Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $643 in Cairo versus $1,806 in Athens.

Cairo $643
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,037 in Cairo versus $2,731 in Athens.

Cairo $1,037
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,431 in Cairo versus $3,656 in Athens.

Cairo $1,431
Athens $3,656

Living in Cairo costs roughly 64% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Athens is 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$16.66 €14.87

-71.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$66.2 €59.1

-56.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$11.06 €9.87

-45.48%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$4.14 €3.69

-56.28%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$2.80 €2.50

-87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.57 €0.51

-73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$5.64 €5.03

-74.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$5.46 €4.87

-58.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.96 €1.75

-50.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.41 €1.26

-48.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$2.83 €2.53

-72.79%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$5.04 €4.50

-76.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$15.35 €13.70

-71.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$10.34 €9.23

-50.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$18.97 €16.93

-52.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.17 €1.93

-15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.91 €1.70

-60.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.38 €1.23

-58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$2.20 €1.96

-76.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.10 €0.98

-65.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.13 €1.00

-62.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.10 €0.99

-68.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.83 €0.74

-71.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$5.60 €4.99

-64.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$10.19 €9.09

-26.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.18 €1.95

-30.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.45 €2.19

-13.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$1.38 €1.23

-76.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$30.87 €27.55

-71.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$4.37 €3.90

-91.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$1.04 €0.93

-80.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$17.11 €15.27

-91.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$2.31 €2.07

-80.09%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$28.0K €25.0K

16.60%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$28.0K €25.0K

1.36%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$210 €187

-86.87%

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

$8.27 E£432

$26.70 €23.83

-69.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$30.13 €26.89

-53.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$54.6 €48.72

-48.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$26.03 €23.23

-74.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$10.78 €9.62

-59.18%

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

$121 E£6,356

$575 €513

-78.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$13.1K €11.7K

-72.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$93.2 €83.1

-56.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$40.68 €36.30

21.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$104 €92.9

10.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$128 €115

-52.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$756 €674

-70.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$652 €582

-70.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,294 €1,154

-60.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,163 €1,038

-71.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$4,008 €3,577

-79.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$3,452 €3,081

-85.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$1,243 €1,110

-83.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

4.48

261.83%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Athens

$652 36.5% 236% $458

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Athens

$315 17.6% 123% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Athens

$165 9.2% 37.9% $45

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Athens

$269 15% 195% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Athens

$267 14.9% 435% $217

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Athens

$76 4.3% 105% $39

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Athens

$46 2.6% 305% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $220 in Cairo and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 521% 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 Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $141 vs $315 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Athens 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
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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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 181% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 521% lower in Athens. 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: $220 in Cairo versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cairo – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $643 per month in Cairo versus $1,806 in Athens – a 181% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $643 in Cairo versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cairo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cairo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cairo and Athens 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 181% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.