Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Ethiopia Cost of Living Comparison Between United Kingdom and Ethiopia

Name: Ethiopia
Address: ET

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in United Kingdom versus $776 in Ethiopia.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,520 in United Kingdom versus $1,155 in Ethiopia.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,635 in United Kingdom versus $1,534 in Ethiopia.

Living in United Kingdom is roughly 210% more expensive than in Ethiopia on average.

United Kingdom (74% above) and Ethiopia (44% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.52 £15.90

$3.93 ETB 632

447.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.0 £65.0

$42.71 ETB 6,865

105.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.89 £8.05

$6.55 ETB 1,052

66.26%

Cappuccino

$4.92 £3.64

$0.87 ETB 139

465.52%

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

$2.59 £1.91

$0.56 ETB 90.6

362.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.36

$0.56 ETB 89.7

228.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.91 £5.11

$0.83 ETB 134

732.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.86 £5.07

$2.04 ETB 327

236.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 £1.23

$1.08 ETB 173

54.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 £1.23

$0.97 ETB 156

72.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 £1.63

$1.72 ETB 277

27.91%

Eggs

$4.19 £3.10

$1.81 ETB 291

131.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.98 £7.38

$7.55 ETB 1,213

32.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 £7.00

$10.39 ETB 1,671

-8.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.39

$10.37 ETB 1,667

48.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.02 £2.23

$4.49 ETB 721

-32.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.25

$0.73 ETB 117

132.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.16

$2.41 ETB 388

21.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.50

$0.67 ETB 108

404.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.36

$0.55 ETB 88.4

234.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.17

$1.40 ETB 226

12.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 £0.93

$0.75 ETB 121

68.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 £1.26

$0.62 ETB 99.5

174.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.21 £17.90

$8.03 ETB 1,292

201.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 £8.13

$5.23 ETB 841

110.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.21

$0.75 ETB 120

297.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 £2.51

$1.48 ETB 238

129.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.43 £2.53

$0.35 ETB 55.8

880.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 £77.9

$17.38 ETB 2,794

506.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 £3.96

$1.36 ETB 218

294.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.37 £1.75

$0.29 ETB 47.23

717.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.55 £20.36

$2.01 ETB 323

1270.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 £1.43

$0.99 ETB 160

94.95%

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

$39.7K £29.3K

$55.6K ETB 8.9M

-28.57%

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

$40.7K £30.1K

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

-26.38%

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

$321 £238

$145 ETB 23.3K

121.33%

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

$18.67 £13.80

$9.42 ETB 1,515

98.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.93 £32.47

$230 ETB 37.0K

-80.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.56 £34.41

$43.94 ETB 7,063

5.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.71 £13.83

$36.43 ETB 5,856

-48.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.53 £10.00

$4.92 ETB 791

175.00%

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

$1,739 £1,285

$120 ETB 19.3K

1352.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.7K £16.7K

$30.5K ETB 4.9M

-25.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £67.2

$36.02 ETB 5,789

152.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.40 £35.04

$64.1 ETB 10.3K

-26.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £77.8

$76.6 ETB 12.3K

37.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 £74.9

$86.1 ETB 13.8K

17.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 £1,022

$648 ETB 104.1K

113.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,095 £809

$348 ETB 56.0K

214.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,216 £1,638

$1,826 ETB 293.6K

21.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 £1,341

$709 ETB 114.0K

155.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,730 £4,235

$1,831 ETB 294.3K

212.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,515 £3,337

$1,023 ETB 164.5K

341.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,329 £2,461

$201 ETB 32.3K

1559.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

-68.71%

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

Last update for United Kingdom: September 5, 2026

Last update for Ethiopia: September 5, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,285 in United Kingdom, $181 in Ethiopia. Capital cities: $2,926 in London vs $703 in Addis Ababa.

National salary averages: $3,292 in United Kingdom, $185 in Ethiopia. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 610% higher in United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 250% more in United Kingdom.

Public transport is 1620% more expensive in United Kingdom.

Salaries are 1679% higher in United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in United Kingdom.

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

United Kingdom vs Ethiopia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $655 per month in Ethiopia and $2,668 in United Kingdom, there's a 307% 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 United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom 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; United Kingdom may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.