Gold rate today in Addis Ababa

What gold costs in Addis Ababa today

The international price puts a gram of 24k gold in Addis Ababa at roughly 20,981 ETB today, with 22k at about 19,233 ETB. Per 10 grams, a common size for small bars and rate boards, that is about 209,805 ETB for 24k. These are spot-based figures, before any tax, premium or making charge.

Piassa, Addis Ababa's gold market

Piassa is Addis Ababa's best-known gold market, where jewellery is quoted per gram in birr. In October 2025, traders there quoted 24k gold well above the National Bank of Ethiopia's official price of the same day, a gap that shows how far shop prices can sit from the central bank's rate.

The gap comes from the shop's margin and making costs, and from the exchange rate traders can get. So in Piassa, compare the karat, the weight and the price per gram before you pay, and ask for all three on the receipt.

What moves the gold price in Addis Ababa

Everything on a Addis Ababa rate board starts from the same place: the dollar price of gold (about $4,042.7 an ounce today) converted at the USD/ETB rate of 161.42. Since July 2024 banks and authorised dealers set their own exchange rates, and the birr gold price is the dollar price times USD/ETB, so a weaker birr lifts the local price.

The dollar price itself responds to US interest-rate expectations, the strength of the dollar, inflation data, central-bank buying and geopolitical risk. Our guide to what moves gold prices covers each in turn.

Premiums, making charges and tax in Addis Ababa

The shelf price in Addis Ababa is higher than the converted figure above. A shop adds VAT where it applies (standard rate 15%), making charges and the shop's margin. On jewellery a making charge comes on top, so two pieces of the same weight and purity can carry very different prices. We found no hallmarking rule for jewellery in Ethiopia, so ask for a test and a receipt that states the karat and weight.

Gold market hours in Addis Ababa

The international gold market trades almost around the clock on weekdays. In Addis Ababa the London–New York overlap, usually the busiest and most volatile part of the day, runs today from about 16:00–20:00 local time. The two LBMA Gold Price auctions in London, at 10:30 and 15:00 London time, fall at 13:30 and 18:00 in Addis Ababa, and major US data released at 08:30 New York time, such as payrolls and inflation, lands at 16:30 local time. The week's trading closes at 01:00 on Saturday and reopens at 02:00 on Monday, Addis Ababa time; over the weekend the price on this page is the last close. We found no local gold exchange; the National Bank of Ethiopia has been the only authorised gold buyer and exporter, paying miners a premium over the international price. Our gold market hours tool shows the sessions in any time zone.

Addis Ababa compared with Nairobi

It is natural to compare Nairobi with the price at home. On the converted spot price neither city is cheaper: Nairobi quotes about 16,888 KES per gram of 24k, which is the same $129.98 per gram as Addis Ababa's 20,981 ETB. What differs is what each market adds. In Addis Ababa that is VAT where it applies (standard rate 15%), making charges and the shop's margin; in Nairobi it is VAT (standard rate 16%) and import costs where they apply, and the jeweller's margin. Buying abroad also means paying an exchange margin and checking the customs allowance at home.

How this ETB gold price is calculated

Three numbers decide everything on this page. First, the international gold price in US dollars per troy ounce: $4,042.7 at the last update. Second, the exchange rate: 1 USD = 161.42 ETB. Third, the weight: one troy ounce is 31.1035 grams, and one tola is 11.6638 grams.

1. Price per gram in USD = $4,042.7 ÷ 31.1035 = $129.98.
2. Price per gram in ETB = $129.98 × 161.42 = 20,981 ETB (24k, pure gold).
3. Price per 10 grams = 20,981 × 10 = 209,805 ETB.
4. For a lower purity, multiply by the fineness: 22k = 0.9167, 21k = 0.875, 18k = 0.75.

The gold price is the spot price of gold (XAUUSD) from a public real-time feed, refreshed every few seconds while the page is open; the 7-day table and the 30-session chart use COMEX gold futures closes, which usually sit a few dollars above spot. The exchange rate is a mid-market rate; the rate your bank or money changer gives you will be slightly different. If you want to do the maths yourself, our guide to converting the gold price per gram, tola and kilo walks through every step with worked examples.

What this price does not include

The figures above are the international spot price converted into local currency. They are the starting point for every retail price in Addis Ababa, but they are not the price you will pay or receive at a shop. The shop price adds some or all of these on top:

• Import duty or customs charges, where gold or jewellery is imported.
• Sales tax or VAT, where the country charges one. Many countries tax jewellery but not investment bars; the sections above say what applies here.
• Dealer premium: the margin a bullion dealer or bank adds to the spot price for bars and coins, usually larger on small pieces.
• Making charges (labour) on jewellery, often a percentage of the gold value or a fixed amount per gram.
• Local supply and demand, which can push the physical price to a premium or a discount against the international price for weeks at a time.

When you sell, the buyer usually quotes below the spot-based number and deducts for purity testing, wear and sometimes stones. The gap between the buying and the selling price is the real cost of owning physical gold, and it varies a lot between shops, so it is worth asking several.

Frequently asked questions