Cost of living comparison

 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
compared to
 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Addis Ababa vs. Riyadh Cost of Living Summary

Addis Ababa is 17.5% more expensive than Riyadh.

Restaurants
pay 5.3% more in Addis Ababa
Groceries
pay 18.6% more in Addis Ababa
Transportation
pay 16.2% less in Addis Ababa
Housing
pay 23.4% more in Addis Ababa
Childcare
pay 2.2 times more in Addis Ababa
Entertainment and Sports
pay 48.1% less in Addis Ababa
Clothing
pay 16.2% more in Addis Ababa

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, clothing, and restaurants in Addis Ababa are more expensive than in Riyadh. Expenses including entertainment and sports and transportation are lower in Addis Ababa. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Addis Ababa.

Addis Ababa vs. Riyadh Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Addis Ababa instead of Riyadh, you would:

pay 5.3% more for restaurants

 
Riyadh
Addis Ababa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.39
SAR31.47
$6.00
ETB815.36
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$7.99
SAR29.97
$6.24
ETB847.34
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.76
SAR2.86
$0.78
ETB106.68

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pay 18.6% more for groceries

 
Riyadh
Addis Ababa
Bread
1 loaf
$1.24
SAR4.64
$1.20
ETB163.29
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.91
SAR14.67
$4.85
ETB659.55
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
SAR24.92
$6.08
ETB826.04

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pay 16.2% less for transportation

 
Riyadh
Addis Ababa
Gasoline (1 gallon) $2.31
SAR8.67
$4.88
ETB663.12
Monthly public transit pass $37.27
SAR139.85
$10.00
ETB1,358.93
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $33,280.09
SAR124,863.22
$25,000.00
ETB3,397,335.00

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pay 23.4% more for housing

 
Riyadh
Addis Ababa
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$74.70
SAR280.25
$171.17
ETB23,260.42
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,116.87
SAR4,190.37
$645.10
ETB87,664.83
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $782.38
SAR2,935.42
$422.74
ETB57,447.88

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pay 2.2 times more for childcare

 
Riyadh
Addis Ababa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $360.22
SAR1,351.50
$81.47
ETB11,071.68
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $10,375.93
SAR38,929.35
$43,916.67
ETB5,967,985.15

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pay 48.1% less for entertainment and sports

 
Riyadh
Addis Ababa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.13
SAR7.99
$1.00
ETB135.89
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.25
SAR15.95
$1.15
ETB156.24
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$7.45
SAR27.97
$4.00
ETB543.57

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pay 16.2% more for clothing

 
Riyadh
Addis Ababa
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$52.20
SAR195.87
$48.33
ETB6,568.18
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$54.44
SAR204.25
$75.17
ETB10,214.65
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$107.53
SAR403.44
$108.84
ETB14,791.01

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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: June 2025
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See the cost of living in Saudi Arabia vs. Ethiopia. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia.

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