Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,287 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

Jump to prices

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,287

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,287 in Addis Ababa versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Addis Ababa $1,287
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,891 in Addis Ababa versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Addis Ababa $1,891
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,495 in Addis Ababa versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Addis Ababa $2,495
Dubai $5,788

Living in Addis Ababa costs roughly 55% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Addis Ababa is 4% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ETB 658

$13.04 AED 47.89

-68.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.95 ETB 6,901

$81.4 AED 299

-47.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ETB 1,061

$9.32 AED 34.25

-29.18%

Cappuccino

$0.89 ETB 142

$5.97 AED 21.93

-85.09%

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

$0.59 ETB 94.2

$1.63 AED 5.98

-63.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 103

$0.81 AED 2.99

-20.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.81 ETB 131

$13.65 AED 50.1

-94.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ETB 372

$13.38 AED 49.15

-82.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 171

$1.81 AED 6.64

-40.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.57 AED 5.78

-25.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 349

$2.49 AED 9.16

-12.85%

Eggs

$1.75 ETB 281

$3.28 AED 12.04

-46.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 ETB 1,181

$12.67 AED 46.53

-41.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.16 ETB 1,632

$9.75 AED 35.80

4.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.15 ETB 1,470

$13.18 AED 48.40

-30.58%

Apples (1kg)

$5.31 ETB 853

$2.61 AED 9.57

103.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 110

$1.93 AED 7.09

-64.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ETB 347

$1.92 AED 7.05

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 105

$1.36 AED 5.00

-52.21%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 ETB 79.3

$1.17 AED 4.29

-58.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 ETB 167

$1.01 AED 3.71

2.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.51 AED 5.56

-54.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ETB 92.5

$0.62 AED 2.29

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.83 ETB 1,258

$5.85 AED 21.50

33.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 ETB 927

$16.14 AED 59.3

-64.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$2.65 AED 9.74

-74.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ETB 206

$2.95 AED 10.82

-56.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 ETB 78.1

$1.64 AED 6.03

-70.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.23 ETB 3,411

$73.6 AED 270

-71.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.33 ETB 214

$3.17 AED 11.66

-58.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.19

$0.71 AED 2.63

-61.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 ETB 327

$7.96 AED 29.23

-74.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

$0.99 AED 3.64

-9.09%

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

$55.7K ETB 8.9M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

103.45%

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

$56.7K ETB 9.1M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

151.48%

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

$204 ETB 32.9K

$250 AED 920

-18.34%

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

$7.20 ETB 1,156

$54.2 AED 199

-86.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$208 ETB 33.5K

$91.8 AED 337

126.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.98 ETB 7,066

$98.6 AED 362

-55.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.11 ETB 5,803

$42.61 AED 156

-15.25%

Cinema Ticket

$3.74 ETB 600

$16.03 AED 58.9

-76.67%

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

$137 ETB 22.0K

$843 AED 3,098

-83.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

64.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.12 ETB 5,322

$68.0 AED 250

-51.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.5 ETB 11.5K

$57.9 AED 213

23.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 ETB 12.7K

$101 AED 370

-21.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 ETB 13.5K

$101 AED 371

-16.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$694 ETB 111.6K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-70.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ETB 62.7K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-74.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,309 ETB 371.0K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-47.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$782 ETB 125.6K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-74.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,918 ETB 308.2K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-73.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$991 ETB 159.2K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-76.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$205 ETB 32.9K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-93.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

4.54

307.49%

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

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Addis Ababa

$420 32.4%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 5.6% $24

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$390 30.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 286% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$212 16.3%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 38.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$120 9.3%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 22.3% $27

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$77 5.9%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 302% $232

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$51 4%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 154% $79

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Dubai

$87 3% 236% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $694 in Addis Ababa and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1554% 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 $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $212 vs $293 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

1 h ahead of Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Dubai 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Addis Ababa and Dubai differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($1,287 vs $2,854 including rent). Addis Ababa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1554% lower in Dubai. 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 $2,380 in Dubai. 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 $2,854 in Dubai – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 247% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,287 in Addis Ababa versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Addis Ababa but tight or insufficient in Dubai. 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.

Safety-wise, Addis Ababa and Dubai 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 Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.