Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Best

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Best

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $2,217 in Best, rent included.

Cairo $643
Best $2,217

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $3,095 in Best, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Best $3,095

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $3,973 in Best, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Best $3,973

Cairo is about 71% cheaper than Best, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Best is 65% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$22.31 €19.91

-78.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$86.5 €77.2

-67.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$12.25 €10.94

-50.78%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$3.65 €3.26

-50.41%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$3.26 €2.91

-89.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$2.48 €2.21

-93.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$5.77 €5.15

-74.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$4.90 €4.37

-54.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.13 €1.01

-14.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.89 €1.69

-61.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$2.22 €1.98

-65.32%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.12 €2.79

-62.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$11.28 €10.07

-61.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$11.49 €10.26

-55.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$14.84 €13.24

-39.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.01 €1.80

-8.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.60 €1.43

-53.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.73 €1.54

-67.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$4.95 €4.41

-89.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.17 €1.04

-67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.19 €1.06

-64.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.11 €0.99

-68.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.71 €0.63

-66.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$11.21 €10.01

-82.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$5.55 €4.95

34.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.51 €1.34

0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.50 €2.23

-14.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$2.48 €2.22

-86.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$70.9 €63.3

-87.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$3.94 €3.52

-90.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$2.89 €2.57

-93.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$29.72 €26.52

-94.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$2.35 €2.09

-80.43%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$25.6K €22.9K

27.24%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$34.0K €30.3K

-16.44%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$185 €165

-85.12%

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

$8.27 E£432

$14.56 €12.99

-43.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$37.61 €33.56

-62.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$40.32 €35.98

-29.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$25.33 €22.60

-73.55%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$13.97 €12.47

-68.50%

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

$121 E£6,356

$1,298 €1,158

-90.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$5,115 €4,564

-29.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$51.7 €46.13

-22.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$32.89 €29.35

50.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$74.5 €66.5

54.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$57.9 €51.7

4.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$1,544 €1,378

-85.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$1,100 €982

-82.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,975 €1,763

-73.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,352 €1,206

-75.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$5,221 €4,659

-84.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$4,354 €3,886

-88.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$4,077 €3,639

-95.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.54

357.91%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Best

$1.1K 49.9% 467% $906

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Best

$281 12.8% 99% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Best

$98 4.4% 18.3% $22

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Best

$321 14.6% 252% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Best

$237 10.8% 376% $187

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Best

$68 3.1% 84.1% $31

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Best

$99 4.5% 774% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $1,544 in Best. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1937% higher in Best, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $86.0 in Best. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $281 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇳🇱 Best

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

29,988

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 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 = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 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 Best 3,200 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Best

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 Best: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 245%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $3,325 in Best. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $643 in Cairo and $2,217 in Best. That's a gap of about 245%.

Public transport costs about 718% less in Cairo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Best at $2,217. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best 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, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.