Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Buenos Aires

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $643 in Cairo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Cairo $643
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,037 in Cairo versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Cairo $1,037
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,431 in Cairo versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Cairo $1,431
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Cairo costs roughly 62% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Buenos Aires is 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-74.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

-55.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£316

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-53.18%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.8

$3.98 ARS 6,027

-54.52%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$2.05 ARS 3,102

-82.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$1.55 ARS 2,348

-90.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$3.84 ARS 5,828

-62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$4.60 ARS 6,968

-51.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.44 ARS 2,180

-32.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.97

$2.46 ARS 3,737

-70.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.25

$1.63 ARS 2,466

-52.76%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$2.89 ARS 4,384

-59.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-59.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-49.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

-35.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.75 ARS 4,165

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.08

$2.18 ARS 3,299

-65.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.45 ARS 2,204

-60.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.63

$1.99 ARS 3,012

-74.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.06

$1.24 ARS 1,884

-69.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.89

$1.27 ARS 1,920

-66.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.70 ARS 2,574

-79.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-86.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$4.18 ARS 6,335

-52.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$5.80 ARS 8,787

28.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.09 ARS 3,162

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.77 ARS 4,197

-23.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.75 ARS 1,131

-56.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-68.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$1.62 ARS 2,450

-77.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.98 ARS 1,480

-79.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

-80.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.95

$1.36 ARS 2,057

-66.18%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

16.48%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-17.77%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$216 ARS 326.8K

-87.22%

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

$8.27 E£433

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-67.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

-55.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,480

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-43.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

-60.73%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-57.81%

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

$121 E£6,357

$466 ARS 706.5K

-73.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.4K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

-60.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,102

$122 ARS 185.1K

-67.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-49.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,034

$117 ARS 177.3K

-1.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$140 ARS 211.8K

-56.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$763 ARS 1.2M

-71.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$505 ARS 765.8K

-61.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

-67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

-71.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

-69.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

-72.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$954 ARS 1.4M

-79.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

57.25

-71.69%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 160% $311

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 101% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 79.3% $95

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 206% $188

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 447% $223

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 90.7% $34

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 223% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $220 in Cairo and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 377% 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 $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $141 vs $284 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

04:39 4:39 AM

22:39 10:39 PM

6 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Buenos Aires 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Buenos Aires

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 Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo and Buenos Aires differ by about 162% in total monthly costs ($643 vs $1,685 including rent). Cairo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 377% lower in Buenos Aires. 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: $220 in Cairo versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $643 in Cairo versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Cairo and Buenos Aires are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 162% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.