Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

For one person, living is cheaper in Ethiopia: $1,213 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
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Ethiopia Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Ethiopia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,213 in Ethiopia.

Italy $1,843
Ethiopia $1,213

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,821 in Ethiopia.

Italy $2,816
Ethiopia $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,429 in Ethiopia.

Italy $3,788
Ethiopia $2,429

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $374–$1,300 in Ethiopia. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 52% more expensive than in Ethiopia on average.

Italy (35% above) and Ethiopia (11% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.38

$4.11 ETB 662

397.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.4

$42.65 ETB 6,857

86.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €10.02

$6.45 ETB 1,037

72.87%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$0.86 ETB 138

137.21%

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

$3.10 €2.79

$0.57 ETB 92.4

443.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.56 ETB 90.5

150.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.95

$0.89 ETB 143

519.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.16

$1.94 ETB 312

195.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.03 ETB 166

52.43%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.14

$0.90 ETB 145

164.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.74 ETB 279

66.67%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.66

$1.79 ETB 288

127.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.67

$7.49 ETB 1,205

132.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.28

$10.49 ETB 1,686

19.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.12

$9.97 ETB 1,604

102.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$4.43 ETB 712

-41.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.97

$0.78 ETB 125

180.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$2.45 ETB 394

9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$0.67 ETB 108

388.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$0.55 ETB 88.2

245.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.34 ETB 216

35.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.77 ETB 124

103.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.57 ETB 91.2

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.01

$7.86 ETB 1,263

-14.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.18

$5.38 ETB 864

48.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$0.76 ETB 122

132.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.49 ETB 240

57.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.35 ETB 55.7

445.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €39.03

$16.78 ETB 2,698

158.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.05

$1.36 ETB 218

313.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.27 ETB 43.16

533.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.22

$1.97 ETB 316

1607.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.00 ETB 161

103.00%

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

$35.3K €31.7K

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

-34.00%

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

$36.7K €33.0K

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

-33.25%

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

$227 €204

$142 ETB 22.9K

59.34%

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

$11.59 €10.41

$9.63 ETB 1,549

20.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.30

$236 ETB 37.9K

-87.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.52

$42.81 ETB 6,885

20.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.29

$35.60 ETB 5,725

-33.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.53

$4.96 ETB 798

113.71%

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

$568 €510

$628 ETB 100.9K

-9.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.4K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-61.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.3

$36.35 ETB 5,845

149.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.64

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

-38.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.2

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

31.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €118

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

47.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €742

$654 ETB 105.2K

26.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €581

$346 ETB 55.6K

86.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,258

$1,818 ETB 292.3K

-22.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €947

$723 ETB 116.2K

45.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,290

$1,825 ETB 293.4K

100.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,068

$1,031 ETB 165.7K

123.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,695

$203 ETB 32.7K

827.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

-79.06%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Ethiopia

$346 28.5% 46.5% $300

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Ethiopia

$210 17.3% 39.6% $138

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Ethiopia

$75 6.2% 72.9% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Ethiopia

$388 32% 44.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Ethiopia

$120 9.9% 26.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Ethiopia

$53 4.4% 27.7% $20

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Ethiopia

$21 1.7% 68% $44

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $421 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $707 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $180 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 73% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 70% more in Italy.

Public transport is 153% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 11 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

2 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

128,691,692

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 179 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.59 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Ethiopia 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
Ethiopia

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

Italy vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,213 per month in Ethiopia and $1,843 in Italy, there’s a 52% 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 cheaper in Ethiopia: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $421 in Ethiopia. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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.