Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

😐 Solo nomad: Ethiopia is 28.4% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 19.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Ethiopia is 17.7% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 17.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.37 ETB 683

$8.70 R 140

-49.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.38 ETB 5,374

$38.91 R 626

-11.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.38 ETB 997

$5.17 R 83.3

23.40%

Cappuccino

$1.14 ETB 179

$2.05 R 33.04

-44.39%

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

$0.59 ETB 92.3

$1.02 R 16.48

-42.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ETB 67.5

$0.76 R 12.22

-43.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ETB 160

$2.26 R 36.34

-54.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ETB 318

$2.53 R 40.80

-19.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ETB 224

$1.10 R 17.78

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ETB 195

$0.94 R 15.15

32.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 ETB 277

$1.62 R 26.14

9.26%

Eggs

$2.48 ETB 387

$2.22 R 35.77

11.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 ETB 1,129

$7.52 R 121

-3.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.65 ETB 1,977

$4.48 R 72.1

182.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.82 ETB 2,003

$6.61 R 106

93.95%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 ETB 1,004

$1.50 R 24.17

328.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ETB 154

$1.42 R 22.87

-30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ETB 361

$1.46 R 23.52

58.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 ETB 134

$1.51 R 24.33

-43.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ETB 99.9

$1.26 R 20.22

-49.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 ETB 294

$1.29 R 20.85

45.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ETB 115

$1.03 R 16.56

-28.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ETB 97.4

$0.97 R 15.56

-36.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 ETB 641

$2.87 R 46.21

42.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 ETB 927

$4.90 R 78.9

21.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ETB 128

$1.31 R 21.15

-37.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ETB 291

$1.73 R 27.93

7.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ETB 45.34

$1.65 R 26.54

-82.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.28 ETB 1,920

$44.20 R 712

-72.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.44 ETB 226

$1.14 R 18.35

26.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ETB 44.77

$1.09 R 17.56

-73.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 ETB 310

$4.70 R 75.8

-57.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ETB 205

$1.30 R 20.86

0.77%

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

$51.5K ETB 8.0M

$20.8K R 334.8K

147.51%

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

$53.7K ETB 8.4M

$23.5K R 378.5K

128.41%

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

$134 ETB 21.0K

$111 R 1,793

20.57%

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

$12.17 ETB 1,902

$32.36 R 521

-62.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$160 ETB 25.0K

$40.49 R 652

295.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.7 ETB 9,806

$31.96 R 515

96.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.60 ETB 5,720

$9.72 R 156

276.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.87 ETB 761

$6.80 R 109

-28.38%

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

$77.6 ETB 12.1K

$189 R 3,035

-58.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$41.0K ETB 6.4M

$4,400 R 70.8K

832.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.81 ETB 7,316

$50.2 R 807

-6.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.4 ETB 11.8K

$30.53 R 492

147.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 ETB 15.3K

$94.5 R 1,522

3.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ETB 18.2K

$81.3 R 1,309

43.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$681 ETB 106.4K

$453 R 7,289

50.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 ETB 59.0K

$372 R 5,991

1.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ETB 218.4K

$906 R 14.6K

54.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$901 ETB 140.8K

$703 R 11.3K

28.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,919 ETB 299.9K

$1,150 R 18.5K

66.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,083 ETB 169.3K

$836 R 13.5K

29.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$196 ETB 30.7K

$1,471 R 23.7K

-86.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

47.19%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: February 28, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Ethiopia and South Africa

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

Ethiopia

South Africa

Ethiopia

South Africa

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