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: $1,717 in Italy versus $786 in Ethiopia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,624 in Italy versus $1,185 in Ethiopia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,530 in Italy versus $1,584 in Ethiopia.

Living in Italy is roughly 118% more expensive than Ethiopia on average.

Italy (28% above) and Ethiopia (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 €15.00

$4.40 ETB 693

296.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €68.4

$35.21 ETB 5,548

125.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 €10.11

$6.64 ETB 1,046

77.11%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.72

$1.16 ETB 183

72.41%

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

$3.00 €2.58

$0.60 ETB 94.4

400.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.16

$0.46 ETB 73.0

193.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 €5.11

$1.02 ETB 160

482.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 €4.61

$2.03 ETB 321

164.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.41

$1.42 ETB 224

15.49%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.07

$1.29 ETB 203

86.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.58

$1.68 ETB 264

77.98%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.41

$2.48 ETB 391

59.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.84 €14.49

$7.22 ETB 1,138

133.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.43 €10.69

$12.54 ETB 1,976

-0.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.29 €17.46

$13.08 ETB 2,062

55.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.13

$6.25 ETB 985

-60.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$0.98 ETB 155

119.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.28

$2.30 ETB 363

15.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 €2.92

$0.85 ETB 134

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$0.64 ETB 100

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.88 ETB 296

-3.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$0.73 ETB 115

112.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.46

$0.67 ETB 106

-19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €5.84

$3.92 ETB 618

73.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 €6.18

$5.37 ETB 847

33.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$0.84 ETB 133

114.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.08

$1.84 ETB 290

31.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.72

$0.27 ETB 42.41

640.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.35 €36.43

$12.42 ETB 1,957

240.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 €5.11

$1.48 ETB 233

301.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.30

$0.31 ETB 49.27

387.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.04 €29.28

$1.96 ETB 308

1636.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.76

$1.25 ETB 197

64.00%

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

$32.8K €28.2K

$53.3K ETB 8.4M

-38.39%

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

$33.7K €29.0K

$53.3K ETB 8.4M

-36.83%

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

$225 €194

$135 ETB 21.2K

67.19%

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

$13.25 €11.40

$11.93 ETB 1,880

11.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.95 €26.62

$155 ETB 24.4K

-80.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 €47.95

$62.1 ETB 9,791

-10.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 €21.63

$36.89 ETB 5,813

-31.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 €8.82

$5.12 ETB 807

100.20%

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

$576 €495

$77.2 ETB 12.2K

645.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €8,998

$39.8K ETB 6.3M

-73.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €79.0

$48.27 ETB 7,607

90.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 €35.03

$76.6 ETB 12.1K

-46.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €84.3

$98.9 ETB 15.6K

-0.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €112

$117 ETB 18.4K

12.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 €740

$682 ETB 107.4K

26.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 €573

$379 ETB 59.8K

75.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,269

$1,406 ETB 221.6K

4.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 €935

$891 ETB 140.4K

21.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,850 €3,312

$1,790 ETB 282.1K

115.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,359 €2,029

$1,005 ETB 158.4K

134.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 €1,663

$203 ETB 32.0K

851.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

-74.06%

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

Last update for Italy: May 31, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $743 in Italy, $212 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $1,325 in Rome vs $758 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $1,949 in Italy, $184 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 250% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 270% more in Italy.

Public transport is 1000% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 959% higher in Italy, giving Italy stronger purchasing power.

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 $692 per month in Ethiopia and $1,839 in Italy, there's a 166% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Ethiopia is simply cheaper day-to-day: 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 beats 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 works in regional areas but 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.