Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Alcala de Henares

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,932 in Alcala de Henares, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Alcala de Henares
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Alcala de Henares Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Alcala de Henares

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,932

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $1,932 in Alcala de Henares.

Cairo $647
Alcala de Henares $1,932

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $2,723 in Alcala de Henares.

Cairo $1,035
Alcala de Henares $2,723

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $3,515 in Alcala de Henares.

Cairo $1,423
Alcala de Henares $3,515

Living in Cairo costs roughly 67% less than in Alcala de Henares, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Alcala de Henares is 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$17.00 €15.12

-72.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$65.8 €58.5

-57.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$11.08 €9.86

-45.58%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.72 €2.42

-36.76%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$3.34 €2.97

-89.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$1.87 €1.67

-93.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$3.96 €3.52

-61.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$4.64 €4.13

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.19 €1.05

-22.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.55 €1.38

-52.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.72 €1.53

-56.98%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.96 €2.64

-59.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$21.99 €19.56

-80.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$9.20 €8.18

-45.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$17.25 €15.35

-46.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$2.68 €2.39

-33.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.31 €2.05

-68.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$2.18 €1.94

-74.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$2.58 €2.29

-80.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$2.13 €1.89

-80.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$2.13 €1.89

-80.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.57 €1.40

-78.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.70 €0.63

-70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$6.12 €5.44

-67.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$7.84 €6.98

-0.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.22 €1.08

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$2.14 €1.91

-2.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$1.46 €1.30

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$46.53 €41.39

-81.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$3.80 €3.38

-89.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.93 €1.72

-88.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$23.26 €20.69

-93.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.80 €1.60

-76.11%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$35.7K €31.8K

-8.41%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$30.3K €26.9K

-10.06%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$189 €168

-85.56%

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

$8.58 E£458

$19.65 €17.48

-56.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$30.18 €26.85

-53.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$40.29 €35.84

-26.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$8.12 €7.22

-10.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$9.43 €8.39

-48.46%

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

$121 E£6,438

$178 €159

-32.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$5,820 €5,177

-38.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$73.7 €65.6

-45.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$36.52 €32.48

35.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$78.2 €69.6

46.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$94.3 €83.9

-36.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$966 €859

-77.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$879 €782

-77.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$1,858 €1,653

-70.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$1,142 €1,016

-69.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$4,260 €3,789

-81.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$3,507 €3,119

-85.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$1,735 €1,544

-88.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.14

416.24%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alcala de Henares: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Alcala de Henares

$879 45.5% 351% $684

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Alcala de Henares

$310 16.1% 119% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Alcala de Henares

$127 6.6% 6.8% $8.1

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Alcala de Henares

$252 13% 180% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Alcala de Henares

$239 12.4% 379% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Alcala de Henares

$59 3.1% 50.1% $20

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Alcala de Henares

$66 3.4% 469% $54

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Cairo and $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcala de Henares pays 769% 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 $66.0 in Alcala de Henares for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $310 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇸 Alcala de Henares

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

12:18 12:18 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

199,184

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

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

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Alcala de Henares 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Alcala de Henares

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 Alcala de Henares: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo and Alcala de Henares differ by about 199% in total monthly costs ($647 vs $1,932 including rent). Cairo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 769% lower in Alcala de Henares. 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 $966 in Alcala de Henares. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $178 in Alcala de Henares. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Alcala de Henares. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $647 in Cairo versus $1,932 in Alcala de Henares, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Alcala de Henares. 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, Cairo and Alcala de Henares 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 199% less than in Alcala de Henares. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.