Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $462 a month against $647 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Alexandria

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $462 in Alexandria, rent included.

Cairo $647
Alexandria $462

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $766 in Alexandria, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Alexandria $766

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $1,071 in Alexandria, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Alexandria $1,071

Cairo costs about 40% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cairo and Alexandria are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Alexandria 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$4.28 E£228

8.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$19.29 E£1,030

45.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$4.89 E£261

23.31%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$1.26 E£67.5

36.51%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$0.33 E£17.37

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.13 E£7.07

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.31 E£70.1

15.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$2.87 E£153

-19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$0.83 E£44.32

10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$0.72 E£38.67

1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$0.64 E£34.04

15.62%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$3.79 E£203

14.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$4.33 E£231

16.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$9.12 E£487

1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.50 E£79.9

18.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$0.75 E£40.12

-2.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$0.52 E£27.98

5.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$0.35 E£18.80

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$0.26 E£13.90

61.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$0.32 E£17.32

28.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$0.25 E£13.28

32.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.21 E£11.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$1.85 E£98.6

7.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$5.58 E£298

39.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.20 E£64.3

32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$2.24 E£120

-6.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$0.17 E£9.02

105.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$11.24 E£600

-22.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.59 E£31.72

-33.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.50 E£26.63

-56.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$1.15 E£61.1

31.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$0.43 E£23.17

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$32.4K E£1.7M

0.98%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$27.3K E£1.5M

-0.31%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$14.01 E£748

94.65%

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

$8.58 E£458

$6.87 E£367

24.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$13.44 E£718

4.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$13.05 E£697

127.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$7.37 E£394

-1.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$2.84 E£151

71.13%

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

$121 E£6,438

$86.5 E£4,621

39.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$2,100 E£112.2K

69.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$33.83 E£1,807

19.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$44.92 E£2,398

10.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$129 E£6,881

-10.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$56.0 E£2,993

7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$136 E£7,240

63.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$71.5 E£3,816

172.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$292 E£15.6K

88.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$147 E£7,828

136.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$695 E£37.1K

15.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$448 E£23.9K

17.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$141 E£7,546

41.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

21.33

-24.00%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Alexandria

$71 15.5% 63.3% $124

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Alexandria

$126 27.2% 11.3% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Alexandria

$119 25.7% 0.4% $0.5

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Alexandria

$78 16.9% 13.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Alexandria

$34 7.4% 31.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Alexandria

$19 4.1% 52.5% $21

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Alexandria

$15 3.3% 29.5% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $136 in Alexandria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 41% higher in Cairo, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $126 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

4,546,231

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo costs about 40% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $693 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $86.5 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Cairo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $462 in Alexandria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Alexandria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.