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Ethiopia Cost of Living 2026
🇪🇹 Prices in Ethiopia are based on Addis Ababa. Not the exchange rate — how cheap it feels on your own income, and where a price becomes a rip-off. Updated October 2026
Cities in Ethiopia compared
| City | Per day | Per month | Local meal | Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇹 Addis AbabaBig city | $99.3 | $1,042 | Br500 | Br150 |
Per day = one mid-range night + three meals, a coffee and two taxi rides. Open a city for item-by-item prices, rip-off thresholds and live traveler reports.
Everyday prices in Ethiopia
| City | Beer | 5 km taxi | Hotel night | Massage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇹 Addis Ababa | Br120 | Br300 | Br11,000 | Br2,000 |
Ethiopia vs nearby countries
| Country | Per day | Per month | vs Ethiopia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | $83.1 | $1,207 | -16% |
| 🇺🇬 Uganda | $90.1 | $1,181 | -9% |
| 🇷🇼 Rwanda | $94.2 | $1,307 | -5% |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | $99.2 | $1,191 | 0% |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | $99.3 | $1,042 | this country |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia | $100 | $1,330 | +1% |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | $109 | $1,300 | +10% |
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | $116 | $1,654 | +17% |
Countries in the same region with a similar daily travel budget. Tap a country for its city-by-city prices.
Addis Ababa vs New York: item by item
| Item | Addis Ababa | New York | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local meal | Br500≈ $3.07 | $20 | -85% |
| Coffee | Br150≈ $0.92 | $6 | -85% |
| Beer | Br120≈ $0.74 | $9 | -92% |
| 5 km taxi | Br300≈ $1.84 | $23 | -92% |
| Hotel night | Br11,000≈ $67.6 | $270 | -75% |
| 1-bed rent | Br45,000≈ $276 | $3,300 | -92% |
Same purchase in both cities, converted to US dollars. Daily travel budget: Addis Ababa $99.3 vs New York $467 — about 79% cheaper.
Compare Ethiopia with other cities
Ethiopia travel difficulty
| City | Overall | Rip-offs | Language | Transport | Payments | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addis Ababa | Very hard 3.6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Rip-offs, language, getting around, payments and safety, 1–5 (closer to 1 is easier). Tap a city for reasons and tips. Full difficulty ranking ›
City guides
FAQ
How much is a daily travel budget in Ethiopia?
In Addis Ababa, about $99.3 a day with a mid-range room. Hostels and local eateries cut that by 30% or more.
How much does a month in Ethiopia cost?
In Addis Ababa, short-term rental plus living costs come to about $1,042 a month.
Which city in Ethiopia is cheapest?
Addis Ababa runs about $99.3 a day.
Which nearby country is cheaper than Ethiopia?
Among countries in the same region with similar budgets, Nigeria runs about $83.1 a day — 16% less than Ethiopia (about $99.3).
Is Ethiopia cheaper than New York?
In Addis Ababa, a traveler's day runs about $99.3 versus $467 in New York — roughly 79% cheaper. The gap differs by item, so meals, coffee, taxis and hotels are listed separately above.