Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Addis Ababa

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,300 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
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Addis Ababa Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,300

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Addis Ababa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $1,300 in Addis Ababa.

Lisbon $2,210
Addis Ababa $1,300

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,914 in Addis Ababa.

Lisbon $3,275
Addis Ababa $1,914

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $2,528 in Addis Ababa.

Lisbon $4,341
Addis Ababa $2,528

Living in Lisbon is roughly 70% more expensive than in Addis Ababa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Addis Ababa is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$4.07 ETB 655

309.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$42.77 ETB 6,885

44.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$6.63 ETB 1,068

71.34%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$0.88 ETB 141

237.50%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$0.58 ETB 93.8

294.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.64 ETB 103

171.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$0.77 ETB 124

341.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.23 ETB 359

48.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.07 ETB 172

8.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.16 ETB 187

64.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.17 ETB 349

-30.41%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$1.79 ETB 287

124.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$7.51 ETB 1,210

72.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$10.28 ETB 1,655

-24.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$9.49 ETB 1,528

87.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$5.25 ETB 845

-56.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.64 ETB 102

170.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$2.12 ETB 341

-12.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$0.65 ETB 105

298.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.50 ETB 81.1

264.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.08 ETB 174

82.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.69 ETB 111

113.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.58 ETB 92.8

24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$8.01 ETB 1,290

-17.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.68 ETB 915

-1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.67 ETB 108

102.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.22 ETB 196

75.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.51 ETB 82.7

356.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$21.05 ETB 3,390

112.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.29 ETB 208

198.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.29 ETB 47.31

268.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$1.96 ETB 315

739.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.96 ETB 155

129.17%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$55.7K ETB 9.0M

-38.58%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$56.1K ETB 9.0M

-30.99%

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

$161 €144

$202 ETB 32.5K

-20.25%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$7.50 ETB 1,207

145.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$213 ETB 34.3K

-84.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$44.97 ETB 7,240

-0.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$36.87 ETB 5,936

-48.20%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$3.77 ETB 607

154.64%

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

$668 €598

$633 ETB 102.0K

5.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

-42.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$32.81 ETB 5,282

210.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$69.5 ETB 11.2K

-36.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$77.5 ETB 12.5K

27.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$82.9 ETB 13.3K

49.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$707 ETB 113.9K

127.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$392 ETB 63.1K

203.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$2,299 ETB 370.1K

22.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$774 ETB 124.6K

160.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,976 ETB 318.2K

296.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,025 ETB 165.1K

346.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$200 ETB 32.2K

686.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

18.5

-79.19%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Addis Ababa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Addis Ababa

$392 30.1% 67.1% $798

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Addis Ababa

$213 16.4% 21.9% $60

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Addis Ababa

$76 5.9% 68.6% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Addis Ababa

$423 32.5% 99.1% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Addis Ababa

$118 9.1% 28.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Addis Ababa

$53 4% 17.6% $11

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Addis Ababa

$26 2% 59.1% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $707 in Addis Ababa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays about 7.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $62 in Lisbon vs $43 in Addis Ababa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $213 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

3 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

3,500,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.21 USD). 1 EUR = 179 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.58 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Addis Ababa 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Addis Ababa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $1,300 in Addis Ababa, so Addis Ababa is about 41% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Lisbon is about 7.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $707 in Addis Ababa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,210 per month in Lisbon versus $1,300 in Addis Ababa – Addis Ababa is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 53% less than in Lisbon. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $1,300 in Addis Ababa versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Addis Ababa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Addis Ababa 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.

Expats usually find Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.