What It Costs to Send Money to Ethiopia from the US
In the 2024 Q3 World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide quarterly survey, sending USD 200 from the United States to Ethiopia carried a median total cost of 6.36% and an average total cost of 6.45% of the amount sent. Total cost in this survey is defined as the combination of the transfer fee and the exchange-rate margin, both expressed as a percentage of the USD 200 send amount.
Across the 19 providers surveyed in that same 2024 Q3 snapshot, the range of total costs ran from a low of 2.99% to a high of 10.60%. The cheapest surveyed provider in the 2024 Q3 data was WorldRemit, at 2.99% total cost. Because the survey reflects prices captured at a specific point in time, provider pricing may have changed since that survey date.
Costs within this corridor can differ depending on the payment method used, such as bank account or debit card, the payout method available to the recipient, and the amount being transferred. The World Bank updates its Remittance Prices Worldwide data quarterly, so figures from the 2024 Q3 survey represent a dated snapshot rather than current live quotes. The per-provider table below lists the individual surveyed figures drawn from that same 2024 Q3 source.
Surveyed providers (2024 Q3)
| Provider | Type | Pay-out | Speed (surveyed) | Total cost, $200 | Total cost, $500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WorldRemit | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 2.99% | 1.79% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Internet | Less than one hour | 3.00% | 1.80% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Agent | Less than one hour | 4.26% | 4.26% |
| Ria | MTO | Internet | 3-5 days | 5.81% | 5.54% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.00% | 4.50% |
| Dahabshiil | MTO | Agent | Same day | 6.00% | 6.00% |
| Amal Express | MTO | Agent | Less than one hour | 6.00% | 6.00% |
| WorldRemit | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.00% | 4.80% |
| MoneyGram | MTO | Agent | Less than one hour | 6.00% | 2.40% |
| Ria | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.36% | 5.76% |
| Ria | MTO | Agent | 2 days | 6.55% | 6.28% |
| Xoom | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.59% | 5.59% |
| Xoom | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.59% | 5.59% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Agent | Less than one hour | 6.76% | 5.66% |
Total cost = transfer fee + exchange-rate margin, as a percent of the amount sent, at the two surveyed send amounts ($200 / $500). Surveyed prices, not live quotes.
Estimate your transfer cost →Source: The World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide, available at http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org (CC BY 4.0). Figures are from the 2024 Q3 survey — surveyed prices, not live quotes.