Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Egypt Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Ethiopia versus $450 in Egypt.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,155 in Ethiopia versus $732 in Egypt.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,534 in Ethiopia versus $1,013 in Egypt.

Living in Ethiopia is roughly 72% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ethiopia 44% lower, Egypt 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 ETB 632

$4.04 E£207

-2.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 ETB 6,865

$19.42 E£996

119.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 ETB 1,052

$4.94 E£253

32.59%

Cappuccino

$0.87 ETB 139

$1.53 E£78.3

-43.14%

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

$0.56 ETB 90.6

$0.34 E£17.65

64.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ETB 89.7

$0.13 E£6.59

330.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 134

$1.46 E£74.9

-43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ETB 327

$2.99 E£153

-31.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ETB 173

$0.85 E£43.84

27.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ETB 156

$0.70 E£36.14

38.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 ETB 277

$0.65 E£33.31

164.62%

Eggs

$1.81 ETB 291

$1.32 E£67.7

37.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 ETB 1,213

$3.45 E£177

118.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 ETB 1,671

$4.26 E£219

143.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ETB 1,667

$8.99 E£461

15.35%

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 ETB 721

$1.57 E£80.3

185.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ETB 117

$0.68 E£34.83

7.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ETB 388

$0.50 E£25.65

382.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ETB 108

$0.41 E£21.19

63.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ETB 88.4

$0.38 E£19.33

44.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 ETB 226

$0.38 E£19.70

268.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ETB 121

$0.29 E£14.63

158.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ETB 99.5

$0.20 E£10.25

210.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 ETB 1,292

$2.00 E£103

301.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.23 ETB 841

$7.05 E£362

-25.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ETB 120

$1.45 E£74.4

-48.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ETB 238

$2.11 E£108

-29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ETB 55.8

$0.30 E£15.50

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.38 ETB 2,794

$8.14 E£418

113.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$0.38 E£19.25

257.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 47.23

$0.28 E£14.24

3.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ETB 323

$1.81 E£93.0

11.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 ETB 160

$0.43 E£21.86

130.23%

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

$55.6K ETB 8.9M

$33.4K E£1.7M

66.46%

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

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

$28.4K E£1.5M

94.27%

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

$145 ETB 23.3K

$22.40 E£1,149

548.39%

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

$9.42 ETB 1,515

$7.19 E£369

31.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$230 ETB 37.0K

$13.44 E£689

1612.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 ETB 7,063

$17.79 E£913

146.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.43 ETB 5,856

$6.66 E£342

447.00%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 ETB 791

$2.90 E£149

69.66%

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

$120 ETB 19.3K

$94.0 E£4,821

27.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

$2,482 E£127.3K

1128.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.02 ETB 5,789

$27.14 E£1,393

32.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 ETB 10.3K

$44.76 E£2,296

43.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ETB 12.3K

$110 E£5,664

-30.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.1 ETB 13.8K

$50.5 E£2,589

70.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 ETB 104.1K

$155 E£7,942

318.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ETB 56.0K

$94.6 E£4,854

268.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 ETB 293.6K

$309 E£15.8K

491.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ETB 114.0K

$196 E£10.0K

262.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,831 ETB 294.3K

$747 E£38.3K

145.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,023 ETB 164.5K

$455 E£23.3K

125.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$201 ETB 32.3K

$151 E£7,764

32.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.46

3.28%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: September 5, 2026

Last update for Egypt: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $181 in Ethiopia, $146 in Egypt. Capital cities: $703 in Addis Ababa vs $215 in Cairo.

National salary averages: $185 in Ethiopia, $140 in Egypt. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 24% higher in Ethiopia.

Dining out costs 41% more in Ethiopia.

Public transport is 67% more expensive in Ethiopia.

Salaries are 32% higher in Ethiopia.

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 $527 per month in Egypt and $655 in Ethiopia, there's a 24% gap. 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 simply cheaper in Egypt: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Ethiopia is consistently higher than in Egypt across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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; Ethiopia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.