Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brazil and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,213 in Ethiopia, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
Learn more

Ethiopia Living Index

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🇧🇷 Brazil

$865

/mo nomad

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brazil and in Ethiopia

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

A single person spends $865 per month in Brazil vs $1,213 in Ethiopia, rent included.

Brazil $865
Ethiopia $1,213

A couple spends around $1,373 per month in Brazil vs $1,821 in Ethiopia, rent included.

Brazil $1,373
Ethiopia $1,821

A family of three spends $1,880 per month in Brazil vs $2,429 in Ethiopia, rent included.

Brazil $1,880
Ethiopia $2,429

Cost ranges are similar: Brazil spans $569–$1,349, Ethiopia $374–$1,300. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Brazil is roughly 29% lower than in Ethiopia on average.

Both Brazil and Ethiopia are more affordable than the global median – Brazil 36% lower, Ethiopia 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.55 R$35.28

$4.11 ETB 662

59.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.71 R$165

$42.65 ETB 6,862

-28.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.45 R$40.12

$6.45 ETB 1,038

15.50%

Cappuccino

$1.91 R$10.28

$0.86 ETB 138

122.09%

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

$1.15 R$6.21

$0.57 ETB 92.5

101.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.07

$0.56 ETB 90.6

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.95

$0.89 ETB 143

107.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 R$15.37

$1.94 ETB 313

47.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.55

$1.03 ETB 166

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 R$8.43

$0.90 ETB 145

74.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.65

$1.74 ETB 280

-28.74%

Eggs

$2.10 R$11.32

$1.79 ETB 288

17.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R$47.72

$7.49 ETB 1,205

18.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 R$21.49

$10.49 ETB 1,687

-61.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.76 R$41.74

$9.97 ETB 1,605

-22.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 R$11.60

$4.43 ETB 713

-51.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.84

$0.78 ETB 125

62.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.22

$2.45 ETB 394

-52.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.23

$0.67 ETB 108

128.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.25

$0.55 ETB 88.3

110.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 R$5.49

$1.34 ETB 216

-23.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 R$3.99

$0.77 ETB 124

-3.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.86

$0.57 ETB 91.3

26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.25 R$12.13

$7.86 ETB 1,264

-71.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.65 R$41.17

$5.38 ETB 865

42.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R$7.01

$0.76 ETB 122

71.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R$11.65

$1.49 ETB 240

44.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.06

$0.35 ETB 55.7

168.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.00 R$237

$16.78 ETB 2,699

162.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 R$6.61

$1.36 ETB 218

-9.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R$5.14

$0.27 ETB 43.19

255.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R$39.93

$1.97 ETB 316

276.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 R$6.53

$1.00 ETB 161

21.00%

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

$22.1K R$119.2K

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

-58.61%

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

$31.6K R$169.9K

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

-42.67%

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

$77.2 R$415

$142 ETB 22.9K

-45.72%

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

$12.44 R$66.9

$9.63 ETB 1,550

29.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.80 R$107

$236 ETB 38.0K

-91.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.36 R$131

$42.81 ETB 6,889

-43.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.46 R$137

$35.60 ETB 5,728

-28.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.98 R$37.58

$4.96 ETB 799

40.73%

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

$316 R$1,700

$628 ETB 101.0K

-49.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,298 R$44.7K

$30.1K ETB 4.9M

-72.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 R$266

$36.35 ETB 5,849

35.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 R$246

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

-27.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 R$449

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

6.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 R$353

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

-25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$373 R$2,008

$654 ETB 105.2K

-42.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R$1,348

$346 ETB 55.7K

-27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 R$3,869

$1,818 ETB 292.5K

-60.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 R$2,639

$723 ETB 116.3K

-32.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,795 R$9,660

$1,825 ETB 293.6K

-1.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,269 R$6,830

$1,031 ETB 165.8K

23.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$496 R$2,672

$203 ETB 32.7K

144.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.17

-34.29%

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

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brazil

$251 29%

Ethiopia

$346 28.5% 38.1% $95

Groceries & Markets

Brazil

$183 21.2%

Ethiopia

$210 17.3% 14.7% $27

Eating Out

Brazil

$120 13.9%

Ethiopia

$75 6.2% 37.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Brazil

$110 12.7%

Ethiopia

$120 9.9% 9% $9.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brazil

$109 12.6%

Ethiopia

$388 32% 254% $278

Getting Around

Brazil

$54 6.2%

Ethiopia

$21 1.7% 61.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Brazil

$38 4.4%

Ethiopia

$53 4.4% 37.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $335 in Brazil vs $421 in Ethiopia. For reference, capital cities sit at $517 in Brasilia and $707 in Addis Ababa.

Average salary: $468 in Brazil vs $180 in Ethiopia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 26% higher in Ethiopia.

Dining out costs 48% more in Ethiopia.

Public transport is 153% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in Brazil, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brazil

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🕒 Local time

12:11 12:11 PM

18:11 6:11 PM

6 h ahead of Brazil

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,062,512

128,691,692

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brazil Ethiopia 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Brazil
Ethiopia

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

Brazil vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 29% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Ethiopia: a central one-bedroom averages $421 versus $335 in Brazil.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.