Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Dubai

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $2,854 in Dubai, rent included.

Cairo $643
Dubai $2,854

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $4,321 in Dubai, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Dubai $4,321

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $5,788 in Dubai, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Dubai $5,788

Cairo is about 77% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Dubai is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$13.04 AED 47.89

-64.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$81.4 AED 299

-65.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£316

$9.32 AED 34.25

-35.30%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.8

$5.97 AED 21.93

-69.68%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$1.63 AED 5.98

-78.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.81 AED 2.99

-81.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$13.65 AED 50.1

-89.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$13.38 AED 49.15

-83.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.81 AED 6.64

-46.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.97

$1.57 AED 5.78

-53.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.25

$2.49 AED 9.16

-69.08%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.28 AED 12.04

-64.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$12.67 AED 46.52

-65.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$9.75 AED 35.80

-48.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$13.18 AED 48.39

-32.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.61 AED 9.57

-29.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.08

$1.93 AED 7.09

-61.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.92 AED 7.05

-70.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.63

$1.36 AED 5.00

-62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.06

$1.17 AED 4.29

-67.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.89

$1.01 AED 3.71

-58.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.51 AED 5.56

-76.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.62 AED 2.29

-61.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$5.85 AED 21.50

-65.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$16.14 AED 59.3

-53.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.65 AED 9.74

-42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.95 AED 10.82

-27.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$1.64 AED 6.03

-79.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$73.6 AED 270

-88.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$3.17 AED 11.66

-88.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.71 AED 2.63

-71.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$7.96 AED 29.23

-81.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.95

$0.99 AED 3.64

-53.54%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

19.20%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

25.98%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$250 AED 920

-89.00%

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

$8.27 E£433

$54.2 AED 199

-84.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$91.8 AED 337

-84.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,480

$98.6 AED 362

-71.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$42.61 AED 156

-84.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$16.03 AED 58.9

-72.55%

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

$121 E£6,357

$843 AED 3,098

-85.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.4K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-80.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,102

$68.0 AED 250

-40.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$57.9 AED 212

-14.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,034

$101 AED 370

14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$101 AED 371

-40.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$2,380 AED 8,741

-90.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$1,506 AED 5,531

-87.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-88.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-88.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-88.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-87.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-94.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

4.54

257.05%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 676% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 107% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 23.3% $28

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 239% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 695% $347

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 253% $94

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Dubai

$87 3% 666% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $2,380 in Dubai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 1594% higher in Dubai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $81.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $293 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

05:22 5:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

1 h ahead of Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Dubai 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 344%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $4,281 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Dubai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $81.0 in Dubai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.