Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 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
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $643 in Cairo versus $2,405 in Barcelona.

Cairo $643
Barcelona $2,405

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,037 in Cairo versus $3,477 in Barcelona.

Cairo $1,037
Barcelona $3,477

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,431 in Cairo versus $4,550 in Barcelona.

Cairo $1,431
Barcelona $4,550

Living in Cairo costs roughly 73% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Barcelona is 79% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$17.98 €16.03

-73.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$67.4 €60.1

-57.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£316

$13.37 €11.92

-54.90%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.8

$3.34 €2.98

-45.81%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$2.95 €2.63

-88.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$1.90 €1.69

-92.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$3.88 €3.46

-62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$4.57 €4.08

-50.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.27 €1.13

-23.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.97

$1.96 €1.74

-62.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.25

$1.75 €1.56

-56.00%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$4.89 €4.36

-76.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$17.47 €15.58

-75.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$9.06 €8.08

-44.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$20.18 €17.99

-55.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$3.08 €2.74

-40.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.08

$2.03 €1.81

-63.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.60 €2.32

-78.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.63

$2.71 €2.42

-81.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.06

$2.15 €1.92

-82.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.89

$2.21 €1.97

-81.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.54 €1.37

-77.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.93 €0.83

-74.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$7.09 €6.32

-71.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$7.63 €6.80

-1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.49 €1.33

2.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.73 €2.43

-21.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$2.95 €2.63

-88.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$25.91 €23.11

-66.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$3.13 €2.79

-88.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$1.45 €1.29

-86.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$34.17 €30.46

-95.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.95

$1.79 €1.60

-74.30%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$34.7K €30.9K

-5.94%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$30.3K €27.0K

-6.27%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$181 €161

-84.76%

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

$8.27 E£433

$13.56 €12.09

-39.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$35.12 €31.31

-59.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,480

$53.2 €47.40

-46.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$16.05 €14.31

-58.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$11.37 €10.13

-61.30%

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

$121 E£6,357

$939 €837

-87.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.4K

$16.5K €14.7K

-78.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,102

$88.2 €78.7

-54.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$39.77 €35.46

24.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,034

$103 €92.2

11.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$119 €107

-49.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$1,695 €1,512

-87.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$1,301 €1,160

-85.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$2,576 €2,297

-80.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,941 €1,731

-82.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$7,470 €6,660

-89.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$5,195 €4,631

-90.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$2,299 €2,050

-91.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.28

394.21%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54% 570% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Barcelona

$325 13.5% 130% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 32.1% $38

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Barcelona

$272 11.3% 199% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Barcelona

$229 9.5% 360% $180

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Barcelona

$76 3.2% 105% $39

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Barcelona

$48 2% 324% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $220 in Cairo and $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 1049% 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 $67.0 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $141 vs $325 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

1,660,122

💱 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 = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 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 Barcelona 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Barcelona

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 Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo and Barcelona differ by about 274% in total monthly costs ($643 vs $2,405 including rent). Cairo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 1049% lower in Barcelona. 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 $1,695 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $939 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 130% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $643 in Cairo versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. 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 Barcelona 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 274% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.