Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and India Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and India

Name: India
Address: IN

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Ethiopia versus $366 in India.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,155 in Ethiopia versus $581 in India.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,534 in Ethiopia versus $795 in India.

Living in Ethiopia is roughly 112% more expensive than in India on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ethiopia 44% lower, India 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.93 ETB 632

$2.15 ₹205

82.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.71 ETB 6,865

$10.42 ₹996

309.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 ETB 1,052

$3.59 ₹343

82.45%

Cappuccino

$0.87 ETB 139

$1.67 ₹160

-47.90%

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

$0.56 ETB 90.6

$0.39 ₹37.26

43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ETB 89.7

$0.17 ₹15.92

229.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.83 ETB 134

$1.87 ₹179

-55.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 ETB 327

$3.18 ₹304

-35.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 ETB 173

$0.64 ₹61.1

68.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ETB 156

$0.45 ₹42.66

115.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 ETB 277

$0.63 ₹59.9

173.02%

Eggs

$1.81 ETB 291

$0.87 ₹83.5

108.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 ETB 1,213

$4.62 ₹442

63.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.39 ETB 1,671

$2.86 ₹273

263.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 ETB 1,667

Apples (1kg)

$4.49 ETB 721

$1.95 ₹186

130.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ETB 117

$0.67 ₹64.3

8.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ETB 388

$0.99 ₹94.3

143.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.67 ETB 108

$0.51 ₹48.45

31.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 ETB 88.4

$0.35 ₹33.23

57.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 ETB 226

$0.42 ₹39.69

233.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 ETB 121

$0.44 ₹41.87

70.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ETB 99.5

$0.31 ₹29.80

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.03 ETB 1,292

$5.14 ₹491

56.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.23 ETB 841

$7.58 ₹724

-31.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ETB 120

$1.67 ₹160

-55.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ETB 238

$2.79 ₹266

-46.95%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$5.36 ₹512

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 ETB 55.8

$0.25 ₹23.64

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.38 ETB 2,794

$8.53 ₹815

103.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$0.94 ₹89.4

44.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 47.23

$0.27 ₹25.96

7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ETB 323

$1.60 ₹153

25.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 ETB 160

$1.12 ₹107

-11.61%

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

$55.6K ETB 8.9M

$12.4K ₹1.2M

346.50%

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

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

$20.2K ₹1.9M

173.84%

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

$145 ETB 23.3K

$37.28 ₹3,562

289.59%

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

$9.42 ETB 1,515

$3.49 ₹334

169.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$230 ETB 37.0K

$7.20 ₹688

3097.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.94 ETB 7,063

$14.69 ₹1,403

199.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.43 ETB 5,856

$7.31 ₹698

398.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.92 ETB 791

$3.08 ₹294

59.74%

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

$120 ETB 19.3K

$59.1 ₹5,646

102.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

$1,693 ₹161.8K

1700.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.02 ETB 5,789

$23.25 ₹2,221

54.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.1 ETB 10.3K

$24.03 ₹2,296

166.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ETB 12.3K

$40.99 ₹3,917

86.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.1 ETB 13.8K

$30.46 ₹2,911

182.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 ETB 104.1K

$143 ₹13.7K

352.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$348 ETB 56.0K

$93.2 ₹8,902

273.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 ETB 293.6K

$332 ₹31.7K

450.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 ETB 114.0K

$214 ₹20.4K

232.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,831 ETB 294.3K

$1,203 ₹115.0K

52.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,023 ETB 164.5K

$643 ₹61.5K

59.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$201 ETB 32.3K

$441 ₹42.1K

-54.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.93

90.37%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: September 5, 2026

Last update for India: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $181 in Ethiopia, $121 in India. Capital cities: $703 in Addis Ababa vs $272 in Delhi.

National salary averages: $185 in Ethiopia, $410 in India. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 50% higher in Ethiopia.

Dining out costs 140% more in Ethiopia.

Public transport is 40% more expensive in India.

Salaries are 122% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

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 India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $655 per month in Ethiopia and $519 in India, there's a 26% 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 India: 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 India across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In India, $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: India wins on affordability; Ethiopia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.