Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Australia

Name: Australia
Address: AU

For one person, living is cheaper in Ethiopia: $1,213 a month against $2,626 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
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Ethiopia Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index

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🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ethiopia and in Australia

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

A single person spends $1,213 per month in Ethiopia vs $2,626 in Australia, rent included.

Ethiopia $1,213
Australia $2,626

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Ethiopia vs $3,810 in Australia, rent included.

Ethiopia $1,821
Australia $3,810

A family of three spends $2,429 per month in Ethiopia vs $4,994 in Australia, rent included.

Ethiopia $2,429
Australia $4,994

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,068–$3,303) than in Ethiopia ($374–$1,300), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Ethiopia is roughly 54% lower than in Australia on average.

Ethiopia sits 11% below the global median, while Australia is 93% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ETB 662

$17.65 A$25.10

-76.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.65 ETB 6,862

$85.2 A$121

-49.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 ETB 1,038

$11.09 A$15.77

-41.84%

Cappuccino

$0.86 ETB 138

$3.90 A$5.54

-77.95%

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

$0.57 ETB 92.5

$2.85 A$4.05

-80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ETB 90.6

$2.31 A$3.29

-75.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 ETB 143

$7.53 A$10.71

-88.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ETB 313

$8.59 A$12.21

-77.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ETB 166

$1.76 A$2.50

-41.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ETB 145

$2.81 A$3.99

-67.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ETB 280

$2.24 A$3.19

-22.32%

Eggs

$1.79 ETB 288

$5.02 A$7.14

-64.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ETB 1,205

$9.87 A$14.03

-24.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ETB 1,687

$9.32 A$13.25

12.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ETB 1,605

$14.86 A$21.14

-32.91%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 ETB 713

$3.82 A$5.43

15.97%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 ETB 125

$2.92 A$4.16

-73.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ETB 394

$3.13 A$4.46

-21.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ETB 108

$4.81 A$6.84

-86.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ETB 88.3

$2.80 A$3.98

-80.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ETB 216

$2.38 A$3.38

-43.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 ETB 124

$2.37 A$3.37

-67.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$1.65 A$2.35

-65.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.86 ETB 1,264

$39.13 A$55.7

-79.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.38 ETB 865

$13.93 A$19.81

-61.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ETB 122

$4.96 A$7.05

-84.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ETB 240

$5.17 A$7.36

-71.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ETB 55.7

$2.42 A$3.44

-85.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 ETB 2,699

$94.6 A$135

-82.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$3.49 A$4.97

-61.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.19

$1.60 A$2.27

-83.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 ETB 316

$39.84 A$56.7

-95.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ETB 161

$1.39 A$1.98

-28.06%

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

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

$30.0K A$42.7K

78.29%

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

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

$25.8K A$36.6K

113.77%

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

$142 ETB 22.9K

$205 A$292

-30.66%

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

$9.63 ETB 1,550

$28.33 A$40.30

-66.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$236 ETB 38.0K

$58.8 A$83.6

301.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.81 ETB 6,889

$55.7 A$79.2

-23.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.60 ETB 5,728

$19.57 A$27.84

81.91%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ETB 799

$15.38 A$21.87

-67.75%

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

$628 ETB 101.0K

$2,145 A$3,051

-70.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ETB 4.9M

$18.3K A$26.1K

64.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.35 ETB 5,849

$78.3 A$111

-53.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

$56.3 A$80.0

11.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

$115 A$164

-31.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

$123 A$175

-28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 ETB 105.2K

$1,591 A$2,263

-58.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 ETB 55.7K

$1,293 A$1,839

-73.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 ETB 292.5K

$2,524 A$3,591

-28.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ETB 116.3K

$2,005 A$2,852

-63.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,825 ETB 293.6K

$8,751 A$12.4K

-79.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,031 ETB 165.8K

$6,260 A$8,904

-83.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 ETB 32.7K

$3,984 A$5,666

-94.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.93

186.68%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Australia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ethiopia

$388 32%

Australia

$292 11.1% 24.6% $96

Accommodation & Living

Ethiopia

$346 28.5%

Australia

$1.3K 49.2% 274% $947

Groceries & Markets

Ethiopia

$210 17.3%

Australia

$374 14.3% 78.2% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Ethiopia

$120 9.9%

Australia

$168 6.4% 40.1% $48

Eating Out

Ethiopia

$75 6.2%

Australia

$297 11.3% 293% $221

Sport & Entertainment

Ethiopia

$53 4.4%

Australia

$86 3.3% 63.8% $34

Getting Around

Ethiopia

$21 1.7%

Australia

$116 4.4% 455% $95

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $421 in Ethiopia vs $1,383 in Australia. For reference, capital cities sit at $707 in Addis Ababa and $1,749 in Canberra.

Average salary: $180 in Ethiopia vs $3,874 in Australia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 229% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 95% more in Australia.

Public transport is 394% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are about 22 times higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🇦🇺 Australia

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

00:15 12:15 AM

8 h ahead of Ethiopia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,691,692

26,473,055

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ethiopia Australia 12,430 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Ethiopia
Australia

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

Ethiopia vs Australia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ethiopia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 54% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,383 versus $421 in Ethiopia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Ethiopia – part of why living there is about 54% cheaper overall.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Ethiopia, but in Australia 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.