Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Brazil

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $865 a month against $1,213 in Ethiopia, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Ethiopia
Brazil
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
$1,213
/mo nomad
🇧🇷 Brazil
$865
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ethiopia and in Brazil

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 Brazil actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,213 per month in Ethiopia vs $865 in Brazil, rent included.

  • Ethiopia $1,213
  • Brazil $865

A couple spends around $1,821 per month in Ethiopia vs $1,373 in Brazil, rent included.

  • Ethiopia $1,821
  • Brazil $1,373

A family of three spends $2,429 per month in Ethiopia vs $1,880 in Brazil, rent included.

  • Ethiopia $2,429
  • Brazil $1,880

Cost ranges are similar: Ethiopia spans $374–$1,300, Brazil $569–$1,349. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Ethiopia is about 40% higher than in Brazil on average.

Both Ethiopia and Brazil are more affordable than the global median – Ethiopia 11% lower, Brazil 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.11 ETB 662
$6.55 R$35.08
-37.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.65 ETB 6,857
$30.71 R$164
38.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.45 ETB 1,037
$7.45 R$39.89
-13.42%
Cappuccino
$0.86 ETB 138
$1.91 R$10.22
-54.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 ETB 92.4
$1.15 R$6.18
-50.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ETB 90.5
$0.76 R$4.04
-26.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.89 ETB 143
$1.85 R$9.90
-51.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 ETB 312
$2.86 R$15.28
-32.17%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 ETB 166
$1.03 R$5.52
-
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 ETB 145
$1.57 R$8.38
-42.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.74 ETB 279
$1.24 R$6.61
40.32%
Eggs
$1.79 ETB 288
$2.10 R$11.26
-14.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.49 ETB 1,205
$8.87 R$47.45
-15.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.49 ETB 1,686
$3.99 R$21.37
162.91%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.97 ETB 1,604
$7.76 R$41.51
28.48%
Apples (1kg)
$4.43 ETB 712
$2.15 R$11.53
106.05%
Banana (1kg)
$0.78 ETB 125
$1.27 R$6.80
-38.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.45 ETB 394
$1.16 R$6.18
111.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.67 ETB 108
$1.53 R$8.18
-56.21%
Potato (1kg)
$0.55 ETB 88.2
$1.16 R$6.21
-52.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 ETB 216
$1.02 R$5.46
31.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.77 ETB 124
$0.74 R$3.97
4.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.57 ETB 91.2
$0.72 R$3.84
-20.83%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.86 ETB 1,263
$2.25 R$12.06
249.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.38 ETB 864
$7.65 R$40.94
-29.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 ETB 122
$1.30 R$6.97
-41.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ETB 240
$2.16 R$11.58
-31.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 ETB 55.7
$0.94 R$5.03
-62.77%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.78 ETB 2,698
$44.00 R$235
-61.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ETB 218
$1.23 R$6.58
10.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.27 ETB 43.16
$0.96 R$5.11
-71.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.97 ETB 316
$7.42 R$39.70
-73.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 ETB 161
$1.21 R$6.49
-17.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$53.5K ETB 8.6M
$22.1K R$118.5K
141.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.1K ETB 8.9M
$31.6K R$168.9K
74.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$142 ETB 22.9K
$77.2 R$413
84.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.63 ETB 1,549
$12.44 R$66.6
-22.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$236 ETB 37.9K
$19.80 R$106
1091.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.81 ETB 6,885
$24.36 R$130
75.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.60 ETB 5,725
$25.46 R$136
39.83%
Cinema Ticket
$4.96 ETB 798
$6.98 R$37.37
-28.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$628 ETB 100.9K
$316 R$1,690
98.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.1K ETB 4.8M
$8,298 R$44.4K
263.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.35 ETB 5,845
$49.37 R$264
-26.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.8 ETB 10.1K
$45.73 R$245
37.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 ETB 12.6K
$83.4 R$446
-6.12%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.6 ETB 14.3K
$65.6 R$351
35.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$654 ETB 105.2K
$373 R$1,996
75.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 ETB 55.6K
$251 R$1,341
38.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,818 ETB 292.3K
$719 R$3,847
152.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$723 ETB 116.2K
$490 R$2,624
47.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,825 ETB 293.4K
$1,795 R$9,605
1.67%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,031 ETB 165.7K
$1,269 R$6,791
-18.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ethiopia
Brazil
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$203 ETB 32.7K
$496 R$2,657
-59.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17
11.17
52.19%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
$388
Brazil
$109 71.8% $278
Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
$346
Brazil
$251 27.6% $95
Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
$210
Brazil
$183 12.8% $27
Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
$120
Brazil
$110 8.2% $9.9
Eating Out
Ethiopia
$75
Brazil
$120 59.4% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
$53
Brazil
$38 27.3% $14
Getting Around
Ethiopia
$21
Brazil
$54 158% $33

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $421 in Ethiopia vs $335 in Brazil. For reference, capital cities sit at $707 in Addis Ababa and $517 in Brasilia.

Average salary: $180 in Ethiopia vs $468 in Brazil. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 26% higher in Ethiopia.

Dining out costs 48% more in Ethiopia.

Public transport is 153% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are about 2.6 times higher in Brazil, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Brazil.

Good to know
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇧🇷 Brazil
🕒 Local time
07:41 7:41 AM
01:41 1:41 AM
6 h behind Ethiopia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
128,691,692
203,062,512
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

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 = 5.58 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.97 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ethiopia Brazil 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ethiopia
  • Brazil

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 Brazil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do Brazil and Ethiopia compare in cost of living?
Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 29% lower on average.
How do rents compare between Brazil and Ethiopia?
Housing costs more in Ethiopia: a central one-bedroom averages $421 versus $335 in Brazil.
How do I choose between living in Brazil and in Ethiopia?
Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Ethiopia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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