Cost of living comparison

Asmara, Eritrea

compared to

Damascus, Syria

Damascus vs. Asmara Cost of Living Summary

Damascus is 0.6% more expensive than Asmara.

Restaurants: pay 47.7% less in Damascus
Groceries: pay 30.8% less in Damascus
Transportation: pay 53.1% more in Damascus
Housing: pay 4.1% less in Damascus
Childcare: pay 45.9% more in Damascus
Entertainment and Sports: pay 52.4% more in Damascus
Clothing: pay 64.8% less in Damascus

The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, and childcare in Damascus are more expensive than in Asmara. Expenses including clothing, restaurants, groceries, and housing are lower in Damascus.

Damascus vs. Asmara Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Damascus instead of Asmara, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 47.7% less for restaurants

	Asmara	Damascus
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$18.14 ERN272.04	$5.00 SYP65,010	-72.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.99 ERN89.85	$5.00 SYP65,010	-16.5%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.83 ERN27.50	$1.05 SYP13,652	-42.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$1.33 ERN20.00	$0.54 SYP7,086	-59.1%
Average			-47.7%

Asmara vs. Damascus - Cost of restaurants

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pay 30.8% less for groceries

	Asmara	Damascus
Bread 1 loaf	$0.50 ERN7.50	$0.63 SYP8,217	+26.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$1.50 ERN22.50	$1.67 SYP21,752	+11.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.14 ERN92.11	$4.05 SYP52,594	-34.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$4.52 ERN67.80	$1.97 SYP25,571	-56.5%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$12.17 ERN182.57	$3.01 SYP39,106	-75.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$5.54 ERN83.16	$0.46 SYP5,918	-91.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.58 ERN8.69	$0.96 SYP12,544	+66.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.86 ERN12.85	$0.46 SYP5,963	-46.5%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.55 ERN8.32	$0.39 SYP5,065	-29.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.80 ERN11.94	$0.27 SYP3,476	-66.4%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.48 ERN7.26	$0.28 SYP3,593	-42.9%
Average			-30.8%

Asmara vs. Damascus - Cost of groceries

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pay 53.1% more for transportation

	Asmara	Damascus
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$8.83 ERN132.49	$15.92 SYP207,051	+80.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$8.00 ERN120.00	$17.00 SYP221,034	+112.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$66,666.00 ERN999,990.00	$18,500.00 SYP240,537,000	-72.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.73 ERN85.99	$11.00 SYP143,022	+91.9%
Average			+53.1%

Asmara vs. Damascus - Cost of transportation

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pay 4.1% less for housing

	Asmara	Damascus
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$200.00 ERN3,000.00	$66.75 SYP867,884	-66.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$475.00 ERN7,125.00	$282.23 SYP3,669,607	-40.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$400.00 ERN6,000.00	$145.72 SYP1,894,661	-63.6%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$21.03 ERN315.44	$53.53 SYP695,989	+154.5%
Average			-4.1%

Asmara vs. Damascus - Cost of housing

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pay 45.9% more for childcare

	Asmara	Damascus
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$25.00 ERN375.00	$48.33 SYP628,430	+93.3%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$1,675.00 ERN25,125.00	$1,650.00 SYP21,453,300	-1.5%
Average			+45.9%

Asmara vs. Damascus - Cost of childcare

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pay 52.4% more for entertainment and sports

	Asmara	Damascus
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.00 ERN15.00	$1.25 SYP16,252	+25.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$0.77 ERN11.58	$1.27 SYP16,578	+65.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.00 ERN30.00	$3.00 SYP39,006	+50.0%
Monthly membership at local gym	$27.00 ERN405.00	$13.30 SYP172,927	-50.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$1.10 ERN16.50	$3.00 SYP39,006	+172.7%
Average			+52.4%

Asmara vs. Damascus - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 64.8% less for clothing

	Asmara	Damascus
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$82.50 ERN1,237.50	$22.00 SYP286,044	-73.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$75.00 ERN1,125.00	$23.50 SYP305,547	-68.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$200.00 ERN3,000.00	$47.50 SYP617,595	-76.2%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$95.00 ERN1,425.00	$56.25 SYP731,362	-40.8%
Average			-64.8%

Asmara vs. Damascus - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: April 2025

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