Check out this post — Expense Report: Pre-Trip Costs — for a better understanding of other costs associated with a RTW trip, as well as a definition of my travel style and how it impacts my budget.

Here’s what I spent in U.S. dollars over 9 nights in Ethiopia:

• Accommodation = $182.83 … $20.31 per night
• Food = $72.42 … $8.04 per day
• Groceries = $4.33 … $0.48 per day
• Coffee = $11.87 … $1.28 per day
• Activities = $280.50 … $31.16 per day
• Cell & Wifi = $4.59 … $0.50 per day
• Transportation = $191.76 … $21.30 per day
• Miscellaneous = $39.70 … $4.41 per day

And the grand total for 9 nights in Ethiopia is…

$788 USD, which works out to $87.55 per day.

Here’s how those numbers compare with other countries I’ve traveled to:

• My daily average in Cook Islands: $157.05
• My daily average in New Zealand: $88.56
• My daily average in Australia: $83.37
• My daily average in Singapore: $78.86
• My daily average in Indonesia: $51.34
• My daily average in Malaysia: $117.09
• My daily average in Palau: $160.91
• My daily average in Philippines: $49.21
• My daily average in Japan: $89.55
• My daily average in Nepal: $75.42
• My daily average in Jordan: $68.88
• My daily average in Israel: $70.62
• My daily average in Turkey: $72.42
• My daily average in Egypt: $192.41
• My daily average in Dubai: $218.03
• My daily average in Morocco: $54.94
• My daily average in Ethiopia: $87.55

Higher than I anticipated, but worth it to visit the rural tribes in Omo Valley.

A few notes:

• I used xe.com in mid-June to calculate the exchange rate and at that point in time, 1 ETB (Ethiopian Birr) = .0510 USD.
• I did not receive any blogging or photography discounts during my time in Ethiopia.
• I did not include my flights into or out of Ethiopia in this expense report, as those will be accounted for in a separate post documenting my Africa international airfare budget.
• Airline budget note: If your international arrival or departure flight is with Ethiopian Airlines, they’ll significantly reduce the price of your domestic flights (and they’re the only domestic carrier). So instead of $160 for a one-way flight from Addis Ababa to Arba Minch (gateway to Omo Valley), it only cost me about $67. The catch is this must be booked in person at an Ethiopian Airlines office — I tried to do this at a local travel agent near my guesthouse but they said only the Ethiopian Airlines office could offer the discount. There’s one at the Addis Ababa Airport (which I stupidly forgot to visit upon my arrival) and one in the Hilton Hotel in Addis. I paid $5 each way for a taxi to the Hilton — twice — to sort out my flights. The first time I booked five domestic flights, adding on stops in Bahir Dar and Lalibela after my Arba Minch trip… but then Ethiopian Airlines cancelled my first flight to Arba Minch, which necessitated canceling the rest of my flights to the north in order to have enough time in Omo Valley. So that was a bummer. My advice is to book the domestic flights with a grain of salt and be flexible. One other airline tip: Even though it’s more money to buy those domestic flights from outside of the country, maybe spring for your initial flight in advance so that you’re not disappointed if they’re full upon arrival in the capital… or just be prepared to hang out in Addis a few days before your first flight. (I had hoped to fly to Arba Minch on my second day in Ethiopia but that flight was fully booked upon my arrival, so I had to settle for the following day… and then that flight was cancelled so I couldn’t fly down until my fourth day in the country. What a waste of time! Had I known that would be the case, I could’ve flown up to Lalibela or Bahir Dar during that delay. In hindsight, I should’ve just sprung for one expensive flight in advance rather than waiting to get to Addis to book that initial flight.)
• I would’ve liked to purchase a SIM card to access data while in Ethiopia, but it’s both a pain to do so (waiting in line at the local telecom office) and they are just beginning to add data services so I may have only been able to use the SIM card for calling and texting, which wasn’t essential to me. There is only one telecom company here and it is government-run… and extremely slow. The entire country surfs the internet at the same tedious pace — not even the Sheraton gets faster wifi, as I came to discover during my accidental run-in with the manager. I continue to use the Viber app to communicate for free with my friends and family back home.
• I continue to use my Charles Schwab debit card to avoid international ATM fees.
• My daily average is inflated because of the 3.5 days I spent touring Omo Valley. It was $150 total per day for the driver, guide, car / fuel, and all tribal entrance fees and local guides (we paid for our accommodation and meals separately). I split these costs with my friend Mike, so it was only $75 each per day. Otherwise it could’ve cost closer to $120 per day for a solo traveler in the low season.
• Outside of my Omo Valley tour expenses, Ethiopia is quite budget-friendly — more so than my daily average spending suggests. You can find cheap pensions for under $10 a night (200 ETB) throughout the country, but they might be rank and have squat toilets (less an issue for guys, more of a pain for women). I paid more to stay at places that fit my flashpacker style: around $24 a night at Mr. Martin’s Cozy Guesthouse, my favorite place to stay in Addis. It’s more like a B&B — it’s a big house with cozy rooms and shared bathrooms, plus single rooms with their own private bathrooms out back. They have wifi and a decent breakfast, plus they take care of their guests, like helping to hail affordable taxis and storing my luggage free of charge while I traveled to Omo Valley. For my style of travel, I was happy to pay $24 a night for my own room.
• Meals are cheap — around 100 ETB ($5) for a nice dinner at Green View restaurant around the corner from Mr. Martin’s Cozy Guesthouse. I sprung for a $15 burger with fries at the Hilton my first night in town (not worth it). While traveling throughout Omo Valley, I ordered local food for around $2 a meal — injera with shiro (a lentil liquid poured over the spongy bread). I ordered fresh fruit smoothies in Addis for $1, and double macchiatos for about 75 cents. I loved getting coffee for those prices.
• Transportation via taxi can be expensive in Addis Ababa. Not by western standards, but it was annoying to shell out $5 every time I hopped in a cab to go somewhere. A few times I walked places — even up to 45 minutes one-way — but the roads are horrendous (doubly so after it rains and everything is muddy and slippery).
• A few items in the miscellaneous slice of the pie include… visa on arrival ($20), one ticket to see the movie The Fault in our Stars ($2.50), photo tips for Omo Valley tribes ($15), laundry ($2 for six pieces)

Ethiopia is absolutely budget-friendly, especially if you’re willing to slum it in basic pensions / hostels. But even by my flashpacker standards I was quite happy with the prices there.

UPDATE FROM JULY 2016: A reader named Brian recently traveled to Omo Valley from Addis and emailed me with updated costs (I traveled in June 2014, he traveled in June 2016). Here is what he had to say:
Car: I opted to rent a car with driver in Addis. In total it cost me around $650 for a week (but then the driver insisted he should receive something extra on top of that… he even threatened not to drive). I met some friends on the road and we split part of the cost. Generally I regret taking a car, though it provides reasonably comfort. Omo Valley is definitely doable on a public bus or minivan, though very few exist between key towns and villages. There are always local guides able to arrange transport between villages.
Petrol: Around 3000 birrs for a week.
Local guide & Village entrance: From 200 birrs in Dimeka market to 900 birrs in very remote Mursi village. Bull jumping costs 500 birrs, including guide and photo.
Photos: 5 birrs per person (babies get 5 birr too) for multiple clicks around 20 seconds
Room: 100-200 birrs per night
Food: depends, but did not exceed 100 birrs in most places