Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $452 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$452

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria and in Cairo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alexandria and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $452 per month in Alexandria vs $635 in Cairo, rent included.

Alexandria $452
Cairo $635

A couple spends around $750 per month in Alexandria vs $1,010 in Cairo, rent included.

Alexandria $750
Cairo $1,010

A family of three spends $1,048 per month in Alexandria vs $1,385 in Cairo, rent included.

Alexandria $1,048
Cairo $1,385

Alexandria is about 29% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Alexandria and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Alexandria 67% lower, Cairo 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.22 E£225

$4.63 E£247

-8.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.66 E£996

$27.66 E£1,477

-32.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.74 E£253

$5.83 E£311

-18.70%

Cappuccino

$1.26 E£67.3

$1.69 E£90.1

-25.44%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 E£15.96

$0.35 E£18.79

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.31

$0.13 E£6.86

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 E£70.9

$1.47 E£78.3

-9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 E£146

$2.21 E£118

23.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 E£44.97

$0.94 E£50.5

-10.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 E£37.73

$0.79 E£41.96

-10.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 E£30.74

$0.70 E£37.41

-17.14%

Eggs

$1.10 E£59.0

$1.12 E£59.5

-1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.66 E£195

$4.08 E£218

-10.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.19 E£224

$4.77 E£255

-12.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 E£490

$8.81 E£470

4.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 E£77.7

$1.68 E£89.7

-13.10%

Banana (1kg)

$0.78 E£41.63

$0.71 E£38.07

9.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.48

$0.59 E£31.31

-13.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.34 E£18.27

$0.51 E£27.06

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 E£12.77

$0.37 E£19.81

-35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£15.98

$0.44 E£23.47

-31.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£14.47

$0.34 E£18.37

-20.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.93

$0.21 E£11.16

4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 E£99.6

$1.99 E£106

-6.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 E£300

$7.49 E£400

-24.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 E£61.9

$1.51 E£80.4

-23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 E£115

$2.08 E£111

3.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 E£11.66

$0.34 E£18.29

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.95 E£585

$8.31 E£444

31.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 E£30.48

$0.40 E£21.48

42.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 E£26.19

$0.19 E£9.99

157.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 E£59.1

$1.50 E£80.0

-26.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£24.16

$0.45 E£23.77

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$32.8K E£1.8M

$33.1K E£1.8M

-1.03%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.2K E£1.3M

$26.1K E£1.4M

-3.70%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$14.02 E£749

$27.62 E£1,475

-49.24%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$6.60 E£353

$7.83 E£418

-15.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.75 E£681

$14.39 E£769

-11.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.39 E£662

$28.62 E£1,528

-56.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.31 E£390

$7.47 E£399

-2.14%

Cinema Ticket

$2.73 E£146

$4.56 E£244

-40.13%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$85.2 E£4,549

$120 E£6,417

-29.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,035 E£108.6K

$3,476 E£185.6K

-41.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.61 E£1,741

$39.13 E£2,090

-16.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.28 E£2,418

$49.04 E£2,619

-7.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 E£6,687

$111 E£5,934

12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.9 E£2,933

$57.0 E£3,043

-3.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$131 E£7,020

$215 E£11.5K

-38.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$69.3 E£3,702

$196 E£10.5K

-64.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 E£14.9K

$542 E£28.9K

-48.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 E£7,603

$338 E£18.0K

-57.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$679 E£36.2K

$830 E£44.3K

-18.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$431 E£23.0K

$512 E£27.3K

-15.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$137 E£7,313

$195 E£10.4K

-29.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

16.21

31.59%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alexandria: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$124 27.4%

Cairo

$137 21.6% 10.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$116 25.7%

Cairo

$115 18.2% 0.7% $0.8

Eating Out

Alexandria

$77 17%

Cairo

$88 13.9% 15% $12

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

$69 15.3%

Cairo

$196 30.8% 183% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$33 7.4%

Cairo

$50 7.8% 49.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$18 4%

Cairo

$38 5.9% 111% $20

Getting Around

Alexandria

$15 3.3%

Cairo

$11 1.7% 25.7% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $131 in Alexandria versus $215 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 42% higher in Cairo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Alexandria versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $137 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

13:50 1:50 PM

Same time as Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,546,231

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alexandria vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo costs about 41% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $678 per month in Alexandria and $953 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $85.2 per month in Alexandria and $120 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Cairo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $452 in Alexandria and $635 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Alexandria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.