Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Addis Ababa

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,287 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
Learn more

Addis Ababa Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,287

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai 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 Dubai and in Addis Ababa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,287 in Addis Ababa.

Dubai $2,854
Addis Ababa $1,287

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,891 in Addis Ababa.

Dubai $4,321
Addis Ababa $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,495 in Addis Ababa.

Dubai $5,788
Addis Ababa $2,495

Living in Dubai is roughly 122% more expensive than in Addis Ababa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Addis Ababa is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$4.09 ETB 658

218.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$42.95 ETB 6,901

89.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$6.60 ETB 1,061

41.21%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$0.89 ETB 142

570.79%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.59 ETB 94.2

176.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.64 ETB 103

26.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$0.81 ETB 131

1585.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.31 ETB 372

479.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.07 ETB 171

69.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.17 ETB 188

34.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.17 ETB 349

14.75%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.75 ETB 281

87.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$7.35 ETB 1,181

72.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$10.16 ETB 1,632

-4.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$9.15 ETB 1,470

44.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$5.31 ETB 853

-50.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.68 ETB 110

183.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.16 ETB 347

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.65 ETB 105

109.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.49 ETB 79.3

138.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.04 ETB 167

-2.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.69 ETB 111

118.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.58 ETB 92.5

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$7.83 ETB 1,258

-25.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.77 ETB 927

179.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.68 ETB 109

289.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.28 ETB 206

130.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.49 ETB 78.1

234.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$21.23 ETB 3,411

246.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$1.33 ETB 214

138.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.27 ETB 43.19

162.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$2.04 ETB 327

290.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.90 ETB 144

10.00%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$55.7K ETB 8.9M

-50.85%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$56.7K ETB 9.1M

-60.24%

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

$250 AED 920

$204 ETB 32.9K

22.46%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$7.20 ETB 1,156

653.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$208 ETB 33.5K

-55.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$43.98 ETB 7,066

124.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$36.11 ETB 5,803

18.00%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$3.74 ETB 600

328.61%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$137 ETB 22.0K

514.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-39.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$33.12 ETB 5,322

105.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$71.5 ETB 11.5K

-19.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$79.2 ETB 12.7K

27.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$83.9 ETB 13.5K

20.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$694 ETB 111.6K

242.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$390 ETB 62.7K

286.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$2,309 ETB 371.0K

92.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$782 ETB 125.6K

284.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$1,918 ETB 308.2K

271.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$991 ETB 159.2K

317.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$205 ETB 32.9K

1553.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

18.5

-75.46%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Addis Ababa

$390 30.1% 74.1% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Addis Ababa

$420 32.4% 5.9% $24

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Addis Ababa

$77 5.9% 75.1% $232

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Addis Ababa

$212 16.3% 27.7% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Addis Ababa

$120 9.3% 18.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Addis Ababa

$51 4% 60.6% $79

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Addis Ababa

$26 2% 70.3% $61

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $694 in Addis Ababa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1554% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Dubai vs $43.00 in Addis Ababa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $212 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

3,500,000 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Addis Ababa 2,490 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

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

Dubai and Addis Ababa differ by about 122% in total monthly costs ($2,854 vs $1,287 including rent). Addis Ababa is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 1554% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,380 in Dubai versus $694 in Addis Ababa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,854 per month in Dubai versus $1,287 in Addis Ababa – a 122% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 247% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,287 in Addis Ababa versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Addis Ababa but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Addis Ababa 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, Dubai 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 Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 122% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.