Which place is cheaper, Rome or Addis Ababa?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
Jump to 
Should you visit Addis Ababa or Rome?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
If you're trying to decide where to visit between Addis Ababa or Rome, this travel comparison, which includes costs, can help. The overall cost of travel is usually a consideration when deciding where to go next, and the cost comparison down below can help you decide based on the average prices from other travelers along with your own travel budget.
Where Should I go: Addis Ababa or Rome?
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia and also the nation's largest when ranked by its population of over three million. There are also more than 120 international missions and embassies in Addis Ababa, making the city a hub for international diplomacy concerning Africa. Other draws include its thriving marketplaces, spicy food, and rich coffee.
Rome
Rome is the capital and largest city in Italy. It is also a common entry point for most visitors flying into the country. Rome has been a center of power, culture, and religion for the last millenium, making it one of the most famous and popular destinations in not only Europe, but the world. The influence of the Roman Empire can be seen across continents.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Luxury Tours to Italy, and The Best Budget Tours to Italy.
-
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayAddis Ababa $67Rome $182
The average daily cost (per person) in Addis Ababa is $67, while the average daily cost in Rome is $182. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Addis Ababa and Rome in more detail.
Accommodation
-
Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personAddis Ababa $43Rome $95
-
Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomAddis Ababa $86Rome $190
Compare Hotels in Addis Ababa and Rome
Looking for a hotel in Addis Ababa or Rome? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Addis Ababa Hotel Prices and Rome Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
-
Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Addis Ababa $7.78Rome $23
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Addis Ababa
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Addis Ababa are as follows:
-
Short Taxi Ride$0.52
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Addis Ababa
Also for Addis Ababa, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer Services Addis Abeba Airport : $23
- Addis Ababa Airport in/out transfer: $44
- Addis Shuttles: On-Time & Reliable, Airport Transfers: $19
- City/Airport Transfer in Addis Ababa - Shuttles: $22
- Lalibela Full Day Tour with Guide and Transfer: $130
- Private Transfer from Bole Airport Addis Ababa (ADD) to Addis Ababa: $110
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Rome
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Rome:
-
Metro Ride (for Two)$2.14
-
Train to the Airport$16
-
Taxi to Airport$48
-
Bicycle Rental (Full Day)$11
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Rome
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Rome:
- Trieste Port: One-Way Private Transfer to/from Rome Hotels: $2,551
- Fiumucino Rome Airport (FCO): 1-Way Transfer To Trieste Port: $2,551
- Luxury Private Transfer Siena to Rome Fiumicino Airport: $979
- Luxury private transfer Siena to Rome Ciampino airport: $942
- Private luxury transfer Siena to Rome city center: $942
- Private Transfer from Amalfi to Rome or viceversa: $845
- From Sorrento: Private Transfer to Rome or Vice Versa: $818
- Verona Airport (VRN) : One-Way Private Transfer to Ravenna: $710
- Sorrento to Rome 1-Way Private Transfer: $667
- Private Transfer from Naples to Rome or viceversa: $624
- From Private Transfer to Naples or Vice Versa: $592
- Transfer from Fiumicino Airport with 3 Hours Rome Tour: $425
Is it cheaper to fly into Addis Ababa or Rome?
Prices for flights to both Rome and Addis Ababa change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
-
Food Meals for one dayAddis Ababa $17Rome $51
Typical Food Prices in Addis Ababa
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Addis Ababa:
-
Slice of Cake$0.12
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Addis Ababa
For Addis Ababa, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Local Ethiopian Food Tour Addis Ababa: $62
- Half Day Food Tour Addis Ababa With Airport pickUp And Drop-Off: $70
- Local Ethiopian Food Tour: $75
- Unique Ethiopian Cooking Class and Coffee Ceremony with a Local in Addis Ababa: $116
- Food tours in Addis Ababa tastever with lunch: $120
- Private Ethiopian Home Cooking Class in Addis Ababa with Transfer: $124
- HALF DAY + DINNER Addis Ababa City Tour: $140
- Half Day + Dinner Addis Ababa City Tour: $150
- Ethiopian Cooking Class and Coffee Ceremony with a Local in Addis with transfers: $154
- Market Tour and Cooking Class with a Coffee Ceremony at a Home in Addis Ababa: $168
- Cooking Class and City Tour in Addis Ababa: $193
- Food Tour in Addis Ababa: $205
Typical Food Prices in Rome
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Rome:
-
Casual Lunch (for Two)$15
-
4 Ice Cream Sandwiches$3.20
-
Cafe e doce$4.29
-
Pizza (Fast Food)$2.84
-
Sitdown Lunch (for Two)$34
-
Cheese and bread$11
-
Espresso$2.14
-
Dinner$62
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Rome
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Rome.
- Award-Winning Roman Food Tours: $16
- Eat Pasta in Rome, Testaccio - Self-Guided Walking Food Tour: $17
- Vatican and Trionfale Farmers Market Food tour and Wine tasting : $32
- Vatican Street Food Tour around the Biggest Fresh Market in Rome: $32
- Roman Master Chef Cooking Class with Wine: $37
- Roman Dinner & History Tour: An Epic Journey Through Time: $37
- Tasty Trionfale Farmers Market Food Tour and Local Wines Tasting: $38
- Campo dei Fiori & Jewish Ghetto area Street Food Tour: $42
- Rome Food Tour : Street Food Testings with Local Guide: $43
- Painting and Pizza Party in Rome: $43
- Pub Crawl and Ultimate Party with Open Bar and Pizza: $43
- Tiber River Urban Rafting Tour with Roman Pizza: $43
Entertainment
-
Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Addis Ababa $8.03Rome $39
Tours and Activities in Addis Ababa
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Addis Ababa.
- Addis ababa:Highlight tour with tasting coffee and our Food.: $52
- Addis Ababa Tour: $53
- Addis Ababa City - Half Day Tour: $55
- Addis Ababa highlight city tour: $56
- Addis Ababa highlights of the city tour: $59
- Addis Food Tasting Tour : $59
- Guided City Tour / Addis Ababa Guided City Tour: $59
- Half Day City Tour of Addis Ababa : $60
- Addis Abeba's Market and Shopping Tour: $60
- Addis Ababa city Tour: $60
- Addis Ababa Guided City Tours: $62
- Addis Ababa Guided City Tour With Airport & Hotel Pick Up: $63
Typical Entertainment Prices in Rome
Here are a few typical costs in Rome for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
-
Rome Museum Vaticano (for 2)$74
-
Coliseum Tickets (for Two)$35
-
Roma Pass$32
-
Hop on Hop Off Bus (All Day)$21
-
Segway Tour$80
Tours and Activities in Rome
Here are a few actual costs in Rome for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- Colosseum & Ancient Rome Tour: $89
- Colosseum and Ancient Rome Tour with Circus Maximus and Forums: $16
- Cruise into Rome?! Full-Day Rome Discovery from Civitavecchia : $97
- Doria Pamphilj Gallery Entry Ticket : $38
- Electric - Bike 3 hour Tour : $56
- Electric Bike Tour of City Centre with Gelato Highlights of Rome: $75
- Haunted Rome Walking Tour : $233
- Hidden Gems & Rome Catacomb Semi Private Tour 8 People Max. : $98
- Palatine Hill and Colosseum Tour in Rome: $86
- Premium Rome Walking Tour: from Colosseum to the Orange Gardens: $295
- Private Tour - Capuchin Crypt and Hidden Gems of Rome: $285
- Private Tour in Ferrari with Driver in Rome: $273
Alcohol
-
Alcohol Drinks for one dayAddis Ababa $6.63Rome $19
Sample the Local Flavors in Addis Ababa
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Addis Ababa:
- Pub crawl Addis Ababa: $55
- Pub-crawl Tour ( locally crafted beer and wine tasting ): $58
- The Pub Crawl Royale: A Battle of the Best Drinks: $65
- Locally crafted beer and wine tasting and nightlife in Addis tour: $65
- Night Tour Addis Ababa beer and wine tasting: $69
Typical Alcohol Prices in Rome
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Rome:
-
Bottle of Wine$6.96
-
Pint of Beer$6.79
-
Beer$11
Sample the Local Flavors in Rome
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Rome:
- Cabaret & Burlesque Show: $32
- Vatican Street Food and Wine Tour with Farmers Market: $38
- The Best Wine Tasting in Trastevere with food pairing and Gelato: $49
- Bar Crawl with Local Guide & Drinks: $53
- Roman Night Life and Burlesque Show Tour: $54
- Wine Tour in Historic Center of Rome: $55
- Agricultural Brewery Tour in the Roman Countryside: $55
- Small-Group Exclusive Winery and Wine Tasting Tour in Frascati: $60
- Pasta Making Class & Wine Tasting in a Trasteve Villa: $68
- E-Bike Night Tour with Food and Wine Tasting: $69
- Rome by Night-Ebike tour with Food and Wine Tasting: $70
- Taste of Tuscany: Food & Wine tour with Florentine Steak: $74
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Addis Ababa and Rome, we can see that Rome is more expensive. And not only is Addis Ababa much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Addis Ababa is in Africa and Rome is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Addis Ababa would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Addis Ababa and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Rome would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Rome than you might in Addis Ababa.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Addis Ababa Expensive? and Is Rome Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Addis Ababa or Rome?
Addis Ababa has a larger population, and is about 8% larger than the population of Rome. When comparing the sizes of Addis Ababa and Rome, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.