Last update: Oct 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Cape Town
For one person, living is cheaper in Ethiopia: $1,221 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
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Ethiopia Living Index59Cost of Living Index in EthiopiaLearn more -
Cape Town Living Index76Cost of Living Index in Cape TownLearn more
🙂 Solo nomad: Ethiopia is 5.4% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 22.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ethiopia is 13.1% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 27.4% cheaper with rent.
🍽 Eating Out
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.96 ETB 637
$11.78 R 194
-66.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.04 ETB 6,755
$46.55 R 768
-9.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.50 ETB 1,044
$5.96 R 98.4
9.06%
Cappuccino
$0.93 ETB 149
$2.47 R 40.80
-62.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ETB 90.4
$1.33 R 21.91
-57.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ETB 89.7
$1.03 R 16.99
-45.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.82 ETB 132
$3.01 R 49.72
-72.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 ETB 328
$3.66 R 60.4
-44.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 ETB 164
$1.39 R 22.96
-26.62%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 ETB 155
$1.19 R 19.60
-19.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.80 ETB 290
$2.11 R 34.84
-14.69%
Eggs
$1.80 ETB 290
$3.01 R 49.58
-40.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.37 ETB 1,185
$8.96 R 148
-17.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.36 ETB 1,665
$6.65 R 110
55.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.24 ETB 1,646
$9.29 R 153
10.23%
Apples (1kg)
$4.43 ETB 711
$1.83 R 30.13
142.08%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 ETB 117
$1.90 R 31.31
-61.58%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.44 ETB 392
$1.75 R 28.83
39.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.67 ETB 108
$2.09 R 34.41
-67.94%
Potato (1kg)
$0.55 ETB 88.3
$1.55 R 25.64
-64.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.36 ETB 218
$1.49 R 24.53
-8.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.81 ETB 131
$1.30 R 21.41
-37.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ETB 93.2
$1.16 R 19.19
-50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.96 ETB 1,279
$3.71 R 61.2
114.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.34 ETB 858
$6.06 R 100
-11.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.79 ETB 127
$1.39 R 22.85
-43.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 ETB 243
$2.20 R 36.32
-31.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 ETB 60.6
$1.51 R 24.98
-74.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$16.79 ETB 2,697
$61.0 R 1,006
-72.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ETB 218
$0.63 R 10.33
115.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 ETB 47.21
$1.53 R 25.29
-81.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.95 ETB 313
$4.81 R 79.4
-59.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.94 ETB 151
$1.58 R 26.08
-40.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$52.9K ETB 8.5M
$35.5K R 585.7K
48.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$55.3K ETB 8.9M
$31.7K R 523.8K
74.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$140 ETB 22.4K
$116 R 1,920
19.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.83 ETB 1,579
$28.37 R 468
-65.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$228 ETB 36.7K
$40.69 R 671
461.54%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.23 ETB 6,946
$48.85 R 806
-11.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.64 ETB 5,726
$11.13 R 184
220.22%
Cinema Ticket
$5.11 ETB 821
$8.83 R 146
-42.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$118 ETB 19.0K
$261 R 4,314
-54.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$29.9K ETB 4.8M
$6,702 R 110.6K
345.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.22 ETB 5,660
$55.4 R 914
-36.43%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.0 ETB 9,959
$32.27 R 532
92.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.3 ETB 12.6K
$118 R 1,939
-33.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.8 ETB 14.1K
$107 R 1,766
-18.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$647 ETB 103.9K
$1,015 R 16.7K
-36.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$353 ETB 56.7K
$715 R 11.8K
-50.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,771 ETB 284.6K
$1,801 R 29.7K
-1.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$712 ETB 114.4K
$1,330 R 22.0K
-46.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,804 ETB 289.8K
$2,331 R 38.5K
-22.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,013 ETB 162.8K
$1,513 R 25.0K
-33.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ethiopia
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$199 ETB 32.0K
$1,636 R 27.0K
-87.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17
10.97
54.97%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Ethiopia: October 3, 2026
Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia $378 31.2%
Cape Town $185 11.7% 50.9% $192
Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia $353 29.2%
Cape Town $715 45.3% 103% $362
Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia $211 17.4%
Cape Town $222 14.1% 5.5% $12
Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia $118 9.8%
Cape Town $141 8.9% 18.6% $22
Eating Out
Ethiopia $75 6.2%
Cape Town $174 11% 131% $99
Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia $53 4.4%
Cape Town $67 4.2% 24.4% $13
Getting Around
Ethiopia $21 1.8%
Cape Town $75 4.8% 257% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia $388 16.1%
Cape Town $214 6.6% 44.9% $174
Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia $712 29.6%
Cape Town $1.3K 40.8% 86.8% $618
Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia $499 20.8%
Cape Town $516 15.9% 3.5% $17
Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia $263 10.9%
Cape Town $312 9.6% 18.6% $49
Eating Out
Ethiopia $358 14.9%
Cape Town $587 18% 64% $229
Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia $143 5.9%
Cape Town $144 4.4% 1.1% $1.6
Getting Around
Ethiopia $43 1.8%
Cape Town $154 4.7% 257% $111
Good to know
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇿🇦 Cape Town
Weather
Population
128,691,692
3,740,026 Capital
Exchange rates and currency converter
On the map
Lowest
Highest
Between locations
- Ethiopia Cape Town 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
- Ethiopia
- Cape Town
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
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