Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $1,213 in Ethiopia, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
Learn more

Ethiopia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ethiopia and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,213 in Ethiopia versus $791 in China.

Ethiopia $1,213
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,821 in Ethiopia versus $1,251 in China.

Ethiopia $1,821
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,429 in Ethiopia versus $1,711 in China.

Ethiopia $2,429
China $1,711

Ethiopia ($374–$1,300) and China ($465–$1,222) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Ethiopia is roughly 53% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ethiopia 11% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ETB 662

$2.98 ¥19.84

37.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.65 ETB 6,857

$22.09 ¥147

93.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 ETB 1,037

$5.20 ¥34.66

24.04%

Cappuccino

$0.86 ETB 138

$2.97 ¥19.77

-71.04%

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

$0.57 ETB 92.4

$0.48 ¥3.19

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ETB 90.5

$0.30 ¥2.01

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 ETB 143

$1.08 ¥7.19

-17.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ETB 312

$2.28 ¥15.18

-14.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ETB 166

$1.80 ¥11.98

-42.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ETB 145

$1.68 ¥11.17

-46.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ETB 279

$0.92 ¥6.14

89.13%

Eggs

$1.79 ETB 288

$1.61 ¥10.75

11.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ETB 1,205

$13.38 ¥89.2

-44.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ETB 1,686

$3.35 ¥22.31

213.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ETB 1,604

$11.35 ¥75.7

-12.16%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 ETB 712

$1.82 ¥12.14

143.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 ETB 125

$1.31 ¥8.71

-40.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ETB 394

$1.49 ¥9.91

64.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ETB 108

$1.27 ¥8.49

-47.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ETB 88.2

$0.71 ¥4.74

-22.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ETB 216

$0.93 ¥6.22

44.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 ETB 124

$0.62 ¥4.12

24.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.2

$0.56 ¥3.75

1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.86 ETB 1,263

$3.78 ¥25.19

107.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.38 ETB 864

$12.13 ¥80.9

-55.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ETB 122

$0.83 ¥5.55

-8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ETB 240

$1.68 ¥11.23

-11.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ETB 55.7

$0.29 ¥1.92

20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 ETB 2,698

$17.83 ¥119

-5.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$1.49 ¥9.91

-8.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.16

$0.37 ¥2.50

-27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 ETB 316

$7.10 ¥47.31

-72.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ETB 161

$1.26 ¥8.39

-20.63%

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

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

175.13%

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

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

$17.5K ¥116.9K

213.93%

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

$142 ETB 22.9K

$54.6 ¥364

160.59%

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

$9.63 ETB 1,549

$8.73 ¥58.2

10.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$236 ETB 37.9K

$11.07 ¥73.8

2030.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.81 ETB 6,885

$40.77 ¥272

5.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.60 ETB 5,725

$14.48 ¥96.5

145.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ETB 798

$6.78 ¥45.19

-26.84%

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

$628 ETB 100.9K

$517 ¥3,443

21.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

$19.8K ¥132.0K

52.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.35 ETB 5,845

$46.53 ¥310

-21.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

$35.66 ¥238

76.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

$77.0 ¥513

1.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

$80.3 ¥535

10.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 ETB 105.2K

$386 ¥2,572

69.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 ETB 55.6K

$235 ¥1,563

47.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 ETB 292.3K

$822 ¥5,478

121.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ETB 116.2K

$453 ¥3,020

59.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,825 ETB 293.4K

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-61.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,031 ETB 165.7K

$2,372 ¥15.8K

-56.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 ETB 32.7K

$1,093 ¥7,286

-81.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

391.33%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ethiopia

$388 32%

China

$74 9.4% 80.8% $313

Accommodation & Living

Ethiopia

$346 28.5%

China

$235 29.6% 32.2% $111

Groceries & Markets

Ethiopia

$210 17.3%

China

$210 26.5% 0% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Ethiopia

$120 9.9%

China

$108 13.6% 10% $12

Eating Out

Ethiopia

$75 6.2%

China

$88 11.1% 16.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ethiopia

$53 4.4%

China

$54 6.9% 3% $1.6

Getting Around

Ethiopia

$21 1.7%

China

$22 2.8% 7.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $421 in Ethiopia, $298 in China. Capital cities: $707 in Addis Ababa vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $180 in Ethiopia, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 41% higher in Ethiopia.

Dining out costs 95% more in Ethiopia.

Salaries are about 4.9 times higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

5 h ahead of Ethiopia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,691,692

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.59 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

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 = 5.59 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ethiopia China 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ethiopia
China

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 China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $1,213 in Ethiopia, there’s a 53% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $421 in Ethiopia and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability; Ethiopia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.