Cost of Living inAddis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Ethiopia: $2,892/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 59% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Happiness
3.9 / 10
#128 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Monthly Costs
Rent
Food
Transport
Utilities
Education
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 Addis Ababa. 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.Addis Ababa is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Ethiopia.
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
LimitedA visible public hospital footprint help, but public coverage looks thinner and public funding looks lighter.
Private care
GoodA meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network and a clearly private facility base help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.
UHC coverage
33/100
2023
Physicians
0.14/1k
2023
Hospital beds
0.33/1k
2016
Out of pocket
46%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
67.6 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
195/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
25.2/1k
2024
International patient readiness
MixedA visible private hospital base and multiple facilities have websites help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.
Pricing transparency
LimitedMultiple facilities have crawlable websites help, but published self-pay prices are scarce.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Ethiopia 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 |
| Public Administration & Defence | β |
| Real Estate | β |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | β |
| Transport & Logistics | β |
| Utilities | β |
2021 annual wages in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Β· Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.
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 Addis Ababa compared with the US?
Your money goes about 5.8x further in Addis Ababa than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.
Is Addis Ababa cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Addis Ababa is cheaper overall than New York City β overall living costs are about 59% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Addis Ababa.
How does rent in Addis Ababa compare with New York City?
Rent in Addis Ababa is about 80% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Addis Ababa?
Groceries in Addis Ababa are about 57% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 76% cheaper than the same benchmark.
About Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia and the diplomatic capital of Africa, hosting the African Union headquarters and the UN Economic Commission for Africa. It sits at roughly 2,355 meters elevation, which gives it a year-round spring-like climate that is unusually mild for the latitude. For relocators it functions as the obvious base for continental diplomatic and development work, with a substantial and stable international community, and Bole International Airport offers strong connectivity across the continent via Ethiopian Airlines. The constraints are real: foreign exchange access has been tightly rationed for years, internet shutdowns happen during political flashpoints, and security advisories have tightened since the Tigray conflict. Amharic dominates with English in business and government.
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