Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Bhisho

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,136 in Bhisho, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Bhisho
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Bhisho Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Bhisho

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Bhisho

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $1,136 in Bhisho.

Cairo $647
Bhisho $1,136

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $1,800 in Bhisho.

Cairo $1,035
Bhisho $1,800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $2,464 in Bhisho.

Cairo $1,423
Bhisho $2,464

Living in Cairo costs roughly 43% less than in Bhisho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cairo 52% lower, Bhisho 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$10.77 R 177

-56.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$41.53 R 684

-32.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$5.87 R 96.7

2.73%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.05 R 33.84

-16.10%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.01 R 16.59

-64.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.77 R 12.66

-84.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.75 R 45.31

-45.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$3.18 R 52.4

-27.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.13 R 18.66

-18.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$0.99 R 16.34

-26.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.51 R 24.92

-50.99%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.81 R 46.36

-57.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$8.66 R 143

-50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$5.36 R 88.4

-6.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$8.29 R 137

11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$2.16 R 35.55

-18.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.54 R 25.36

-52.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.67 R 27.56

-67.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.79 R 29.54

-72.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.72 R 28.35

-75.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.42 R 23.42

-71.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.25 R 20.58

-73.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.01 R 16.70

-79.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$3.14 R 51.7

-36.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$4.92 R 81.1

58.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.27 R 21.00

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.78 R 29.40

17.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$1.46 R 24.02

-76.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$24.01 R 396

-63.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.63 R 10.32

-38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.46 R 7.58

-52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$8.49 R 140

-82.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.44 R 23.78

-70.14%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$35.1K R 577.7K

-6.75%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$33.0K R 544.3K

-17.58%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$123 R 2,028

-77.85%

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

$8.58 E£458

$33.89 R 558

-74.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$44.33 R 730

-68.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$32.50 R 535

-8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$10.66 R 176

-31.99%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$10.57 R 174

-54.02%

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

$121 E£6,438

$180 R 2,959

-32.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$6,106 R 100.6K

-41.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$71.8 R 1,184

-43.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$38.18 R 629

29.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$111 R 1,831

3.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$94.7 R 1,560

-36.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$396 R 6,517

-43.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$354 R 5,828

-44.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$723 R 11.9K

-23.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$742 R 12.2K

-53.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$887 R 14.6K

-9.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$641 R 10.6K

-18.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$3,248 R 53.5K

-93.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

11.94

35.76%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bhisho: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Bhisho

$354 31.1% 81.4% $159

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Bhisho

$197 17.3% 38.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Bhisho

$142 12.5% 19.3% $23

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Bhisho

$156 13.7% 72.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Bhisho

$201 17.7% 304% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Bhisho

$54 4.7% 36.1% $14

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Bhisho

$33 2.9% 183% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Cairo and $396 in Bhisho. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays 1526% 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 $42.00 in Bhisho for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $197 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Bhisho

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

137,287

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Bhisho 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Bhisho

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 Bhisho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 76% lower than in Bhisho. 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 1526% lower in Bhisho. 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: $222 in Cairo versus $396 in Bhisho. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $180 in Bhisho. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 39% higher in Bhisho. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $647 in Cairo versus $1,136 in Bhisho, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Bhisho. 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.

Expats usually find Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 76% less than in Bhisho. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.