Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $643 in Cairo.

Athens $1,806
Cairo $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $1,037 in Cairo.

Athens $2,731
Cairo $1,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $1,431 in Cairo.

Athens $3,656
Cairo $1,431

Living in Athens is roughly 181% more expensive than in Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Cairo is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$4.69 E£245

255.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$28.49 E£1,491

132.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$6.03 E£315

83.42%

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$1.81 E£94.7

128.73%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.35 E£18.18

700.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.15 E£7.95

280.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

$1.45 E£76.0

288.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

$2.24 E£117

143.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.97 E£50.7

102.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.73 E£37.96

93.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$0.77 E£40.24

267.53%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$1.17 E£61.2

330.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$4.32 E£226

255.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$5.07 E£265

103.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$8.92 E£467

112.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.83 E£95.8

18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$0.75 E£39.07

154.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.57 E£29.78

142.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.51 E£26.62

331.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.38 E£20.05

189.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.42 E£21.88

169.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.35 E£18.43

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.24 E£12.57

245.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$1.99 E£104

181.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

$7.48 E£391

36.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.52 E£79.4

43.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.13 E£112

15.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.33 E£17.10

318.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

$8.66 E£453

256.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.37 E£19.27

1081.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.20 E£10.65

420.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

$1.49 E£77.8

1048.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$0.46 E£23.94

402.17%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$32.6K E£1.7M

-14.24%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-1.34%

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

$210 €187

$27.54 E£1,441

661.62%

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

$26.70 €23.83

$8.27 E£432

222.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$14.05 E£735

114.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$28.27 E£1,479

93.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$6.70 E£350

288.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$4.40 E£230

145.00%

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

$575 €513

$121 E£6,356

373.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$3,619 E£189.3K

262.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$40.16 E£2,101

132.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$49.61 E£2,596

-18.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$115 E£6,033

-9.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$60.6 E£3,170

111.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$220 E£11.5K

243.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$194 E£10.2K

235.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$514 E£26.9K

151.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$334 E£17.5K

248.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

$806 E£42.2K

397.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

$513 E£26.9K

572.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$200 E£10.5K

521.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

16.21

-72.36%

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 70.2% $458

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 55.1% $173

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 66.1% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 81.3% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 27.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 51.3% $39

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 75.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Athens and $220 in Cairo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 521% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $28.00 in Cairo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $141 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

Same time as Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Cairo 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Athens
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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

Athens vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 181% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 521% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $220 in Cairo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cairo – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,806 per month in Athens versus $643 in Cairo – a 181% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $643 in Cairo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cairo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cairo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Cairo are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 181% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.