Cost of Living inAsmara, Eritrea
Image credit: Dawit Rezenè
Purchasing Power vs. United States
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 14% higher than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
City Population
Child Education
International and private school tuition + curriculum mix for relocating families.
International & private schools
Childcare & Domestic Help
Nanny, housekeeper, and driver pricing is not yet sourced for Asmara. We publish this section only when we can tie it to local job-board, agency, or country fallback evidence.
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Asmara is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Eritrea.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
LimitedCoverage looks thinner, doctor staffing is lighter, and hospital capacity looks tighter weigh on this rating.
Public care
LimitedPublic coverage looks thinner, public funding looks lighter, and patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
40/100
2023
Physicians
0.09/1k
2022
Hospital beds
1.02/1k
2023
Out of pocket
48%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
68.9 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
291/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
15.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedPrice transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Eritrea yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI Β· Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | β |
| Agriculture & Farming | β |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | β |
| Construction | β |
| Education | β |
| Finance & Insurance | β |
| Healthcare & Social Work | β |
| Hospitality & Food Service | β |
| Information & Technology | β |
| Manufacturing | β |
| Mining & Quarrying | β |
| Other Services | β |
| Professional & Scientific Services | β |
| Real Estate | β |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | β |
| Transport & Logistics | β |
| Utilities | β |
2024 annual wages in Asmara, Eritrea Β· Source: GDP-derived estimate (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page β no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Asmara compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.0x further in Asmara than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Eritrea here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Asmara cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Asmara is more expensive overall than New York City β overall living costs are about 14% more expensive than the global benchmark (New York City) for Asmara. We are using the country-level cost index for Eritrea here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Asmara compare with New York City?
Rent in Asmara is about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Eritrea here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Asmara?
Groceries in Asmara are about 100% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 100% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Eritrea here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Asmara
Asmara is the capital of Eritrea, perched at roughly 2,300 meters on the Hamasien plateau, which gives it a mild, temperate climate unusual for the Horn of Africa. The city is internationally recognized for its concentration of 1930s Italian modernist architecture, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Relocation is the harder question: Eritrea remains one of the world's most closed states, with indefinite national service, severe restrictions on foreign currency, limited internet, and a tightly controlled visa regime that effectively excludes most independent movers. Tigrinya and Arabic are official, and Italian and English still appear in older signage and education. Realistic only for diplomats, NGO staff under specific agreements, or returning diaspora.
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