Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

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.

58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
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Ethiopia Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
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Egypt Living Index

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🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ethiopia and in Egypt

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

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

Ethiopia $1,213
Egypt $449

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

Ethiopia $1,821
Egypt $733

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

Ethiopia $2,429
Egypt $1,017

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 Ethiopia is roughly 170% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 ETB 662

$3.46 E£192

18.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.65 ETB 6,862

$17.81 E£987

139.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.45 ETB 1,038

$4.51 E£250

43.02%

Cappuccino

$0.86 ETB 138

$1.38 E£76.7

-37.68%

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

$0.57 ETB 92.5

$0.34 E£18.58

67.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ETB 90.6

$0.14 E£7.59

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.89 ETB 143

$1.37 E£75.7

-35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 ETB 313

$2.70 E£150

-28.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ETB 166

$0.79 E£43.69

30.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ETB 145

$0.68 E£37.70

32.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ETB 280

$0.60 E£33.01

190.00%

Eggs

$1.79 ETB 288

$1.18 E£65.2

51.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 ETB 1,205

$3.18 E£176

135.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.49 ETB 1,687

$3.91 E£217

168.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ETB 1,605

$7.74 E£429

28.81%

Apples (1kg)

$4.43 ETB 713

$1.45 E£80.3

205.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 ETB 125

$0.67 E£36.86

16.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ETB 394

$0.49 E£26.99

400.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ETB 108

$0.35 E£19.65

91.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ETB 88.3

$0.36 E£20.02

52.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 ETB 216

$0.35 E£19.54

282.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 ETB 124

$0.28 E£15.58

175.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.3

$0.19 E£10.30

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.86 ETB 1,264

$1.83 E£101

329.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.38 ETB 865

$6.19 E£343

-13.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ETB 122

$1.30 E£71.8

-41.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ETB 240

$1.87 E£104

-20.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ETB 55.7

$0.28 E£15.53

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.78 ETB 2,699

$7.24 E£401

131.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$0.37 E£20.63

267.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.19

$0.26 E£14.37

3.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.97 ETB 316

$1.82 E£101

8.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 ETB 161

$0.40 E£22.06

150.00%

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

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

$29.9K E£1.7M

79.05%

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

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

$24.0K E£1.3M

129.21%

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

$142 ETB 22.9K

$20.40 E£1,130

596.96%

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

$9.63 ETB 1,550

$6.78 E£375

42.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$236 ETB 38.0K

$12.41 E£687

1800.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.81 ETB 6,889

$17.00 E£942

151.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.60 ETB 5,728

$6.36 E£352

459.75%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ETB 799

$2.93 E£163

69.28%

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

$628 ETB 101.0K

$94.2 E£5,218

566.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K ETB 4.9M

$2,362 E£130.8K

1176.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.35 ETB 5,849

$25.33 E£1,403

43.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

$41.23 E£2,284

52.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

$105 E£5,815

-25.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

$47.95 E£2,657

84.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 ETB 105.2K

$140 E£7,747

367.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 ETB 55.7K

$88.9 E£4,924

289.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,818 ETB 292.5K

$282 E£15.6K

544.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 ETB 116.3K

$179 E£9,920

303.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,825 ETB 293.6K

$683 E£37.8K

167.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,031 ETB 165.8K

$432 E£23.9K

138.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$203 ETB 32.7K

$141 E£7,820

44.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.11

-0.64%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ethiopia

$388 32%

Egypt

$40 8.8% 89.8% $348

Accommodation & Living

Ethiopia

$346 28.5%

Egypt

$89 19.8% 74.3% $257

Groceries & Markets

Ethiopia

$210 17.3%

Egypt

$117 26% 44.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Ethiopia

$120 9.9%

Egypt

$99 22% 17.5% $21

Eating Out

Ethiopia

$75 6.2%

Egypt

$72 16% 4.7% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ethiopia

$53 4.4%

Egypt

$23 5.1% 56.6% $30

Getting Around

Ethiopia

$21 1.7%

Egypt

$10 2.2% 51.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $180 in Ethiopia, $129 in Egypt. 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

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🇪🇬 Egypt

🕒 Local time

16:15 4:15 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

1 h behind Ethiopia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,691,692

114,535,772

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.57 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.82 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Ethiopia
Egypt

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 Egypt: 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.