Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Ethiopia Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,796 in Italy versus $776 in Ethiopia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,739 in Italy versus $1,155 in Ethiopia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Italy versus $1,534 in Ethiopia.

Living in Italy is roughly 131% more expensive than in Ethiopia on average.

Italy (30% above) and Ethiopia (44% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.24 €18.31

$3.93 ETB 632

440.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 €69.7

$42.71 ETB 6,865

89.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €9.84

$6.55 ETB 1,052

74.20%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.79

$0.87 ETB 139

139.08%

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

$3.05 €2.63

$0.56 ETB 90.6

444.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$0.56 ETB 89.7

146.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 €4.99

$0.83 ETB 134

597.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €4.96

$2.04 ETB 327

181.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.46

$1.08 ETB 173

57.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.08

$0.97 ETB 156

148.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 €2.59

$1.72 ETB 277

75.00%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.72

$1.81 ETB 291

138.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.93 €15.45

$7.55 ETB 1,213

137.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.67 €10.92

$10.39 ETB 1,671

21.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.57 €17.73

$10.37 ETB 1,667

98.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.26

$4.49 ETB 721

-41.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$0.73 ETB 117

194.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 €2.41

$2.41 ETB 388

16.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.87

$0.67 ETB 108

395.52%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$0.55 ETB 88.4

281.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.63

$1.40 ETB 226

35.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$0.75 ETB 121

106.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.48

$0.62 ETB 99.5

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.17

$8.03 ETB 1,292

-10.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 €6.33

$5.23 ETB 841

40.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$0.75 ETB 120

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.07

$1.48 ETB 238

62.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.66

$0.35 ETB 55.8

451.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.24 €39.00

$17.38 ETB 2,794

160.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €4.95

$1.36 ETB 218

322.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.47

$0.29 ETB 47.23

486.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.25 €30.38

$2.01 ETB 323

1653.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.76

$0.99 ETB 160

106.06%

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

$37.5K €32.3K

$55.6K ETB 8.9M

-32.49%

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

$37.1K €31.9K

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

-32.90%

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

$231 €199

$145 ETB 23.3K

59.02%

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

$12.34 €10.64

$9.42 ETB 1,515

31.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 €26.87

$230 ETB 37.0K

-86.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 €47.62

$43.94 ETB 7,063

25.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.91 €21.47

$36.43 ETB 5,856

-31.62%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.59

$4.92 ETB 791

126.22%

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

$568 €490

$120 ETB 19.3K

374.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €10.8K

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

-58.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.0 €80.1

$36.02 ETB 5,789

158.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €34.32

$64.1 ETB 10.3K

-37.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.8

$76.6 ETB 12.3K

36.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €116

$86.1 ETB 13.8K

56.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €734

$648 ETB 104.1K

31.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 €556

$348 ETB 56.0K

85.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 €1,249

$1,826 ETB 293.6K

-20.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 €935

$709 ETB 114.0K

52.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,813 €3,287

$1,831 ETB 294.3K

108.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,357 €2,032

$1,023 ETB 164.5K

130.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 €1,666

$201 ETB 32.3K

863.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

-79.00%

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

Last update for Italy: September 5, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $755 in Italy, $181 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $1,247 in Rome vs $703 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $1,964 in Italy, $185 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 317% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 217% more in Italy.

Public transport is 760% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 962% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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

Italy vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $655 per month in Ethiopia and $1,889 in Italy, there's a 188% 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 Ethiopia: 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 Italy is consistently higher than in Ethiopia across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Ethiopia, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy 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: Ethiopia wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.