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: $1,718 in Italy versus $792 in Ethiopia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in Italy versus $1,183 in Ethiopia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,524 in Italy versus $1,573 in Ethiopia.

Living in Italy is roughly 117% more expensive than in Ethiopia on average.

Italy (29% above) and Ethiopia (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.38

$4.52 ETB 717

288.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 €72.1

$35.26 ETB 5,589

133.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 €10.25

$6.37 ETB 1,010

83.99%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.68

$1.20 ETB 191

60.00%

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

$2.99 €2.62

$0.63 ETB 99.1

374.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.19

$0.46 ETB 73.7

195.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.04

$0.97 ETB 154

493.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 €4.57

$1.99 ETB 315

162.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.43 ETB 227

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.04

$1.25 ETB 198

86.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.67

$1.68 ETB 266

81.55%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.49

$2.41 ETB 381

65.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.59

$6.97 ETB 1,105

139.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.57 €11.00

$12.59 ETB 1,995

-0.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 €17.96

$13.17 ETB 2,087

55.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.24

$6.19 ETB 981

-58.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.93

$0.98 ETB 155

124.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.34

$2.30 ETB 364

16.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.95

$0.86 ETB 136

291.86%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.78

$0.67 ETB 106

204.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$1.90 ETB 301

-1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.29

$0.69 ETB 109

113.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.62 ETB 98.8

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.12

$3.96 ETB 628

76.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.09 €6.20

$5.13 ETB 813

38.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.58

$0.83 ETB 132

116.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.19

$1.80 ETB 285

39.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 €1.71

$0.27 ETB 42.30

625.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.58 €36.38

$12.55 ETB 1,989

231.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 €5.08

$1.48 ETB 235

291.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.40

$0.31 ETB 49.29

416.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 €30.68

$1.95 ETB 309

1698.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.26 ETB 200

69.05%

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

$32.6K €28.5K

$53.5K ETB 8.5M

-39.08%

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

$33.8K €29.6K

$53.5K ETB 8.5M

-36.81%

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

$225 €197

$131 ETB 20.7K

72.10%

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

$13.14 €11.50

$12.13 ETB 1,923

8.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 €27.29

$159 ETB 25.3K

-80.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €50.0

$62.4 ETB 9,884

-8.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.85 €22.61

$36.87 ETB 5,845

-29.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 €9.05

$5.07 ETB 803

103.94%

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

$564 €493

$78.5 ETB 12.4K

618.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,047

$40.7K ETB 6.4M

-74.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €80.4

$46.76 ETB 7,412

96.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €35.47

$75.5 ETB 12.0K

-46.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 €85.9

$97.9 ETB 15.5K

0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €116

$120 ETB 19.0K

10.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 €748

$689 ETB 109.1K

24.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €580

$378 ETB 59.9K

75.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,332

$1,366 ETB 216.4K

11.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €953

$869 ETB 137.7K

25.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 €3,278

$1,785 ETB 282.9K

109.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,299 €2,011

$1,009 ETB 159.8K

127.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 €1,659

$203 ETB 32.2K

832.58%

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: July 11, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $206 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $1,328 in Rome vs $732 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $182 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 260% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 270% more in Italy.

Public transport is 1000% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 951% 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 $715 per month in Ethiopia and $1,822 in Italy, there's a 155% 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.