Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hawassa and in Athens

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hawassa and in Athens actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $838 in Hawassa versus $1,779 in Athens.

Hawassa $838
Athens $1,779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,202 in Hawassa versus $2,721 in Athens.

Hawassa $1,202
Athens $2,721

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,566 in Hawassa versus $3,663 in Athens.

Hawassa $1,566
Athens $3,663

Living in Hawassa costs roughly 53% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hawassa is 38% below, Athens is 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ETB 625

$16.83 €14.99

-76.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.15 ETB 6,777

$66.0 €58.8

-36.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ETB 1,061

$11.21 €9.99

-41.12%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$4.08 €3.64

-78.43%

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

$0.63 ETB 101

$2.77 €2.47

-77.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.54 €0.48

25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ETB 125

$5.70 €5.08

-86.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ETB 355

$6.26 €5.58

-64.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.84 €1.64

-42.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$1.43 €1.27

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ETB 165

$2.67 €2.38

-61.42%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 254

$4.95 €4.41

-68.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 ETB 1,186

$15.09 €13.45

-51.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 ETB 1,612

$10.99 €9.79

-8.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 ETB 1,491

$19.77 €17.61

-53.11%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 ETB 841

$2.12 €1.89

146.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.98 €1.76

-68.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ETB 361

$1.33 €1.19

68.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 112

$2.16 €1.92

-68.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.0

$1.06 €0.94

-55.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$1.15 €1.02

-5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$1.08 €0.97

-38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.7

$0.85 €0.75

-32.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 ETB 1,272

$5.46 €4.86

44.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 ETB 908

$10.03 €8.93

-43.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$2.04 €1.82

-67.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$2.38 €2.12

-48.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$3.81 €3.39

-64.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.39

$1.03 €0.92

-73.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$16.49 €14.68

-87.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ETB 153

$2.34 €2.09

-59.40%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$27.8K €24.7K

95.48%

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

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

$26.6K €23.7K

108.76%

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

$205 ETB 33.0K

$202 €180

1.43%

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

$7.48 ETB 1,202

$26.81 €23.88

-72.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.8K

$30.49 €27.16

610.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

Cinema Ticket

$3.81 ETB 613

$10.44 €9.30

-63.51%

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

$616 ETB 99.1K

$568 €506

8.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$15.2K €13.5K

100.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.38 ETB 5,368

$90.7 €80.8

-63.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

$39.32 €35.03

76.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

$105 €93.7

-26.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

$129 €115

-35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$500 ETB 80.3K

$3,281 €2,923

-84.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

4.44

316.67%

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

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$429 51.2%

Athens

$260 14.6% 39.5% $170

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.5%

Athens

$316 17.8% 54.1% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$119 14.2%

Athens

$164 9.2% 38% $45

Eating Out

Hawassa

$75 8.9%

Athens

$272 15.3% 262% $197

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9%

Athens

$75 4.2% 884% $67

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3%

Athens

$45 2.5% 1556% $42

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Athens

$648 36.4%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42 in Hawassa vs $66 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $316 per month, with Hawassa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

19:08 7:08 PM

1 h behind Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.53 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.53 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hawassa Athens 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
Athens

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

Hawassa vs Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawassa wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hawassa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,258 in Hawassa and $2,669 in Athens to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $616 in Hawassa versus $568 in Athens. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hawassa – a meal for two runs $42 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $838 in Hawassa versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hawassa but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Hawassa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.