Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Aarschot

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $2,043 in Aarschot, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Aarschot
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,043
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Aarschot

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairo and in Aarschot actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $2,043 in Aarschot.

  • Cairo $647
  • Aarschot $2,043

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $2,981 in Aarschot.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Aarschot $2,981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $3,919 in Aarschot.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Aarschot $3,919

Living in Cairo costs roughly 68% less than in Aarschot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Aarschot is 51% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$17.81 €15.84
-73.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$77.2 €68.6
-63.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$10.96 €9.75
-44.98%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$3.68 €3.27
-53.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$2.97 €2.65
-87.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$2.62 €2.33
-95.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$5.18 €4.61
-70.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$4.42 €3.93
-47.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.24 €1.10
-25.81%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$2.80 €2.49
-73.93%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$2.02 €1.79
-63.37%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$3.73 €3.32
-68.10%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$11.33 €10.08
-61.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$11.70 €10.41
-57.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$14.96 €13.31
-37.97%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$2.70 €2.41
-34.44%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$2.23 €1.98
-67.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$2.16 €1.92
-74.54%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$2.20 €1.95
-77.27%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$2.20 €1.96
-80.91%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$1.75 €1.56
-76.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$1.50 €1.34
-78.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$0.90 €0.80
-76.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$9.28 €8.26
-78.66%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$7.24 €6.44
7.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$2.03 €1.80
-21.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$1.77 €1.58
18.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$3.13 €2.79
-88.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
$133 €118
-93.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$4.98 €4.43
-92.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$2.49 €2.21
-91.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$16.79 €14.93
-91.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$1.97 €1.75
-78.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$35.9K €31.9K
-8.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$34.1K €30.3K
-20.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$210 €186
-86.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$18.26 €16.24
-53.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$53.8 €47.82
-73.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$36.30 €32.29
-18.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$17.78 €15.81
-59.22%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$14.46 €12.86
-66.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$701 €624
-82.81%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$15.9K €14.1K
-77.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$86.4 €76.9
-53.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$25.84 €22.98
91.68%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$88.0 €78.3
30.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$131 €116
-54.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$920 €818
-75.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$806 €717
-75.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$1,371 €1,219
-59.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$1,158 €1,030
-70.10%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$3,530 €3,140
-77.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$2,807 €2,497
-81.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Aarschot
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$3,157 €2,808
-93.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
3.52
360.51%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Aarschot: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Aarschot
$806 313% $611
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Aarschot
$302 113% $161
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Aarschot
$149 25% $30
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Aarschot
$277 207% $187
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Aarschot
$282 465% $232
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Aarschot
$65 65.5% $26
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Aarschot
$163 1306% $151

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Cairo and $920 in Aarschot. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 1481% 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: $28.00 in Cairo vs $77.0 in Aarschot for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $302 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇧🇪 Aarschot
🕒 Local time
07:05 7:05 AM
06:05 6:05 AM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
27,656
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Aarschot 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Aarschot

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
Cairo vs Aarschot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aarschot cheaper than Cairo?
Cairo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 216% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Cairo or Aarschot?
On paper, salaries run 1481% lower in Aarschot. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Cairo and Aarschot?
Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Cairo versus $920 in Aarschot. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Aarschot?
Supermarket bills run roughly 113% higher in Aarschot. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Aarschot?
Dining out is cheaper in Cairo – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $77.0 in Aarschot. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cairo or in Aarschot?
At $647 in Cairo versus $2,043 in Aarschot, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Aarschot. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Cairo or in Aarschot?
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.
Which city is safer, Cairo or Aarschot?
Safety-wise, Cairo and Aarschot 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 easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 216% less than in Aarschot. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

Cairo vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?