Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

For one person, living costs are similar in South Africa and in Ethiopia: $1,203 and $1,213 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ethiopia
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Ethiopia Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,213

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa 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 South Africa and in Ethiopia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $1,213 in Ethiopia.

South Africa $1,203
Ethiopia $1,213

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,821 in Ethiopia.

South Africa $1,893
Ethiopia $1,821

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $2,429 in Ethiopia.

South Africa $2,583
Ethiopia $2,429

South Africa ($618–$1,556) and Ethiopia ($374–$1,300) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in South Africa costs about 1% less than in Ethiopia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Ethiopia 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$4.11 ETB 662

159.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$42.65 ETB 6,857

-2.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$6.45 ETB 1,037

-10.08%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$0.86 ETB 138

174.42%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$0.57 ETB 92.4

96.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.56 ETB 90.5

60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$0.89 ETB 143

171.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$1.94 ETB 312

57.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.03 ETB 166

14.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$0.90 ETB 145

25.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.74 ETB 279

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$1.79 ETB 288

43.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$7.49 ETB 1,205

12.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$10.49 ETB 1,686

-51.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$9.97 ETB 1,604

-23.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$4.43 ETB 712

-60.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$0.78 ETB 125

123.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$2.45 ETB 394

-27.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$0.67 ETB 108

162.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$0.55 ETB 88.2

170.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.34 ETB 216

9.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.77 ETB 124

59.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.57 ETB 91.2

92.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$7.86 ETB 1,263

-58.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$5.38 ETB 864

-7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$0.76 ETB 122

97.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.49 ETB 240

30.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.35 ETB 55.7

322.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$16.78 ETB 2,698

253.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.36 ETB 218

-19.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.27 ETB 43.16

266.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$1.97 ETB 316

278.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.00 ETB 161

43.00%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$53.5K ETB 8.6M

-34.01%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

-41.08%

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

$133 R 2,208

$142 ETB 22.9K

-6.64%

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

$34.83 R 580

$9.63 ETB 1,549

261.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$236 ETB 37.9K

-83.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$42.81 ETB 6,885

-22.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$35.60 ETB 5,725

-67.28%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$4.96 ETB 798

44.76%

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

$224 R 3,728

$628 ETB 100.9K

-64.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$30.1K ETB 4.8M

-81.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$36.35 ETB 5,845

49.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$62.8 ETB 10.1K

-45.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$78.3 ETB 12.6K

30.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$88.6 ETB 14.3K

-0.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$654 ETB 105.2K

-24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$346 ETB 55.6K

14.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$1,818 ETB 292.3K

-47.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$723 ETB 116.2K

14.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$1,825 ETB 293.4K

-39.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$1,031 ETB 165.7K

-25.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$203 ETB 32.7K

638.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-33.94%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Ethiopia

$346 28.5% 13% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Ethiopia

$388 32% 87% $180

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Ethiopia

$210 17.3% 7.1% $14

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Ethiopia

$75 6.2% 52% $82

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Ethiopia

$120 9.9% 4.6% $5.8

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Ethiopia

$21 1.7% 70.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Ethiopia

$53 4.4% 11.2% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $421 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $707 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $180 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 10% more in Ethiopia.

Public transport is 259% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 8.3 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

13:24 1:24 PM

1 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

128,691,692

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

South Africa Ethiopia 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
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

South Africa vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,213 per month in Ethiopia and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 1% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, South Africa is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: South Africa wins on affordability; Ethiopia may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.