Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Brakpan

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,114 in Brakpan, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Brakpan
Learn more

Brakpan Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Brakpan

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Brakpan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $647 in Cairo versus $1,114 in Brakpan.

Cairo $647
Brakpan $1,114

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,035 in Cairo versus $1,678 in Brakpan.

Cairo $1,035
Brakpan $1,678

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Cairo versus $2,241 in Brakpan.

Cairo $1,423
Brakpan $2,241

Living in Cairo costs roughly 42% less than in Brakpan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cairo 52% lower, Brakpan 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$9.57 R 158

-51.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$40.41 R 666

-30.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$5.86 R 96.6

2.90%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.21 R 36.42

-22.17%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.07 R 17.65

-66.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.89 R 14.66

-86.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.27 R 37.44

-33.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$2.72 R 44.82

-14.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.10 R 18.05

-16.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.12 R 18.43

-34.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.39 R 22.92

-46.76%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.37 R 39.03

-49.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$10.25 R 169

-57.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$4.46 R 73.5

12.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$8.29 R 137

11.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.62 R 26.74

9.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.55 R 25.53

-52.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.38 R 22.69

-60.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.44 R 23.70

-65.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.45 R 23.92

-71.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.22 R 20.08

-66.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.04 R 17.09

-68.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.93 R 15.30

-77.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$3.16 R 52.0

-37.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$4.88 R 80.4

60.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.03 R 17.04

54.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.43 R 23.53

46.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$1.53 R 25.18

-77.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.61 R 10.10

-36.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.89 R 14.61

-75.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$11.91 R 196

-87.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.53 R 25.27

-71.90%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$34.9K R 575.2K

-6.34%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$32.0K R 527.0K

-14.87%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$147 R 2,423

-81.46%

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

$8.58 E£458

$34.97 R 576

-75.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$52.8 R 869

-73.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$32.50 R 535

-8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$10.87 R 179

-33.30%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$7.29 R 120

-33.33%

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

$121 E£6,438

$245 R 4,040

-50.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$5,421 R 89.3K

-34.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$53.1 R 875

-24.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$32.39 R 534

52.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$102 R 1,675

13.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$86.9 R 1,432

-30.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$394 R 6,499

-43.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$367 R 6,047

-46.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$486 R 8,009

13.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$638 R 10.5K

-45.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$887 R 14.6K

-9.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$662 R 10.9K

-20.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

10.94

48.17%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brakpan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Brakpan

$367 33% 88.2% $172

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Brakpan

$185 16.6% 30.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Brakpan

$123 11.1% 3.5% $4.2

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Brakpan

$145 13.1% 61.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Brakpan

$235 21.1% 371% $185

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Brakpan

$47 4.2% 19.5% $7.7

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Brakpan

$11 * 1% 3.6% $0.4

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 $394 in Brakpan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $28.00 in Cairo vs $40.00 in Brakpan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $142 vs $185 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Brakpan

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

305,692

💱 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 Brakpan 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Brakpan

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 Brakpan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 72% lower than in Brakpan. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $970 in Cairo and $1,671 in Brakpan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Cairo versus $394 in Brakpan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $245 in Brakpan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cairo – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $40.00 in Brakpan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 72% less than in Brakpan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.