 29.7K

28.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$782 ETB 125.6K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-41.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,918 ETB 308.2K

$2,331 R 38.5K

-17.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$991 ETB 159.2K

$1,513 R 25.0K

-34.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$205 ETB 32.9K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-87.47%

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 Addis Ababa: October 3, 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

Addis Ababa

$420 32.4%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 55.8% $235

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$390 30.1%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 83.4% $325

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$212 16.3%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 5.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$120 9.3%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 16.6% $20

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$77 5.9%

Cape Town

$174 11% 126% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$51 4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 29.3% $15

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 191% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $694 in Addis Ababa and $1,015 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 698% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Addis Ababa vs $47.00 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $222 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

1 h behind Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

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

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Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Cape Town 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
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

Addis Ababa vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Addis Ababa and Cape Town differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,287 vs $1,568 including rent). Addis Ababa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 698% lower in Cape Town. 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: $694 in Addis Ababa versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,287 per month in Addis Ababa versus $1,568 in Cape Town – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 187% less than in Cape Town. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,287 in Addis Ababa versus $1,568 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Addis Ababa but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Addis Ababa 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.

Expats usually find Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.