Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Bethune

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,725 in Bethune, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Bethune
🇫🇷 France
$1,725
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Bethune

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $1,725 in Bethune.

  • Cairo $647
  • Bethune $1,725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $2,711 in Bethune.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Bethune $2,711

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $3,698 in Bethune.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Bethune $3,698

Living in Cairo costs roughly 63% less than in Bethune, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Bethune is 28% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$17.77 €15.81
-73.89%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$73.5 €65.3
-61.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$13.27 €11.80
-54.56%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$3.16 €2.81
-45.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$2.73 €2.43
-86.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$1.67 €1.49
-92.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$6.72 €5.98
-77.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$5.70 €5.07
-59.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.30 €1.15
-29.23%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$1.86 €1.66
-60.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$2.95 €2.62
-74.92%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$4.03 €3.59
-70.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$21.13 €18.79
-79.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$12.74 €11.33
-60.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$23.00 €20.46
-59.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$3.05 €2.71
-41.97%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$2.13 €1.90
-65.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$2.39 €2.13
-76.99%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$3.12 €2.78
-83.97%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$1.82 €1.62
-76.92%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$1.96 €1.74
-79.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$1.42 €1.26
-76.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$0.53 €0.47
-60.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$14.20 €12.63
-86.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$7.85 €6.98
-0.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$1.84 €1.63
-13.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$2.54 €2.26
-17.72%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$1.77 €1.57
-80.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
$50.6 €44.98
-82.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$2.24 €1.99
-82.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$2.16 €1.92
-89.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$23.70 €21.08
-93.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$2.04 €1.82
-78.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$33.8K €30.1K
-3.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$35.1K €31.3K
-22.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$176 €156
-84.47%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$15.09 €13.42
-43.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$30.91 €27.49
-54.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$34.87 €31.01
-14.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$16.76 €14.90
-56.74%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$10.15 €9.03
-52.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$619 €550
-80.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$8,158 €7,256
-56.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$87.3 €77.7
-53.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$38.69 €34.41
28.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$77.7 €69.1
48.00%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$97.4 €86.7
-38.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$740 €658
-70.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$599 €533
-67.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$1,354 €1,204
-59.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$1,101 €979
-68.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$3,857 €3,431
-79.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$3,266 €2,905
-83.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Bethune
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$3,663 €3,258
-94.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
3.92
313.52%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bethune: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Bethune
$599 207% $404
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Bethune
$360 154% $218
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Bethune
$135 13.7% $16
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Bethune
$282 214% $192
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Bethune
$222 345% $172
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Bethune
$55 40% $16
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Bethune
$71 510% $59

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Cairo and $740 in Bethune. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bethune pays 1734% 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 $73.0 in Bethune for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $360 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇫🇷 Bethune
🕒 Local time
19:17 7:17 PM
18:17 6:17 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
24,992
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Bethune 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Bethune

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 Bethune: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cairo or Bethune?
Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 167% lower than in Bethune. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Cairo or in Bethune?
On paper, salaries run 1734% lower in Bethune. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Cairo compared to Bethune?
Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Cairo versus $740 in Bethune. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Cairo and in Bethune?
Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $619 in Bethune. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Are groceries more expensive in Cairo or in Bethune?
Supermarket bills run roughly 154% higher in Bethune. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Cairo or in Bethune?
At $647 in Cairo versus $1,725 in Bethune, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Bethune. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Cairo or Bethune?
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.
How safe is Cairo compared to Bethune?
Safety-wise, Cairo and Bethune are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 167% less than in Bethune. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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