Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

For one person, living is cheaper in Ethiopia: $1,213 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
Learn more

Canada Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
Learn more

Ethiopia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada 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 Canada and in Ethiopia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $1,213 in Ethiopia, rent included.

Canada $2,310
Ethiopia $1,213

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $1,821 in Ethiopia, rent included.

Canada $3,356
Ethiopia $1,821

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $2,429 in Ethiopia, rent included.

Canada $4,403
Ethiopia $2,429

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Ethiopia ($374–$1,300), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 90% higher than in Ethiopia on average.

Canada sits 70% above the global median, while Ethiopia is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 CA$25.52

$4.11 ETB 662

341.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$100

$42.65 ETB 6,857

66.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.19

$6.45 ETB 1,037

67.60%

Cappuccino

$3.78 CA$5.31

$0.86 ETB 138

339.53%

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

$2.11 CA$2.97

$0.57 ETB 92.4

270.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.33

$0.56 ETB 90.5

196.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.89

$0.89 ETB 143

531.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.04

$1.94 ETB 312

194.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.06

$1.03 ETB 166

110.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.66

$0.90 ETB 145

188.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.13

$1.74 ETB 279

109.77%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.10

$1.79 ETB 288

102.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.12

$7.49 ETB 1,205

43.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.72

$10.49 ETB 1,686

13.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.67

$9.97 ETB 1,604

54.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.66

$4.43 ETB 712

-9.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$0.78 ETB 125

76.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.44

$2.45 ETB 394

58.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.74

$0.67 ETB 108

508.96%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$0.55 ETB 88.2

367.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.48

$1.34 ETB 216

85.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.72

$0.77 ETB 124

244.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.41

$0.57 ETB 91.2

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.12

$7.86 ETB 1,263

82.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.95

$5.38 ETB 864

150.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.99

$0.76 ETB 122

273.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.64

$1.49 ETB 240

121.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.59

$0.35 ETB 55.7

628.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

$16.78 ETB 2,698

328.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.47

$1.36 ETB 218

133.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.16

$0.27 ETB 43.16

470.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.50

$1.97 ETB 316

1254.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.75

$1.00 ETB 161

24.00%

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

$27.9K CA$39.2K

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

-47.89%

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

$21.1K CA$29.6K

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

-61.73%

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

$147 CA$207

$142 ETB 22.9K

3.66%

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

$41.80 CA$58.7

$9.63 ETB 1,549

334.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.6

$236 ETB 37.9K

-74.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.8

$42.81 ETB 6,885

-8.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.78

$35.60 ETB 5,725

-46.46%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.75

$4.96 ETB 798

126.01%

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

$721 CA$1,013

$628 ETB 100.9K

14.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.9K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-50.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.7

$36.35 ETB 5,845

52.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.7

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

-37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$123

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

11.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,813

$654 ETB 105.2K

97.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,588

$346 ETB 55.6K

226.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,861

$1,818 ETB 292.3K

12.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,432

$723 ETB 116.2K

139.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,700

$1,825 ETB 293.4K

161.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,240

$1,031 ETB 165.7K

261.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,313

$203 ETB 32.7K

1409.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

-71.35%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Ethiopia

$346 28.5% 69.4% $784

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Ethiopia

$210 17.3% 43.4% $161

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Ethiopia

$75 6.2% 72.8% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Ethiopia

$388 32% 55.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Ethiopia

$120 9.9% 6% $7.6

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Ethiopia

$21 1.7% 77.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Ethiopia

$53 4.4% 14.1% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $421 in Ethiopia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $707 in Addis Ababa.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $180 in Ethiopia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 197% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 49% more in Canada.

Public transport is 288% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 16 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

14:11 2:11 PM

7 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

128,691,692

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.712 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.712 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 179 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.59 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Canada Ethiopia 11,130 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
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

Canada vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ethiopia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $421 in Ethiopia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Ethiopia, adding to the overall 90% price gap.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Ethiopia, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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