Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Ballsh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,214 in Ballsh, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Ballsh
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Ballsh Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Ballsh

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Ballsh

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,214 in Ballsh, rent included.

Cairo $643
Ballsh $1,214

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $1,852 in Ballsh, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Ballsh $1,852

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $2,490 in Ballsh, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Ballsh $2,490

Cairo is about 47% cheaper than Ballsh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Ballsh are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Ballsh 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$9.99 ALL 813

-53.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$55.1 ALL 4,482

-48.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$7.22 ALL 587

-16.48%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$2.33 ALL 189

-22.32%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$1.42 ALL 116

-75.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.85 ALL 69.1

-82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$3.56 ALL 290

-59.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$4.14 ALL 337

-45.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$2.30 ALL 187

-57.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.18 ALL 96.4

-38.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$2.43 ALL 198

-68.31%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.79 ALL 308

-69.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$12.96 ALL 1,054

-66.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$9.41 ALL 766

-46.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$16.85 ALL 1,371

-47.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.93 ALL 157

-5.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.42 ALL 197

-69.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.16 ALL 176

-73.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.84 ALL 149

-72.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.02 ALL 82.9

-62.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.31 ALL 107

-67.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.44 ALL 117

-75.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.75 ALL 61.2

-68.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$4.72 ALL 384

-57.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$10.52 ALL 856

-28.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.59 ALL 129

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.01 ALL 164

5.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.47 ALL 38.18

-29.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$19.41 ALL 1,579

-55.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$3.81 ALL 310

-90.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$3.80 ALL 309

-94.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$18.85 ALL 1,534

-92.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$2.28 ALL 185

-79.82%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$34.1K ALL 2.8M

-4.30%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$36.2K ALL 2.9M

-21.49%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$99.2 ALL 8,074

-72.25%

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

$8.27 E£432

$18.74 ALL 1,524

-55.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$20.45 ALL 1,664

-31.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$55.9 ALL 4,549

-49.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$10.13 ALL 824

-56.56%

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

$121 E£6,356

$351 ALL 28.6K

-65.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$8,230 ALL 669.6K

-56.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$50.0 ALL 4,069

-19.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$48.21 ALL 3,922

2.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$120 ALL 9,755

-3.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$113 ALL 9,212

-46.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$473 ALL 38.5K

-53.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$331 ALL 26.9K

-41.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$721 ALL 58.7K

-28.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$469 ALL 38.2K

-28.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$1,863 ALL 151.6K

-56.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$1,217 ALL 99.0K

-57.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

5.39

200.74%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ballsh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Ballsh

$331 27.7% 70.4% $137

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Ballsh

$292 24.4% 106% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Ballsh

$149 12.5% 24.7% $30

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Ballsh

$165 13.8% 80.8% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Ballsh

$138 11.6% 178% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Ballsh

$76 6.4% 106% $39

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Ballsh

$44 3.7% 289% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $473 in Ballsh. 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 $55.0 in Ballsh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $292 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇱 Ballsh

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR 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 = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.36 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.17 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Ballsh 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Ballsh

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 Ballsh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ballsh is pricier by about 89%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $1,821 in Ballsh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 106% more in Ballsh, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $55.0 in Ballsh. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Ballsh at $1,214. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ballsh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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