Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and El Faiyum

For one person, living is cheaper in El Faiyum: $434 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
21

Cost of Living Index in El Faiyum
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El Faiyum Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

El Faiyum

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in El Faiyum

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $434 in El Faiyum, rent included.

Cairo $635
El Faiyum $434

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $693 in El Faiyum, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
El Faiyum $693

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $952 in El Faiyum, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
El Faiyum $952

Cairo costs about 46% more than El Faiyum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and El Faiyum are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, El Faiyum 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$2.29 E£122

102.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$12.74 E£680

117.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$3.30 E£176

76.67%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$1.19 E£63.3

42.02%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$0.29 E£15.59

20.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$0.10 E£5.10

30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$0.89 E£47.70

65.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$2.25 E£120

-1.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$0.74 E£39.61

27.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$0.67 E£35.72

17.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$0.62 E£32.99

12.90%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$1.16 E£62.1

-3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$3.03 E£162

34.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$4.23 E£226

12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$6.74 E£360

30.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$1.46 E£78.1

15.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$0.61 E£32.60

16.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$0.54 E£28.93

9.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$0.32 E£16.87

59.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$0.26 E£14.00

42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$0.29 E£15.74

51.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$0.25 E£13.22

36.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$0.23 E£12.18

-8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$1.73 E£92.4

15.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$5.54 E£296

35.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.21 E£64.6

24.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$1.96 E£105

6.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$0.05 E£2.84

580.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$5.41 E£289

53.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$0.39 E£20.71

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$0.29 E£15.69

-34.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$1.19 E£63.3

26.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$0.41 E£21.65

9.76%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$33.3K E£1.8M

-0.43%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$25.2K E£1.3M

3.72%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$13.75 E£734

100.87%

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

$7.83 E£418

$6.55 E£350

19.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$13.01 E£695

10.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$27.39 E£1,462

4.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$2.17 E£116

110.14%

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

$120 E£6,417

$23.56 E£1,258

410.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$821 E£43.8K

323.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$32.17 E£1,718

21.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$43.92 E£2,345

11.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$126 E£6,719

-11.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$54.1 E£2,888

5.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$163 E£8,682

32.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$80.5 E£4,299

143.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$258 E£13.8K

109.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$152 E£8,097

122.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$427 E£22.8K

94.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$221 E£11.8K

131.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$70.5 E£3,762

176.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

170.17%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for El Faiyum: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

El Faiyum

$81 18.6% 58.9% $115

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

El Faiyum

$113 26% 17.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

El Faiyum

$115 26.6% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

El Faiyum

$53 12.2% 40.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

El Faiyum

$33 7.7% 33.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

El Faiyum

$32 7.3% 16% $6

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

El Faiyum

$7.5 1.7% 32.1% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $163 in El Faiyum. 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 177% higher in Cairo, 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 $13.00 in El Faiyum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $113 – making El Faiyum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 El Faiyum

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

306,393

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 El Faiyum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $651 in El Faiyum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 22% more in Cairo, 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 $13.00 in El Faiyum. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $635 in Cairo and $434 in El Faiyum, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward El Faiyum – 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 El Faiyum. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.