For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,336 in Bonn, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bonn and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,336 in Bonn versus $643 in Cairo.
Bonn $2,336
Cairo $643
Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,461 in Bonn versus $1,037 in Cairo.
Bonn $3,461
Cairo $1,037
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,587 in Bonn versus $1,431 in Cairo.
Bonn $4,587
Cairo $1,431
🌍
Living in Bonn is roughly 263% more expensive than in Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
The two cities straddle the global median: Bonn is 74% above, Cairo is 52% below.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.59€15.70
$4.69E£245
275.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.1€70.6
$28.49E£1,491
177.78%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$12.36€11.03
$6.03E£315
104.98%
Cappuccino
$4.35€3.88
$1.81E£94.7
140.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18€2.84
$0.35E£18.18
808.57%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39€2.13
$0.15E£7.95
1493.33%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.65€5.05
$1.45E£76.0
289.66%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.15€3.70
$2.24E£117
85.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.46€1.31
$0.97E£50.7
50.52%
White Bread(500g)
$2.85€2.54
$0.73E£37.96
290.41%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.98€3.55
$0.77E£40.24
416.88%
Eggs
$4.10€3.66
$1.17E£61.2
250.43%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$13.89€12.40
$4.32E£226
221.53%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$10.40€9.29
$5.07E£265
105.13%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$26.56€23.70
$8.92E£467
197.76%
Apples(1kg)
$3.51€3.13
$1.83E£95.8
91.80%
Banana(1kg)
$2.65€2.37
$0.75E£39.07
253.33%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.32€2.07
$0.57E£29.78
307.02%
Tomato(1kg)
$5.30€4.73
$0.51E£26.62
939.22%
Potato(1kg)
$2.18€1.95
$0.38E£20.05
473.68%
Onion(1kg)
$1.64€1.46
$0.42E£21.88
290.48%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.66€1.48
$0.35E£18.43
374.29%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.32€1.18
$0.24E£12.57
450.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$9.93€8.87
$1.99E£104
398.99%
Wine(Bottle)
$6.22€5.55
$7.48E£391
-16.84%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27€1.13
$1.52E£79.4
-16.45%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86€1.66
$2.13E£112
-12.68%
🚌 Getting Around
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$4.48€3.99
$0.33E£17.10
1257.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$70.2€62.7
$8.66E£453
711.09%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$3.00€2.68
$0.37E£19.27
710.81%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.96€1.75
$0.20E£10.65
880.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$31.31€27.94
$1.49E£77.8
2001.34%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.33€2.08
$0.46E£23.94
406.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K€29.5K
$32.6KE£1.7M
1.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.1K€34.0K
$28.4KE£1.5M
34.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$332€296
$27.54E£1,441
1104.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.96€22.27
$8.27E£432
201.81%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.45€35.21
$14.05E£735
180.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$44.00€39.26
$28.27E£1,479
55.64%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$33.12€29.55
$6.70E£350
394.33%
Cinema Ticket
$15.79€14.09
$4.40E£230
258.86%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$548€489
$121E£6,356
351.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$13.8K€12.3K
$3,619E£189.3K
282.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.5€67.4
$40.16E£2,101
88.10%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.26€34.14
$49.61E£2,596
-22.88%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$106€94.6
$115E£6,033
-8.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116€104
$60.6E£3,170
92.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,038€926
$220E£11.5K
371.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$917€818
$194E£10.2K
371.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,152€1,920
$514E£26.9K
318.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,645€1,468
$334E£17.5K
393.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$6,282€5,606
$806E£42.2K
679.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$4,528€4,041
$513E£26.9K
782.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bonn
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$3,508€3,130
$200E£10.5K
1652.15%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.96
16.21
-75.57%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Bonn: October 4, 2026
Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Bonn
$917 39.8%
Cairo
$194 30.1% ↓ 78.8%$722
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bonn
$396 17.2%
Cairo
$50 7.7% ↓ 87.4%$346
🛒Groceries & Markets
Bonn
$373 16.2%
Cairo
$141 21.9% ↓ 62.1%$232
🍽Eating Out
Bonn
$289 12.6%
Cairo
$91 14.1% ↓ 68.5%$198
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Bonn
$151 6.6%
Cairo
$120 18.6% ↓ 21%$32
🚌Getting Around
Bonn
$101 4.4%
Cairo
$11 1.8% ↓ 88.8%$90
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Bonn
$76 3.3%
Cairo
$37 5.8% ↓ 51%$39
🏠Accommodation & Living
Bonn
$1.6K 35.3%
Cairo
$334 23.7% ↓ 79.7%$1.3K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bonn
$421 9%
Cairo
$58 4.1% ↓ 86.2%$363
🛒Groceries & Markets
Bonn
$887 19%
Cairo
$323 22.9% ↓ 63.6%$564
🍽Eating Out
Bonn
$974 20.9%
Cairo
$324 23% ↓ 66.7%$650
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Bonn
$336 7.2%
Cairo
$266 18.9% ↓ 21%$70
🚌Getting Around
Bonn
$211 4.5%
Cairo
$23 1.7% ↓ 88.9%$187
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Bonn
$184 4%
Cairo
$81 5.7% ↓ 56.1%$103
Cost Breakdown
🏠A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,038 in Bonn and $220 in Cairo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.
💰Bonn pays 1652% 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: $79.0 in Bonn vs $28.00 in Cairo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $373 vs $141 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.
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
Bonn vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Bonn or Cairo?
Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 263% lower than in Bonn. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Bonn or in Cairo?
Average pay runs 1652% higher in Bonn, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Bonn compared to Cairo?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,038 in Bonn versus $220 in Cairo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Bonn and in Cairo?
Childcare runs $548 in Bonn versus $121 in Cairo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Bonn or in Cairo?
Supermarket bills run roughly 164% higher in Bonn. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Bonn or in Cairo?
At $643 in Cairo versus $2,336 in Bonn, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Bonn. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Bonn or Cairo?
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.
How safe is Bonn compared to Cairo?
Safety-wise, Bonn 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.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 263% less than in Bonn. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.