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

😐 Solo nomad: Ethiopia is 26.6% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 16.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ethiopia is 18.2% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 20.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.33 ETB 582
$9.05 R 161
-52.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.39 ETB 4,760
$38.84 R 691
-8.88%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.49 ETB 873
$4.9 R 87.1
32.45%
Cappuccino
$1.16 ETB 156
$1.98 R 35.28
-41.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 ETB 79.7
$0.96 R 17.06
-38.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ETB 58.1
$0.75 R 13.31
-42.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.97 ETB 131
$2.18 R 38.72
-55.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.96 ETB 263
$2.54 R 45.1
-22.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 ETB 192
$1.1 R 19.58
30.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 ETB 171
$1.03 R 18.32
23.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 ETB 225
$1.56 R 27.71
7.05%
Eggs
$2.38 ETB 320
$2.25 R 39.93
5.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.06 ETB 949
$7.67 R 136
-7.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.71 ETB 1,710
$4.62 R 82.2
175.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.13 ETB 1,767
$6.86 R 122
91.40%
Apples (1kg)
$6.43 ETB 866
$1.58 R 28.02
306.96%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ETB 131
$1.42 R 25.3
-31.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.3 ETB 310
$1.44 R 25.58
59.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.87 ETB 118
$1.49 R 26.5
-41.61%
Potato (1kg)
$0.64 ETB 85.7
$1.25 R 22.16
-48.80%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 ETB 248
$1.34 R 23.81
37.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.7 ETB 93.6
$1.09 R 19.31
-35.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 ETB 82.5
$0.96 R 17.15
-36.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.93 ETB 529
$2.9 R 51.6
35.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.08 ETB 818
$5.07 R 90.3
19.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.85 ETB 114
$1.38 R 24.49
-38.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 ETB 248
$1.68 R 29.79
9.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 ETB 35.98
$1.71 R 30.47
-84.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$12.57 ETB 1,691
$45.01 R 801
-72.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.44 ETB 193
$1.1 R 19.61
30.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 ETB 42.29
$1.09 R 19.41
-71.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.02 ETB 271
$4.8 R 85.3
-57.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 ETB 169
$1.31 R 23.23
-3.82%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$53.3K ETB 7.2M
$21K R 374.2K
153.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$54.8K ETB 7.4M
$23.7K R 421.3K
131.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$134 ETB 18K
$113 R 2,009
18.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.36 ETB 1,662
$33.11 R 589
-62.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$160 ETB 21.5K
$41.49 R 738
284.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$62.1 ETB 8,352
$31.69 R 564
95.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$36.73 ETB 4,940
$9.45 R 168
288.68%
Cinema Ticket
$5.01 ETB 674
$6.7 R 119
-25.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$77.6 ETB 10.4K
$186 R 3,303
-58.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$40.8K ETB 5.5M
$4,336 R 77.1K
841.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.01 ETB 6,458
$48.56 R 864
-1.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$75.5 ETB 10.1K
$30.74 R 547
145.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.9 ETB 13.3K
$92 R 1,636
7.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 ETB 15.7K
$79.6 R 1,415
46.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$693 ETB 93.2K
$442 R 7,860
56.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$378 ETB 50.8K
$370 R 6,579
2.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,357 ETB 182.6K
$880 R 15.7K
54.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$886 ETB 119.2K
$724 R 12.9K
22.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,359 ETB 317.2K
$1,021 R 18.2K
131.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,629 ETB 219K
$803 R 14.3K
102.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ethiopia
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$201 ETB 27.1K
$1,406 R 25K
-85.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
17
11.55
47.19%

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

Last update for Ethiopia: October 29, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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