Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandria and Sheikh Zayed

For one person, living costs are similar in Alexandria and in Sheikh Zayed: $462 and $469 a month, rent and utilities included.

22

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Sheikh Zayed
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Sheikh Zayed Living Index

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Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$462

/mo nomad

Sheikh Zayed

🇪🇬 Egypt

$469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandria and in Sheikh Zayed

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 Sheikh Zayed actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $462 per month in Alexandria vs $469 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Alexandria $462
Sheikh Zayed $469

A couple spends around $766 per month in Alexandria vs $797 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Alexandria $766
Sheikh Zayed $797

A family of three spends $1,071 per month in Alexandria vs $1,125 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Alexandria $1,071
Sheikh Zayed $1,125

Alexandria is about 2% cheaper than Sheikh Zayed, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Alexandria and Sheikh Zayed are more affordable than the global median – Alexandria 66% lower, Sheikh Zayed 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.28 E£228

$3.69 E£197

15.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.29 E£1,030

$19.00 E£1,015

1.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 E£261

$4.30 E£230

13.72%

Cappuccino

$1.26 E£67.5

$1.30 E£69.5

-3.08%

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

$0.33 E£17.37

$0.32 E£17.26

3.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£7.07

$0.12 E£6.37

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 E£70.1

$1.35 E£72.2

-2.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 E£153

$2.77 E£148

3.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.83 E£44.32

$0.88 E£46.95

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 E£38.67

$0.71 E£37.73

1.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 E£34.04

$0.55 E£29.59

16.36%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$1.15 E£61.4

3.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.79 E£203

$3.97 E£212

-4.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$4.35 E£232

-0.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.12 E£487

$9.35 E£499

-2.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 E£79.9

$1.54 E£82.4

-2.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£40.12

$0.79 E£42.44

-5.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.52 E£27.98

$0.52 E£27.95

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£18.80

$0.32 E£17.25

9.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.90

$0.24 E£12.73

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 E£17.32

$0.30 E£15.89

6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.28

$0.25 E£13.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.37

$0.19 E£10.05

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£98.6

$1.64 E£87.6

12.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 E£298

$5.69 E£304

-1.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 E£64.3

$0.97 E£51.9

23.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£120

$2.31 E£123

-3.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£9.02

$0.29 E£15.52

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.24 E£600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 E£31.72

$0.51 E£27.39

15.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 E£26.63

$0.54 E£28.62

-7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 E£61.1

$1.19 E£63.7

-3.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£23.17

$0.39 E£20.70

10.26%

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

$32.4K E£1.7M

$29.9K E£1.6M

8.26%

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

$27.3K E£1.5M

0.22%

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

$14.01 E£748

$14.20 E£758

-1.34%

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

$6.87 E£367

$6.68 E£357

2.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.44 E£718

$13.31 E£711

0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.05 E£697

$37.69 E£2,013

-65.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.37 E£394

$9.36 E£500

-21.26%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 E£151

$2.83 E£151

0.35%

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

$86.5 E£4,621

$85.9 E£4,588

0.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,100 E£112.2K

$2,156 E£115.2K

-2.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.83 E£1,807

$33.62 E£1,795

0.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.92 E£2,398

$45.13 E£2,410

-0.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 E£6,881

$122 E£6,520

5.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.0 E£2,993

$52.1 E£2,784

7.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$136 E£7,240

$190 E£10.1K

-28.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.5 E£3,816

$75.7 E£4,040

-5.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$292 E£15.6K

$485 E£25.9K

-39.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 E£7,828

$193 E£10.3K

-24.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$695 E£37.1K

$1,057 E£56.4K

-34.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$448 E£23.9K

$576 E£30.8K

-22.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$141 E£7,546

$131 E£6,988

7.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

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

Last update for Alexandria: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sheikh Zayed: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alexandria

$126 27.2%

Sheikh Zayed

$126 26.8% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandria

$119 25.7%

Sheikh Zayed

$114 24.3% 4% $4.8

Eating Out

Alexandria

$78 16.9%

Sheikh Zayed

$72 15.4% 7.8% $6.1

Accommodation & Living

Alexandria

$71 15.5%

Sheikh Zayed

$76 16.1% 5.8% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandria

$34 7.4%

Sheikh Zayed

$34 7.3% 0.4% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandria

$19 4.1%

Sheikh Zayed

$43 9.2% 132% $25

Getting Around

Alexandria

$15 3.3%

Sheikh Zayed

$4.4 * 0.9% 70.9% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Alexandria versus $190 in Sheikh Zayed. 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 8% higher in Alexandria, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Alexandria versus $19.00 in Sheikh Zayed. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $126 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🇪🇬 Sheikh Zayed

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

Same time as Alexandria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,546,231

80,000

💱 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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Alexandria Sheikh Zayed 160 km

From you

Alexandria
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Sheikh Zayed: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sheikh Zayed costs about 2% 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 $693 per month in Alexandria and $704 in Sheikh Zayed. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Alexandria and $19.00 in Sheikh Zayed. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Sheikh Zayed, 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 $462 in Alexandria and $469 in Sheikh Zayed, 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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