Eritrea, Asmara Cost of Living April 2010

Country Full Name: The State of Eritrea.

Location: Eritrea is in Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan.

Country Climate: Hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually, heaviest June to September); semiarid in western hills and lowlands.

Country Terrain: Dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains.

Major Languages: Tigrinya, Tigre, Arabic, English.

Major Religions: Islam, Christianity.

Country Population: 5.0 million (2008 est.) 5.2 million (2009 est.).

Country Economy: The economy of Eritrea is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. Drought has often created difficulty in the farming areas.

Currency: Nakfa (ERN).

Country Inflation: 12.6% (2008 est.) 14.0% (2009 est.).

City: Asmara is the capital city and largest settlement in Eritrea.

City Economy: Textiles and clothing, processed meat, beer, shoes, and ceramics are the major industrial products of Asmara.
Cost of Living: Asmara has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Asmara is currently ranked 238 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 282 international locations.

For more cost of living information on Eritrea, Asmara