Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albuquerque, NM and Asmara

For one person, living is cheaper in Asmara: $1,374 a month against $2,342 in Albuquerque, NM, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Albuquerque, NM outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

114

Cost of Living Index in Albuquerque, NM
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Albuquerque, NM Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Asmara
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Asmara Living Index

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Albuquerque, NM

🇺🇸 United States

$2,342

/mo nomad

Asmara

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albuquerque, NM and in Asmara

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

A single person spends $2,342 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $1,374 in Asmara, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $2,342
Asmara $1,374

A couple spends around $3,506 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $2,159 in Asmara, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $3,506
Asmara $2,159

A family of three spends $4,671 per month in Albuquerque, NM vs $2,943 in Asmara, rent included.

Albuquerque, NM $4,671
Asmara $2,943

Albuquerque, NM costs about 70% more than Asmara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Albuquerque, NM and Asmara sit above the global median – Albuquerque, NM by 73%, Asmara by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.34 $17.34

$20.76 ERN 312

-16.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 $68.1

$33.78 ERN 507

101.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.89 $9.89

$6.02 ERN 90.5

64.29%

Cappuccino

$4.96 $4.96

$0.77 ERN 11.61

544.16%

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

$2.88 $2.88

$1.02 ERN 15.37

182.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.97 ERN 14.59

149.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.90 $5.90

$0.61 ERN 9.20

867.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.56 ERN 23.41

-36.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 $3.15

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$2.26 ERN 33.95

100.88%

Eggs

$4.75 $4.75

$4.48 ERN 67.3

6.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 $11.63

$2.93 ERN 43.95

296.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 $9.21

$27.11 ERN 407

-66.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.29 $20.29

$9.94 ERN 149

104.12%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 $4.69

$12.25 ERN 184

-61.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.26 ERN 18.86

17.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$2.03 ERN 30.53

104.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.14 ERN 17.18

366.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 $3.28

$1.75 ERN 26.31

87.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.95 ERN 14.27

254.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 $2.04

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.79 $2.79

$2.25 ERN 33.78

24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 $10.72

Wine (Bottle)

$14.24 $14.24

$11.98 ERN 180

18.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$0.98 ERN 14.71

151.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 $3.64

$1.03 ERN 15.43

253.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 ERN 2.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.01 $4.01

$7.98 ERN 120

-49.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 $3.62

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.04 $2.04

$0.58 ERN 8.70

251.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.35 $32.35

$10.18 ERN 153

217.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.55 ERN 38.23

-62.35%

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

$29.0K $29.0K

$67.7K ERN 1.0M

-57.13%

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

$25.1K $25.1K

$70.9K ERN 1.1M

-64.55%

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

$155 $155

$25.48 ERN 383

506.59%

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

$62.9 $62.9

$68.1 ERN 1,023

-7.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.0 $73.0

$201 ERN 3,012

-63.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.09 $49.09

$26.63 ERN 400

84.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.40 $14.40

$4.86 ERN 73.1

196.30%

Cinema Ticket

$12.79 $12.79

$1.22 ERN 18.28

948.36%

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

$1,487 $1,487

$24.87 ERN 374

5878.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.3K $25.3K

$2,595 ERN 39.0K

874.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$137 ERN 2,060

-61.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.87 $43.87

$122 ERN 1,837

-64.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 $106

$197 ERN 2,964

-46.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$148 ERN 2,229

-20.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 $1,173

$252 ERN 3,781

366.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 $1,117

$199 ERN 2,984

462.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,267 $2,267

$454 ERN 6,824

398.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,943 $1,943

$420 ERN 6,305

362.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,466 $2,466

$1,247 ERN 18.7K

97.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,257 $2,257

$2,481 ERN 37.3K

-9.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,016 $4,016

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.57

-45.25%

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

Last update for Albuquerque, NM: October 18, 2026

Last update for Asmara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Albuquerque, NM

$1.1K 47.7%

Asmara

$199 14.5% 82.2% $919

Groceries & Markets

Albuquerque, NM

$402 17.2%

Asmara

$364 * 26.5% 9.4% $38

Eating Out

Albuquerque, NM

$295 12.6%

Asmara

$204 * 14.9% 30.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albuquerque, NM

$290 12.4%

Asmara

$294 21.4% 1.3% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Albuquerque, NM

$144 6.2%

Asmara

$272 19.8% 88.6% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Albuquerque, NM

$75 3.2%

Asmara

$29 2.1% 61.1% $46

Getting Around

Albuquerque, NM

$18 * 0.8%

Asmara

$11 * 0.8% 35.9% $6.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,173 in Albuquerque, NM versus $252 in Asmara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Albuquerque, NM versus $34.00 in Asmara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $402 vs $364 – making Asmara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Albuquerque, NM

🇪🇷 Asmara

🕒 Local time

21:40 9:40 PM

06:40 6:40 AM

9 h ahead of Albuquerque, NM

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

564,559

579,000 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 ERN = 6.66 USD

100 ERN = 5.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 15.02 ERN (100 ERN = 6.66 USD). 1 EUR = 16.89 ERN (100 ERN = 5.92 EUR).

ERN to USD in detail →

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Albuquerque, NM Asmara 13,340 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Albuquerque, NM
Asmara

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

Albuquerque, NM vs Asmara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albuquerque, NM costs about 70% more than Asmara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,513 per month in Albuquerque, NM and $2,062 in Asmara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Asmara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,342 in Albuquerque, NM and $1,374 in Asmara. That's a gap of about 70%.

Public transport costs about 99% less in Asmara. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Asmara, where all-in costs run around $1,374, than in Albuquerque, NM at $2,342. In Asmara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Albuquerque, NM it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Asmara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Asmara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Albuquerque, NM makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.