Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Ethiopia Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,642 in Spain versus $792 in Ethiopia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,393 in Spain versus $1,183 in Ethiopia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,144 in Spain versus $1,573 in Ethiopia.

Living in Spain is roughly 107% more expensive than in Ethiopia on average.

Spain (23% above) and Ethiopia (41% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.46 €14.40

$4.52 ETB 717

264.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.1 €50.8

$35.26 ETB 5,589

64.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.59 €9.27

$6.37 ETB 1,010

66.25%

Cappuccino

$2.30 €2.01

$1.20 ETB 191

91.67%

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

$2.59 €2.26

$0.63 ETB 99.1

311.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.65

$0.46 ETB 73.7

308.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €2.98

$0.97 ETB 154

251.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.97 €3.47

$1.99 ETB 315

99.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.03

$1.43 ETB 227

-17.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 €1.35

$1.25 ETB 198

23.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.39

$1.68 ETB 266

-5.36%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.67

$2.41 ETB 381

26.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.38 €12.58

$6.97 ETB 1,105

106.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 €7.40

$12.59 ETB 1,995

-32.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.94 €13.95

$13.17 ETB 2,087

21.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.22

$6.19 ETB 981

-58.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.82

$0.98 ETB 155

112.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 €1.77

$2.30 ETB 364

-12.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.32

$0.86 ETB 136

209.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.59

$0.67 ETB 106

171.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$1.90 ETB 301

-1.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.18

$0.69 ETB 109

95.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.66

$0.62 ETB 98.8

20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.56

$3.96 ETB 628

60.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.75 €5.03

$5.13 ETB 813

12.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.14

$0.83 ETB 132

56.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.85

$1.80 ETB 285

17.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.50

$0.27 ETB 42.30

537.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.11 €30.71

$12.55 ETB 1,989

179.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.56 €3.99

$1.48 ETB 235

208.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 €1.14

$0.31 ETB 49.29

319.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.70 €23.36

$1.95 ETB 309

1269.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.58

$1.26 ETB 200

43.65%

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

$39.2K €34.3K

$53.5K ETB 8.5M

-26.59%

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

$30.6K €26.8K

$53.5K ETB 8.5M

-42.75%

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

$153 €133

$131 ETB 20.7K

16.68%

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

$20.36 €17.82

$12.13 ETB 1,923

67.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.00 €29.75

$159 ETB 25.3K

-78.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.13 €42.11

$62.4 ETB 9,884

-22.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.14 €14.12

$36.87 ETB 5,845

-56.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.37 €8.20

$5.07 ETB 803

84.81%

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

$520 €455

$78.5 ETB 12.4K

562.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K €8,900

$40.7K ETB 6.4M

-74.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €75.2

$46.76 ETB 7,412

83.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.75 €32.15

$75.5 ETB 12.0K

-51.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 €80.2

$97.9 ETB 15.5K

-6.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €94.8

$120 ETB 19.0K

-9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,043 €912

$689 ETB 109.1K

51.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$834 €730

$378 ETB 59.9K

120.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,674 €1,464

$1,366 ETB 216.4K

22.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 €1,070

$869 ETB 137.7K

40.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,638

$1,785 ETB 282.9K

132.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,629 €2,301

$1,009 ETB 159.8K

160.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,965 €1,719

$203 ETB 32.2K

866.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.51

-79.35%

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

Last update for Spain: July 12, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $897 in Spain, $206 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $1,607 in Madrid vs $732 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $1,989 in Spain, $182 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 335% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 165% more in Spain.

Public transport is 725% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are 993% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

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

Spain vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $715 per month in Ethiopia and $2,154 in Spain, there's a 201% 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 Spain 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 Spain 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; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.