Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Alberton

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,220 in Alberton, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Alberton
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Alberton Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Alberton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Alberton

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 Alberton actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $1,220 in Alberton.

Cairo $647
Alberton $1,220

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $1,993 in Alberton.

Cairo $1,035
Alberton $1,993

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $2,766 in Alberton.

Cairo $1,423
Alberton $2,766

Living in Cairo costs roughly 47% less than in Alberton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cairo 52% lower, Alberton 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$8.95 R 147

-48.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$36.18 R 596

-22.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$5.04 R 83.1

19.64%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.31 R 38.09

-25.54%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.09 R 17.90

-66.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.88 R 14.48

-86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.49 R 41.05

-39.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$2.40 R 39.55

-3.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.17 R 19.25

-21.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.13 R 18.64

-35.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.83 R 30.13

-59.56%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.33 R 38.41

-48.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$8.31 R 137

-47.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$4.83 R 79.6

4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$5.88 R 96.9

57.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.78 R 29.39

-0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.60 R 26.31

-54.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.75 R 28.79

-68.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.57 R 25.82

-68.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.11 R 18.29

-62.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.18 R 19.42

-65.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.17 R 19.26

-71.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.93 R 15.28

-77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$3.01 R 49.64

-34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$3.09 R 51.0

152.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.29 R 21.23

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.35 R 22.19

54.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$3.10 R 51.0

-88.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$123 R 2,029

-92.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.29 R 4.73

34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.82 R 13.57

-73.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$14.23 R 234

-89.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.41 R 23.19

-69.50%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$30.5K R 502.4K

7.24%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$33.9K R 558.4K

-19.67%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$152 R 2,502

-82.04%

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

$8.58 E£458

$36.73 R 605

-76.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$37.80 R 623

-62.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$39.90 R 657

-25.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$15.24 R 251

-52.43%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$6.02 R 99.1

-19.27%

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

$121 E£6,438

$152 R 2,500

-20.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$1,781 R 29.3K

99.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$52.5 R 865

-23.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$31.76 R 523

55.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$91.2 R 1,503

25.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$84.2 R 1,387

-28.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$445 R 7,335

-50.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$369 R 6,077

-47.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$945 R 15.6K

-41.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$964 R 15.9K

-64.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$718 R 11.8K

11.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$604 R 9,954

-13.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$2,078 R 34.2K

-90.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

11.34

42.95%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alberton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Alberton

$369 30.2% 89.2% $174

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Alberton

$177 14.5% 24.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Alberton

$117 9.6% 1.9% $2.3

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Alberton

$140 11.4% 55.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Alberton

$226 18.6% 354% $177

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Alberton

$52 4.3% 31.8% $13

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Alberton

$140 11.5% 1108% $128

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Cairo and $445 in Alberton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alberton pays 940% 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 $36.00 in Alberton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $177 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Alberton

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

121,536

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Alberton 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Alberton

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 Alberton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 89% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 940% lower in Alberton. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Cairo versus $445 in Alberton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Alberton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cairo – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $36.00 in Alberton. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $647 in Cairo versus $1,220 in Alberton, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Alberton. 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.

Expats usually find Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 89% less than in Alberton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.