Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Aswan

For one person, living is cheaper in Aswan: $434 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Aswan
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Aswan Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Aswan

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Aswan

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $434 in Aswan, rent included.

Cairo $635
Aswan $434

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $701 in Aswan, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Aswan $701

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $969 in Aswan, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Aswan $969

Cairo costs about 46% more than Aswan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Aswan are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Aswan 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$3.88 E£207

19.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$14.90 E£796

85.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$4.69 E£250

24.31%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$1.31 E£70.0

29.01%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$0.30 E£15.98

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$0.14 E£7.36

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$1.30 E£69.2

13.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$2.88 E£154

-23.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$0.87 E£46.25

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$0.65 E£34.78

21.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$0.58 E£31.05

20.69%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$1.20 E£64.2

-6.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$3.24 E£173

25.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$4.08 E£218

16.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$7.85 E£419

12.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$1.47 E£78.3

14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$0.67 E£35.88

5.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$0.49 E£26.11

20.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$0.35 E£18.89

45.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$0.34 E£18.31

8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$0.33 E£17.85

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$0.25 E£13.21

36.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$0.17 E£8.83

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$1.87 E£99.8

6.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$6.32 E£338

18.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.20 E£64.0

25.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$2.00 E£107

4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$0.18 E£9.69

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$0.40 E£21.12

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$0.22 E£11.60

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$1.19 E£63.8

26.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$0.45 E£24.21

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$31.9K E£1.7M

3.85%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$25.1K E£1.3M

4.36%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$15.10 E£806

82.91%

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

$7.83 E£418

$6.64 E£354

17.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$13.16 E£703

9.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$16.36 E£874

74.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$4.78 E£255

56.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$2.93 E£157

55.63%

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

$120 E£6,417

$86.6 E£4,622

38.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$1,865 E£99.6K

86.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$16.97 E£906

130.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$45.04 E£2,405

8.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$115 E£6,132

-3.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$55.8 E£2,982

2.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$133 E£7,091

62.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$76.9 E£4,108

154.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$253 E£13.5K

114.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$144 E£7,713

134.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$767 E£40.9K

8.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$347 E£18.5K

47.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Aswan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Aswan

$77 17.7% 60.7% $119

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Aswan

$118 27.3% 13.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Aswan

$105 24.1% 9.2% $11

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Aswan

$75 17.2% 15.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Aswan

$35 8% 30% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Aswan

$22 5.1% 41.1% $16

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Aswan

$2.2 * 0.5% 79.9% $8.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $133 in Aswan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $15.00 in Aswan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $118 – making Aswan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 Aswan

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

241,261

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Aswan 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Aswan

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 Aswan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $651 in Aswan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $15.00 in Aswan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Cairo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $635 in Cairo and $434 in Aswan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Aswan – 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 Aswan. 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.