Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Addis Ababa and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,300 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index

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Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Addis Ababa and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,300 in Addis Ababa versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Addis Ababa $1,300
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,914 in Addis Ababa versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Addis Ababa $1,914
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,528 in Addis Ababa versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Addis Ababa $2,528
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Addis Ababa costs roughly 19% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Addis Ababa is 4% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.07 ETB 654

$10.62 MX$199

-61.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.77 ETB 6,881

$48.35 MX$908

-11.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.63 ETB 1,067

$10.35 MX$194

-35.94%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 141

$3.69 MX$69.3

-76.15%

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

$0.58 ETB 93.8

$1.67 MX$31.29

-65.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ETB 103

$1.27 MX$23.76

-49.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ETB 124

$3.19 MX$59.9

-75.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 ETB 359

$5.31 MX$99.6

-58.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ETB 172

$1.72 MX$32.38

-37.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ETB 186

$3.04 MX$57.1

-61.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 349

$1.94 MX$36.44

11.86%

Eggs

$1.79 ETB 287

$2.89 MX$54.2

-38.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 ETB 1,209

$10.97 MX$206

-31.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 ETB 1,654

$9.25 MX$174

11.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.49 ETB 1,527

$15.13 MX$284

-37.28%

Apples (1kg)

$5.25 ETB 844

$3.05 MX$57.2

72.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 ETB 102

$1.94 MX$36.45

-67.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ETB 341

$2.03 MX$38.02

4.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.65 ETB 105

$2.31 MX$43.46

-71.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 ETB 81.0

$2.04 MX$38.21

-75.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ETB 174

$1.80 MX$33.79

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 ETB 111

$1.48 MX$27.77

-53.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ETB 92.7

$1.27 MX$23.80

-54.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.01 ETB 1,289

$5.30 MX$99.6

51.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 ETB 914

$16.10 MX$302

-64.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$1.98 MX$37.23

-66.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 196

$4.25 MX$79.8

-71.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ETB 82.6

$0.31 MX$5.73

64.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.05 ETB 3,387

$19.73 MX$371

6.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 208

$1.84 MX$34.50

-29.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 47.28

$0.53 MX$10.02

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ETB 315

$5.30 MX$99.4

-63.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ETB 155

$1.51 MX$28.36

-36.42%

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

$55.7K ETB 9.0M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

155.89%

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

$56.1K ETB 9.0M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

133.96%

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

$202 ETB 32.5K

$63.0 MX$1,182

220.99%

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

$7.50 ETB 1,206

$27.39 MX$514

-72.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$213 ETB 34.3K

$35.67 MX$670

497.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.97 ETB 7,236

$58.9 MX$1,107

-23.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.87 ETB 5,933

$23.64 MX$444

55.96%

Cinema Ticket

$3.77 ETB 607

$6.40 MX$120

-41.09%

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

$633 ETB 101.9K

$432 MX$8,103

46.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

167.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.81 ETB 5,279

$68.2 MX$1,281

-51.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.5 ETB 11.2K

$53.1 MX$997

30.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 ETB 12.5K

$108 MX$2,023

-28.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 ETB 13.3K

$117 MX$2,202

-29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$707 ETB 113.8K

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-36.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$392 ETB 63.0K

$710 MX$13.3K

-44.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,299 ETB 369.9K

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-11.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 ETB 124.5K

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-44.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,976 ETB 318.0K

$3,631 MX$68.2K

-45.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,025 ETB 165.0K

$2,135 MX$40.1K

-51.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 ETB 32.2K

$946 MX$17.8K

-78.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

11.35

63.00%

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

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Addis Ababa

$423 32.5%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 70.2% $297

Accommodation & Living

Addis Ababa

$392 30.1%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 81.4% $319

Groceries & Markets

Addis Ababa

$213 16.4%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 50.2% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Addis Ababa

$118 9.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 31.9% $38

Eating Out

Addis Ababa

$76 5.9%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 161% $122

Sport & Entertainment

Addis Ababa

$53 4%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 36.6% $19

Getting Around

Addis Ababa

$26 2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 1.6% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $707 in Addis Ababa and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays about 4.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Addis Ababa vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $320 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

21:50 9:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

9 h behind Addis Ababa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,500,000 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Addis Ababa Mexico City 14,420 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Addis Ababa
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,300 in Addis Ababa and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Addis Ababa is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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: $707 in Addis Ababa versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,300 per month in Addis Ababa versus $1,608 in Mexico City – Addis Ababa is about 19% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 6% less than in Addis Ababa. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Addis Ababa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Addis Ababa wins on affordability, Mexico City on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.