Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aswan and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Aswan: $434 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Aswan
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Aswan Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Aswan

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aswan 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 Aswan and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $434 per month in Aswan vs $635 in Cairo, rent included.

Aswan $434
Cairo $635

A couple spends around $701 per month in Aswan vs $1,010 in Cairo, rent included.

Aswan $701
Cairo $1,010

A family of three spends $969 per month in Aswan vs $1,385 in Cairo, rent included.

Aswan $969
Cairo $1,385

Aswan is about 32% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aswan and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Aswan 68% lower, Cairo 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 E£207

$4.63 E£247

-16.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.90 E£796

$27.66 E£1,477

-46.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 E£250

$5.83 E£311

-19.55%

Cappuccino

$1.31 E£70.0

$1.69 E£90.1

-22.49%

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

$0.30 E£15.98

$0.35 E£18.79

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.36

$0.13 E£6.86

7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 E£69.2

$1.47 E£78.3

-11.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 E£154

$2.21 E£118

30.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£46.25

$0.94 E£50.5

-7.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 E£34.78

$0.79 E£41.96

-17.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.58 E£31.05

$0.70 E£37.41

-17.14%

Eggs

$1.20 E£64.2

$1.12 E£59.5

7.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.24 E£173

$4.08 E£218

-20.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$4.77 E£255

-14.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.85 E£419

$8.81 E£470

-10.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 E£78.3

$1.68 E£89.7

-12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 E£35.88

$0.71 E£38.07

-5.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£26.11

$0.59 E£31.31

-16.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£18.89

$0.51 E£27.06

-31.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 E£18.31

$0.37 E£19.81

-8.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.85

$0.44 E£23.47

-25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.21

$0.34 E£18.37

-26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 E£8.83

$0.21 E£11.16

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 E£99.8

$1.99 E£106

-6.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 E£338

$7.49 E£400

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 E£64.0

$1.51 E£80.4

-20.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 E£107

$2.08 E£111

-3.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 E£9.69

$0.34 E£18.29

-47.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.12

$0.40 E£21.48

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.60

$0.19 E£9.99

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 E£63.8

$1.50 E£80.0

-20.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£24.21

$0.45 E£23.77

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

$31.9K E£1.7M

$33.1K E£1.8M

-3.71%

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

$25.1K E£1.3M

$26.1K E£1.4M

-4.18%

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

$15.10 E£806

$27.62 E£1,475

-45.33%

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

$6.64 E£354

$7.83 E£418

-15.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.16 E£703

$14.39 E£769

-8.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.36 E£874

$28.62 E£1,528

-42.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.78 E£255

$7.47 E£399

-36.01%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 E£157

$4.56 E£244

-35.75%

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

$86.6 E£4,622

$120 E£6,417

-27.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,865 E£99.6K

$3,476 E£185.6K

-46.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.97 E£906

$39.13 E£2,090

-56.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 E£2,405

$49.04 E£2,619

-8.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,132

$111 E£5,934

3.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.8 E£2,982

$57.0 E£3,043

-2.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 E£7,091

$215 E£11.5K

-38.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.9 E£4,108

$196 E£10.5K

-60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 E£13.5K

$542 E£28.9K

-53.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£7,713

$338 E£18.0K

-57.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$767 E£40.9K

$830 E£44.3K

-7.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 E£18.5K

$512 E£27.3K

-32.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Aswan: 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

Aswan

$118 27.3%

Cairo

$137 21.6% 15.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Aswan

$105 24.1%

Cairo

$115 18.2% 10.1% $11

Accommodation & Living

Aswan

$77 17.7%

Cairo

$196 30.8% 155% $119

Eating Out

Aswan

$75 17.2%

Cairo

$88 13.9% 18.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aswan

$35 8%

Cairo

$50 7.8% 42.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Aswan

$22 5.1%

Cairo

$38 5.9% 69.8% $16

Getting Around

Aswan

$2.2 * 0.5%

Cairo

$11 1.7% 399% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Aswan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Aswan versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $118 vs $137 – making Aswan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Aswan

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Aswan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

241,261

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

On the map

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Between locations

Aswan Cairo 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Aswan
Cairo

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

Aswan vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $651 per month in Aswan 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 Aswan, 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 $15.00 in Aswan and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Cairo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $434 in Aswan and $635 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Aswan – 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 Aswan. 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.