Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,144 in Bangkok, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bangkok
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Bangkok Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,144

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,144 in Bangkok versus $643 in Cairo.

Bangkok $1,144
Cairo $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,806 in Bangkok versus $1,037 in Cairo.

Bangkok $1,806
Cairo $1,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,467 in Bangkok versus $1,431 in Cairo.

Bangkok $2,467
Cairo $1,431

Living in Bangkok is roughly 78% more expensive than in Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bangkok 15% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 ฿98.7

$4.69 E£245

-37.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 ฿1,215

$28.49 E£1,491

27.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 ฿229

$6.03 E£315

13.27%

Cappuccino

$2.73 ฿91.3

$1.81 E£94.7

50.83%

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

$0.63 ฿21.24

$0.35 E£18.18

80.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿12.18

$0.15 E£7.95

140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ฿87.4

$1.45 E£76.0

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 ฿150

$2.24 E£117

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ฿63.7

$0.97 E£50.7

95.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$0.73 E£37.96

108.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.72

$0.77 E£40.24

85.71%

Eggs

$2.49 ฿83.2

$1.17 E£61.2

112.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.59 ฿589

$4.32 E£226

307.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ฿122

$5.07 E£265

-28.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.19 ฿442

$8.92 E£467

47.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 ฿134

$1.83 E£95.8

119.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 ฿58.9

$0.75 E£39.07

134.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.1

$0.57 E£29.78

387.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.8

$0.51 E£26.62

268.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.38 E£20.05

357.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.42 E£21.88

271.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 ฿43.30

$0.35 E£18.43

268.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.36

$0.24 E£12.57

116.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.66 ฿156

$1.99 E£104

134.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.07 ฿505

$7.48 E£391

101.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿61.8

$1.52 E£79.4

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.13 E£112

54.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 ฿36.98

$0.33 E£17.10

233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.25 ฿1,180

$8.66 E£453

307.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ฿35.33

$0.37 E£19.27

186.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 ฿40.64

$0.20 E£10.65

505.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.01 ฿201

$1.49 E£77.8

303.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿45.63

$0.46 E£23.94

195.65%

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

$31.0K ฿1.0M

$32.6K E£1.7M

-4.91%

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

$26.7K ฿892.4K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-6.12%

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

$106 ฿3,565

$27.54 E£1,441

286.67%

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

$14.72 ฿493

$8.27 E£432

77.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.94 ฿601

$14.05 E£735

27.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 ฿1,936

$28.27 E£1,479

104.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 ฿629

$6.70 E£350

180.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 ฿250

$4.40 E£230

69.55%

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

$579 ฿19.4K

$121 E£6,356

376.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K ฿544.6K

$3,619 E£189.3K

349.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.7 ฿2,335

$40.16 E£2,101

73.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.48 ฿1,422

$49.61 E£2,596

-14.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 ฿3,273

$115 E£6,033

-15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ฿3,606

$60.6 E£3,170

77.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 ฿22.2K

$220 E£11.5K

201.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 ฿11.5K

$194 E£10.2K

76.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,977 ฿66.2K

$514 E£26.9K

284.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 ฿24.9K

$334 E£17.5K

122.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,940 ฿198.9K

$806 E£42.2K

636.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,098 ฿103.7K

$513 E£26.9K

503.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 ฿20.9K

$200 E£10.5K

212.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

16.21

-67.61%

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

Last update for Bangkok: 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

Bangkok

$342 30.5%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 43.3% $148

Groceries & Markets

Bangkok

$277 24.7%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 49% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Bangkok

$143 12.7%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 16.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bangkok

$139 12.4%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 64.2% $89

Eating Out

Bangkok

$103 9.1%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 11.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bangkok

$73 6.5%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 49% $36

Getting Around

Bangkok

$47 4.2%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 75.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $664 in Bangkok and $220 in Cairo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bangkok pays 212% 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: $36.00 in Bangkok vs $28.00 in Cairo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $141 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Bangkok

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

08:39 8:39 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

4 h behind Bangkok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,666,264 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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 THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bangkok Cairo 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bangkok
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

Bangkok vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bangkok and Cairo differ by about 78% in total monthly costs ($1,144 vs $643 including rent). Cairo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 212% higher in Bangkok, 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: $664 in Bangkok 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 $36.00 in Bangkok. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,144 per month in Bangkok versus $643 in Cairo – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $643 in Cairo versus $1,144 in Bangkok, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Bangkok. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bangkok 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 78% less than in Bangkok. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.