Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,692 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Arrest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $1,692 in Arrest.

Cairo $647
Arrest $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $2,690 in Arrest.

Cairo $1,035
Arrest $2,690

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $3,687 in Arrest.

Cairo $1,423
Arrest $3,687

Living in Cairo costs roughly 62% less than in Arrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Arrest is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$17.07 €15.18

-72.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$55.5 €49.39

-49.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$13.59 €12.09

-55.63%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.92 €2.60

-41.10%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$3.06 €2.72

-88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$2.07 €1.84

-94.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$8.32 €7.40

-81.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$5.43 €4.83

-57.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.29 €1.14

-28.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.69 €1.51

-56.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$2.56 €2.28

-71.09%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$3.97 €3.53

-70.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$10.14 €9.02

-57.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$11.97 €10.65

-57.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$15.82 €14.07

-41.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$3.02 €2.68

-41.39%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$3.00 €2.67

-75.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.43 €1.27

-61.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$4.16 €3.70

-87.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.78 €1.58

-76.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$2.01 €1.79

-79.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.60 €1.42

-79.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.16 €0.14

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$12.68 €11.28

-84.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$5.46 €4.86

43.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.46 €1.30

8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.63 €1.45

28.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$1.88 €1.68

-81.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$41.07 €36.53

-78.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$2.29 €2.04

-82.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.14 €1.02

-80.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$32.87 €29.24

-95.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.18 €1.94

-80.28%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$34.3K €30.5K

-4.76%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$36.3K €32.3K

-24.90%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$207 €184

-86.82%

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

$8.58 E£458

$32.86 €29.23

-73.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$31.63 €28.13

-55.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$37.48 €33.34

-20.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$15.53 €13.82

-68.71%

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

$121 E£6,438

$899 €799

-86.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$9,786 €8,705

-63.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$129 €114

-68.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$46.89 €41.71

5.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$102 €91.1

12.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$158 €141

-62.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$806 €717

-72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$522 €464

-62.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$1,433 €1,275

-61.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$1,150 €1,023

-69.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$4,381 €3,897

-81.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$3,174 €2,823

-83.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.9

315.64%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Arrest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Arrest

$522 30.8% 168% $327

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Arrest

$292 17.3% 106% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Arrest

$196 11.6% 64.7% $77

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Arrest

$285 16.9% 217% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Arrest

$271 16% 445% $222

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Arrest

$69 4.1% 73.9% $29

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Arrest

$57 3.4% 389% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Cairo and $806 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $28.00 in Cairo vs $56.0 in Arrest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $292 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

19:17 7:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

900

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 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 Arrest 3,330 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Arrest

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 Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 162% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $970 in Cairo and $2,539 in Arrest to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Cairo versus $806 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $899 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $647 in Cairo versus $1,692 in Arrest, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Arrest. 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 Arrest 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 162% less than in Arrest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.