Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Ethiopia Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Ethiopia

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 20.3% cheaper than Ethiopia without rent, and 15.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 12.7% cheaper than Ethiopia without rent, and 14.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 R 142
$4.32 ETB 672
101.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.43 R 643
$35.66 ETB 5,550
10.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 84.1
$6.31 ETB 982
-18.23%
Cappuccino
$2.03 R 33.09
$1.15 ETB 179
76.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.83
$0.62 ETB 97.2
66.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 12.83
$0.44 ETB 68.4
79.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 R 37.53
$0.97 ETB 151
137.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 41.59
$1.95 ETB 304
30.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.16
$1.36 ETB 212
-18.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 16.92
$1.24 ETB 193
-16.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.17
$1.70 ETB 264
-9.41%
Eggs
$2.24 R 36.56
$2.48 ETB 385
-9.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 R 128
$7.28 ETB 1,133
7.97%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 R 77.2
$12.94 ETB 2,014
-63.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.65 R 108
$13.08 ETB 2,036
-49.16%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.66
$6.20 ETB 966
-75.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 22.93
$1.01 ETB 158
39.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.31
$2.25 ETB 350
-33.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.47
$0.91 ETB 142
71.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 R 19.47
$0.68 ETB 105
75.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R 21.13
$1.86 ETB 290
-30.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 16.99
$0.69 ETB 107
50.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$0.63 ETB 97.7
52.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 R 47.67
$3.92 ETB 611
-25.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.80 R 78.3
$5.11 ETB 796
-6.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.75
$0.84 ETB 130
58.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 R 28.08
$1.84 ETB 287
-6.52%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 27.72
$0.27 ETB 41.72
529.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.20 R 737
$12.33 ETB 1,920
266.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.81
$1.45 ETB 226
-24.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 R 17.13
$0.31 ETB 48.43
238.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 R 77.1
$2.03 ETB 316
133.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 21.10
$1.27 ETB 198
1.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 343.2K
$52.6K ETB 8.2M
-59.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K R 384.2K
$52.8K ETB 8.2M
-55.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 R 1,818
$132 ETB 20.5K
-15.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.97 R 521
$12.00 ETB 1,868
166.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 R 659
$160 ETB 24.9K
-74.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.85 R 519
$62.7 ETB 9,758
-49.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.68 R 158
$35.84 ETB 5,578
-72.99%
Cinema Ticket
$6.64 R 108
$5.07 ETB 790
30.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 R 3,100
$77.6 ETB 12.1K
145.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,317 R 70.4K
$40.2K ETB 6.2M
-89.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.50 R 791
$46.98 ETB 7,313
3.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.47 R 497
$78.3 ETB 12.2K
-61.09%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,536
$99.8 ETB 15.5K
-5.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.4 R 1,327
$120 ETB 18.7K
-32.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,380
$669 ETB 104.1K
-32.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,047
$375 ETB 58.3K
-0.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 R 14.4K
$1,368 ETB 212.9K
-35.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 11.5K
$870 ETB 135.3K
-18.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,147 R 18.7K
$1,846 ETB 287.3K
-37.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$818 R 13.3K
$1,020 ETB 158.7K
-19.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Ethiopia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.1K
$202 ETB 31.5K
630.13%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
17
-32.06%

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

Last update for South Africa: April 12, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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