Condominium finishing cost in Ethiopia: what a bare unit needs and what it costs (2026)

Many government condominiums and some developer apartments in Addis Ababa reach their owners bare. The structure, the walls and the main pipes and wires are in place, but the unit is not ready to live in. The owner pays for the floors, the kitchen, the bathroom, the doors and the paint. This guide explains what a bare unit lacks, what drives the cost, and what a full finish costs for a typical 2 bedroom unit.

To build a budget for your own unit, use the condominium finishing cost calculator. It uses the same rates as this guide, and you can change every quantity and price.

The figures in this guide are indicative. Most come from the Addis Ababa city price list for mid 2026, and some are our own estimates. Replace them with written quotes before you sign anything.

What a bare unit lacks

A bare unit differs from site to site and from round to round. Check your own unit with the handover papers in your hand. A bare unit usually lacks most of these:

• Floor finish. The floor is a rough concrete slab or a cement screed, with no tiles.
• Wall tiles. The bathroom and kitchen walls have no tiles.
• Paint. The walls and ceilings are plastered but not painted. In some units the plaster is not finished either.
• Interior doors. The door openings have no frames or leaves.
• Kitchen. There are no cabinets, no counter top and no sink.
• Bathroom fittings. There is no toilet, wash basin, shower or water heater. The pipes end at the wall.
• Lights and switches. The wiring is in the wall, but there are no fittings, switch plates or sockets.
• Storage and windows. There are no wardrobes, curtains or rods.

Some units also lack a working water or power connection, or the block lacks finished roads. In September 2024 owners of empty 40/60 units said many buildings still lacked water, power and finished roads. Read our condominium guide for the handover rules and the known disputes.

What drives the cost

Floor area

Tiles, paint and labour scale with the floor area. A 3 bedroom unit of 100 m² needs about a third more tiles and paint than a 2 bedroom unit of 75 m². Use the area on your contract or allocation papers, not a guess.

Finish level

The finish level changes the price of almost every item. In the city price list, an 8 mm local ceramic floor tile costs ETB 2,881 per m² laid, and a large 120 by 60 cm porcelain tile costs ETB 5,804 per m². A PVC door costs about ETB 21,800 fitted, and a solid wood door about ETB 39,600. The same unit can cost more than twice as much at a premium finish as at a basic one.

Joinery

Kitchen cabinets and wardrobes are often the largest items after the floor. They are made to measure, so the price depends on the board, the doors, the hinges and the counter top. No Ethiopian maker we checked publishes a price per metre, so get several quotes.

Bathrooms

Each bathroom needs a toilet, a basin, a shower, accessories and wall tiles. A second bathroom adds a large share to the total.

Imported goods and the exchange rate

Tiles, sanitary ware, water heaters, LED fittings and many boards are imported or use imported inputs. The birr moved from about 75 to about 155 per US dollar between July 2024 and February 2026, so these prices rose fast. Our guide to construction material prices in Ethiopia explains the drivers.

Who manages the work

The city price list covers supply and installation, but not VAT, overhead or profit. A contractor who runs the whole job adds a margin for supervision, transport and cleanup. If you hire each trade yourself, you save that margin but you take on the planning and the risk.

A worked example: a 2 bedroom unit

This example uses the calculator defaults for a 2 bedroom unit of 75 m² at a standard finish. It assumes one bathroom, three interior doors, 3.6 m of kitchen cabinets, two wardrobes, five windows and eight light points. The rates are indicative.

The calculator shows this as a range of ETB 786,000 to ETB 1,064,000. That is about ETB 12,300 per m² of floor. At a basic finish the same unit comes to about ETB 662,000, and at a premium finish about ETB 1.59 million.

The floor is the largest line, at close to 30 percent of the total. The kitchen and the wardrobes together come next. If the budget is tight, these are the lines to look at first. A local ceramic tile instead of an imported one saves about ETB 58,000 on this unit.

For a 1 bedroom unit at a standard finish, the calculator gives about ETB 678,000. Compare that with two or three written quotes before you commit.

How to get quotes

1. Measure the unit. Note the floor area of each room, the wall area to tile, the number of doors and windows, and the length of the kitchen wall.
2. Write a short scope. List each item with the size, the material and the brand or quality you want. Use the same scope for every quote.
3. Ask at least three suppliers or contractors. Tile and sanitary shops can quote supply only. Contractors can quote supply and fix. Kitchen and wardrobe makers quote by design.
4. Compare like with like. Check whether each quote includes VAT, delivery, installation, adhesive and grout, and removal of waste.
5. Ask for a schedule and payment plan. Pay in stages against finished work, not all at the start.
6. Get it in writing. Keep the quote, the scope and the receipts. Note the date, because prices change fast.

For furniture and fitted storage, the furniture store directory lists showrooms and makers with their branches and phone numbers. Our guide to furniture prices in Ethiopia shows the prices that stores publish.

The order of the work

Finishing goes faster and costs less when each trade works in the right order. A typical order is:

1. Check and repair. Test the water, drain and power connections. Fix cracks and damp before anything else.
2. First fix. Add or move pipes, wires, sockets and switch boxes while the walls are open.
3. Plaster and ceiling. Finish any plaster and gypsum ceiling work.
4. Wall tiles. Tile the bathroom and the kitchen splashback.
5. Floor tiles. Lay the floor, then protect it with cardboard or plastic.
6. Doors. Fit the door frames and leaves.
7. Kitchen and wardrobes. Install the cabinets, the counter top and the sink.
8. Second fix. Fit the toilet, basin, shower, water heater, light fittings, switch plates and sockets.
9. Paint. Paint the walls and ceilings last, then touch up after the other trades leave.
10. Curtains and cleaning. Fit the rods and curtains, then clean the unit.

A finishing checklist

• The handover papers list what the unit includes.
• Water, drain and power connections work.
• The floor area and each room size are measured.
• A written scope lists every item, size and material.
• At least three quotes are in hand for the large items.
• Each quote states VAT, delivery and installation.
• The payment plan pays in stages against finished work.
• Tiles come from one batch, with 5 to 10 percent extra for cuts and breakage.
• Bathroom floors slope to the drain, and wet walls are waterproofed.
• A contingency of 10 to 15 percent is in the budget.
• Receipts and warranties are filed.

If you have not bought yet, add the finishing budget to the purchase price before you compare a bare unit with a finished one. Browse condominiums for sale in Addis Ababa to compare asking prices.