Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Assela and Addis Ababa

For one person, living is cheaper in Assela: $835 a month against $1,307 in Addis Ababa, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Assela
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Assela Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index

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Assela

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$835

/mo nomad

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $835 in Assela versus $1,307 in Addis Ababa.

Assela $835
Addis Ababa $1,307

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Assela versus $1,926 in Addis Ababa.

Assela $1,203
Addis Ababa $1,926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,571 in Assela versus $2,544 in Addis Ababa.

Assela $1,571
Addis Ababa $2,544

Living in Assela costs roughly 36% less than in Addis Ababa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Assela 38% lower, Addis Ababa 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.96 ETB 636

$3.92 ETB 630

1.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.32 ETB 6,793

$41.93 ETB 6,730

0.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 ETB 1,069

$6.68 ETB 1,072

-0.30%

Cappuccino

$0.96 ETB 153

$0.88 ETB 142

9.09%

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

$0.64 ETB 102

$0.63 ETB 100

1.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.64 ETB 102

6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 133

$0.82 ETB 131

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ETB 353

$2.28 ETB 365

-3.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.06 ETB 170

-0.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 188

$1.22 ETB 195

-4.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 ETB 357

Eggs

$1.78 ETB 286

$1.76 ETB 282

1.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.18 ETB 1,152

$7.19 ETB 1,153

-0.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 ETB 1,632

$10.25 ETB 1,645

-0.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 ETB 1,471

$9.26 ETB 1,486

-0.97%

Apples (1kg)

$5.43 ETB 871

$5.42 ETB 871

0.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.65 ETB 104

4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 ETB 348

$2.19 ETB 352

-0.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.70 ETB 112

-5.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.4

$0.50 ETB 80.4

-6.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.04 ETB 167

0.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.65 ETB 104

1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ETB 96.9

$0.60 ETB 97.0

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 ETB 1,290

$8.20 ETB 1,316

-2.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.49 ETB 881

$5.76 ETB 924

-4.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.68 ETB 109

-2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 196

$1.27 ETB 204

-3.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.52 ETB 83.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.49 ETB 3,449

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ETB 207

$1.36 ETB 218

-5.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 46.58

$0.29 ETB 46.70

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.03 ETB 325

$2.02 ETB 325

0.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ETB 144

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$56.0K ETB 9.0M

-3.03%

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

$56.5K ETB 9.1M

-0.12%

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

$201 ETB 32.2K

$206 ETB 33.1K

-2.54%

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

$7.11 ETB 1,141

$7.16 ETB 1,149

-0.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$209 ETB 33.5K

$216 ETB 34.6K

-3.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.41 ETB 7,128

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.94 ETB 5,929

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ETB 614

$3.73 ETB 599

2.68%

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

$137 ETB 22.1K

$134 ETB 21.5K

2.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ETB 4.8M

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

-0.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.25 ETB 5,337

$33.22 ETB 5,331

0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.9 ETB 11.4K

$69.9 ETB 11.2K

1.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 ETB 12.5K

$79.1 ETB 12.7K

-1.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 ETB 13.3K

$84.0 ETB 13.5K

-1.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$711 ETB 114.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 ETB 62.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 ETB 361.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$786 ETB 126.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,965 ETB 315.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 ETB 161.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 ETB 32.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

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

Last update for Assela: October 11, 2026

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Assela

$417 50%

Addis Ababa

$429 32.8% 2.9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Assela

$211 25.3%

Addis Ababa

$213 16.3% 0.9% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Assela

$119 14.3%

Addis Ababa

$120 9.2% 0.7% $0.8

Eating Out

Assela

$77 9.2%

Addis Ababa

$76 5.8% 1.6% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Assela

$7.7 * 0.9%

Addis Ababa

$52 4% 578% $44

Getting Around

Assela

$2.7 * 0.3%

Addis Ababa

$26 2% 863% $24

Accommodation & Living

Assela

- * 0%

Addis Ababa

$391 29.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42.00 in Assela vs $42.00 in Addis Ababa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $213 per month, with Assela cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Assela

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🕒 Local time

17:47 5:47 PM

Same time as Assela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,500

3,500,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Assela Addis Ababa 130 km

From you

Assela
Addis Ababa

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

Assela vs Addis Ababa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assela and Addis Ababa differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($835 vs $1,307 including rent). Assela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,252 in Assela and $1,961 in Addis Ababa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Addis Ababa. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $835 per month in Assela versus $1,307 in Addis Ababa – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $835 in Assela versus $1,307 in Addis Ababa, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Assela but tight or insufficient in Addis Ababa. The gap between the two cities makes Assela 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, Assela and Addis Ababa 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 Assela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 57% less than in Addis Ababa. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.