Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $1,213 in Ethiopia, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
Learn more

Egypt Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
Learn more

Ethiopia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Egypt versus $1,213 in Ethiopia.

Egypt $449
Ethiopia $1,213

Estimated couple costs with rent: $733 in Egypt versus $1,821 in Ethiopia.

Egypt $733
Ethiopia $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,017 in Egypt versus $2,429 in Ethiopia.

Egypt $1,017
Ethiopia $2,429

Internal cost variation is higher in Ethiopia: monthly costs span $374 to $1,300, compared to $295–$677 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in Ethiopia.

Living in Egypt costs about 63% less than in Ethiopia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 67% lower, Ethiopia 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 E£194

$4.11 ETB 662

-15.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 E£996

$42.65 ETB 6,862

-58.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 E£252

$6.45 ETB 1,038

-30.08%

Cappuccino

$1.38 E£77.4

$0.86 ETB 138

60.47%

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

$0.34 E£18.76

$0.57 ETB 92.5

-40.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.66

$0.56 ETB 90.6

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 E£76.5

$0.89 ETB 143

53.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 E£151

$1.94 ETB 313

39.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£44.13

$1.03 ETB 166

-23.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£38.07

$0.90 ETB 145

-24.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£33.34

$1.74 ETB 280

-65.52%

Eggs

$1.18 E£65.8

$1.79 ETB 288

-34.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.18 E£178

$7.49 ETB 1,205

-57.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 E£219

$10.49 ETB 1,687

-62.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 E£433

$9.97 ETB 1,605

-22.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£81.1

$4.43 ETB 713

-67.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 E£37.22

$0.78 ETB 125

-14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£27.26

$2.45 ETB 394

-80.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.84

$0.67 ETB 108

-47.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 E£20.22

$0.55 ETB 88.3

-34.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.74

$1.34 ETB 216

-73.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 E£15.74

$0.77 ETB 124

-63.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.40

$0.57 ETB 91.3

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 E£102

$7.86 ETB 1,264

-76.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 E£347

$5.38 ETB 865

15.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 E£72.5

$0.76 ETB 122

71.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 E£105

$1.49 ETB 240

25.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 E£15.69

$0.35 ETB 55.7

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.24 E£405

$16.78 ETB 2,699

-56.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.84

$1.36 ETB 218

-72.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 E£14.51

$0.27 ETB 43.19

-3.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 E£102

$1.97 ETB 316

-7.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.28

$1.00 ETB 161

-60.00%

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

$29.9K E£1.7M

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

-44.15%

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

$24.0K E£1.3M

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

-56.37%

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

$20.40 E£1,142

$142 ETB 22.9K

-85.65%

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

$6.78 E£379

$9.63 ETB 1,550

-29.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.41 E£694

$236 ETB 38.0K

-94.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.00 E£951

$42.81 ETB 6,889

-60.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 E£356

$35.60 ETB 5,728

-82.13%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 E£164

$4.96 ETB 799

-40.93%

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

$94.2 E£5,269

$628 ETB 101.0K

-85.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,362 E£132.1K

$30.1K ETB 4.9M

-92.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.33 E£1,417

$36.35 ETB 5,849

-30.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.23 E£2,307

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

-34.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 E£5,873

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

34.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.95 E£2,683

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

-45.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 E£7,824

$654 ETB 105.2K

-78.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 E£4,972

$346 ETB 55.7K

-74.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 E£15.8K

$1,818 ETB 292.5K

-84.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 E£10.0K

$723 ETB 116.3K

-75.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$683 E£38.2K

$1,825 ETB 293.6K

-62.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$432 E£24.2K

$1,031 ETB 165.8K

-58.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$141 E£7,897

$203 ETB 32.7K

-30.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.11

0.65%

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

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Egypt

$117 26%

Ethiopia

$210 17.3% 79.8% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Egypt

$99 22%

Ethiopia

$120 9.9% 21.2% $21

Accommodation & Living

Egypt

$89 19.8%

Ethiopia

$346 28.5% 289% $257

Eating Out

Egypt

$72 16%

Ethiopia

$75 6.2% 4.9% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Egypt

$40 8.8%

Ethiopia

$388 32% 879% $348

Sport & Entertainment

Egypt

$23 5.1%

Ethiopia

$53 4.4% 131% $30

Getting Around

Egypt

$10 2.2%

Ethiopia

$21 1.7% 108% $11

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $136 in Egypt, $421 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $203 in Cairo vs $707 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $129 in Egypt, $180 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 210% higher in Ethiopia.

Dining out costs 169% more in Ethiopia.

Public transport is 143% more expensive in Ethiopia.

Salaries are 40% higher in Ethiopia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Egypt.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Egypt

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

20:12 8:12 PM

1 h ahead of Egypt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,535,772

128,691,692

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

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

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Egypt Ethiopia 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Egypt
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

Egypt vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $449 per month in Egypt and $1,213 in Ethiopia, Egypt comes out about 63% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Egypt: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $421 in Ethiopia and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Ethiopia it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you’re after: Egypt wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.