Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Boksburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,222 in Boksburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Boksburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $1,222 in Boksburg.

Cairo $647
Boksburg $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $1,891 in Boksburg.

Cairo $1,035
Boksburg $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $2,560 in Boksburg.

Cairo $1,423
Boksburg $2,560

Living in Cairo costs roughly 47% less than in Boksburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cairo 52% lower, Boksburg 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$12.15 R 200

-61.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$43.01 R 709

-34.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$5.40 R 88.9

11.67%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.28 R 37.62

-24.56%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.13 R 18.66

-68.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.83 R 13.69

-85.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.25 R 37.09

-32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$2.74 R 45.13

-15.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.35 R 22.26

-31.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.18 R 19.48

-38.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.77 R 29.15

-58.19%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.73 R 44.99

-56.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$8.89 R 146

-51.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$5.32 R 87.6

-5.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$8.86 R 146

4.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.82 R 30.01

-2.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.62 R 26.74

-54.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.86 R 30.72

-70.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.79 R 29.43

-72.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.68 R 27.66

-75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.81 R 29.80

-77.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.23 R 20.33

-73.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.34 R 22.06

-84.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$3.38 R 55.6

-41.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$6.03 R 99.4

29.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.53 R 25.14

3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.89 R 31.20

10.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.31 R 5.14

25.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.78 R 12.77

-71.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$14.54 R 240

-89.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.49 R 24.52

-71.14%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$36.3K R 597.3K

-9.80%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$33.7K R 554.6K

-19.11%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$231 R 3,808

-88.20%

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

$8.58 E£458

$38.32 R 631

-77.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$36.44 R 600

-61.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$28.26 R 466

5.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$7.92 R 131

-38.64%

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

$121 E£6,438

$243 R 4,006

-50.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$5,427 R 89.4K

-34.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$53.8 R 886

-25.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$46.03 R 758

7.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$104 R 1,721

9.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$106 R 1,741

-43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$321 R 5,287

-30.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$352 R 5,793

-44.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$674 R 11.1K

-18.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$764 R 12.6K

-54.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$873 R 14.4K

-77.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

10.91

48.58%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Boksburg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Boksburg

$352 28.8% 80.3% $157

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Boksburg

$212 17.3% 49.2% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Boksburg

$140 11.4% 17.1% $20

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Boksburg

$165 13.5% 83.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Boksburg

$306 25% 514% $256

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Boksburg

$44 3.6% 11.9% $4.7

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Boksburg

$4.2 * 0.3% 63.8% $7.4

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Cairo and $321 in Boksburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Boksburg pays 337% 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 $43.00 in Boksburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $212 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

260,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Boksburg 6,260 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Boksburg

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 Boksburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo and Boksburg differ by about 89% in total monthly costs ($647 vs $1,222 including rent). Cairo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 337% lower in Boksburg. 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 $321 in Boksburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Boksburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $647 per month in Cairo versus $1,222 in Boksburg – a 89% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Cairo gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 89% less than in Boksburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.