Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,213 in Ethiopia, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
Learn more

Ethiopia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $1,213 in Ethiopia.

China $791
Ethiopia $1,213

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $1,821 in Ethiopia.

China $1,251
Ethiopia $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $2,429 in Ethiopia.

China $1,711
Ethiopia $2,429

China ($465–$1,222) and Ethiopia ($374–$1,300) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in China costs about 35% less than in Ethiopia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: China 42% lower, Ethiopia 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.84

$4.11 ETB 662

-27.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$42.65 ETB 6,857

-48.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.66

$6.45 ETB 1,037

-19.38%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.77

$0.86 ETB 138

245.35%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$0.57 ETB 92.4

-15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$0.56 ETB 90.5

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$0.89 ETB 143

21.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.18

$1.94 ETB 312

17.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.98

$1.03 ETB 166

74.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.17

$0.90 ETB 145

86.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.14

$1.74 ETB 279

-47.13%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.75

$1.79 ETB 288

-10.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.2

$7.49 ETB 1,205

78.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.31

$10.49 ETB 1,686

-68.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.7

$9.97 ETB 1,604

13.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.14

$4.43 ETB 712

-58.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.71

$0.78 ETB 125

67.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$2.45 ETB 394

-39.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.49

$0.67 ETB 108

89.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.74

$0.55 ETB 88.2

29.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.22

$1.34 ETB 216

-30.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.77 ETB 124

-19.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.75

$0.57 ETB 91.2

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.19

$7.86 ETB 1,263

-51.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.9

$5.38 ETB 864

125.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.55

$0.76 ETB 122

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.23

$1.49 ETB 240

12.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.35 ETB 55.7

-17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$16.78 ETB 2,698

6.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.91

$1.36 ETB 218

9.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.50

$0.27 ETB 43.16

37.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.31

$1.97 ETB 316

260.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.39

$1.00 ETB 161

26.00%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

-63.65%

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

$17.5K ¥116.9K

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

-68.15%

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

$54.6 ¥364

$142 ETB 22.9K

-61.63%

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

$8.73 ¥58.2

$9.63 ETB 1,549

-9.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.8

$236 ETB 37.9K

-95.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥272

$42.81 ETB 6,885

-4.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.5

$35.60 ETB 5,725

-59.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.19

$4.96 ETB 798

36.69%

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

$517 ¥3,443

$628 ETB 100.9K

-17.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥132.0K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-34.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$36.35 ETB 5,845

28.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥238

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

-43.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥513

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

-1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥535

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

-9.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,572

$654 ETB 105.2K

-41.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,563

$346 ETB 55.6K

-32.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,478

$1,818 ETB 292.3K

-54.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,020

$723 ETB 116.2K

-37.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$1,825 ETB 293.4K

157.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$1,031 ETB 165.7K

130.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,286

$203 ETB 32.7K

437.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

-79.65%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Ethiopia

$346 28.5% 47.5% $111

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Ethiopia

$210 17.3% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Ethiopia

$120 9.9% 11.1% $12

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Ethiopia

$75 6.2% 14.3% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Ethiopia

$388 32% 421% $313

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Ethiopia

$53 4.4% 2.9% $1.6

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Ethiopia

$21 1.7% 6.6% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $421 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $707 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $180 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 41% higher in Ethiopia.

Dining out costs 95% more in Ethiopia.

Salaries are about 4.9 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

5 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

128,691,692

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

China Ethiopia 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

China
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

China vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,213 in Ethiopia, there’s a 53% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $421 in Ethiopia and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Ethiopia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.