Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Halmstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,605 in Halmstad, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Halmstad
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Halmstad Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Halmstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,605

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Halmstad

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,605 in Halmstad, rent included.

Cairo $647
Halmstad $1,605

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $2,504 in Halmstad, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Halmstad $2,504

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $3,402 in Halmstad, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Halmstad $3,402

Cairo is about 60% cheaper than Halmstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Halmstad is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$12.90 SEK 128

-64.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$70.8 SEK 701

-60.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$11.37 SEK 113

-46.97%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$4.57 SEK 45.23

-62.36%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$2.89 SEK 28.61

-87.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$2.24 SEK 22.16

-94.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-78.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$7.36 SEK 72.9

-68.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.47 SEK 14.57

-37.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$2.48 SEK 24.56

-70.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$3.21 SEK 31.76

-76.95%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$3.31 SEK 32.78

-64.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$11.24 SEK 111

-61.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$8.98 SEK 88.9

-43.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$16.16 SEK 160

-42.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$3.11 SEK 30.78

-43.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.52 SEK 24.92

-71.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$2.85 SEK 28.22

-80.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$4.07 SEK 40.35

-87.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.53 SEK 15.12

-72.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.52 SEK 15.06

-73.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.95 SEK 19.30

-83.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.94 SEK 9.33

-77.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$6.44 SEK 63.9

-69.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$10.43 SEK 103

-25.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$2.11 SEK 20.86

-24.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$2.16 SEK 21.43

-3.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$2.74 SEK 27.13

-87.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$65.6 SEK 650

-86.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$6.18 SEK 61.2

-93.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.72 SEK 17.03

-87.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$58.5 SEK 580

-97.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.72 SEK 17.09

-75.00%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$32.4K SEK 320.8K

1.00%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$32.9K SEK 325.9K

-17.20%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$105 SEK 1,040

-74.02%

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

$8.58 E£458

$19.69 SEK 195

-56.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$33.06 SEK 328

-57.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$34.63 SEK 343

-14.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$16.16 SEK 160

-69.93%

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

$121 E£6,438

$152 SEK 1,505

-20.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$4,398 SEK 43.6K

-19.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$88.7 SEK 879

-54.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$32.41 SEK 321

52.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$87.3 SEK 865

31.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$130 SEK 1,286

-53.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$571 SEK 5,661

-61.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$557 SEK 5,524

-65.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$1,102 SEK 10.9K

-50.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$962 SEK 9,528

-64.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$4,302 SEK 42.6K

-81.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$2,298 SEK 22.8K

-91.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.06

429.74%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Halmstad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Halmstad

$558 34.7% 186% $363

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Halmstad

$317 19.8% 124% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Halmstad

$152 9.5% 27.7% $33

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Halmstad

$262 16.3% 191% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Halmstad

$158 9.8% 217% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Halmstad

$67 4.2% 69.9% $28

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Halmstad

$91 5.7% 689% $80

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $571 in Halmstad. 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 1050% higher in Halmstad, 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 $71.0 in Halmstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $317 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇪 Halmstad

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

55,688

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Halmstad 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Halmstad

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 Halmstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Halmstad is pricier by about 148%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $2,407 in Halmstad. 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 124% more in Halmstad, 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 $71.0 in Halmstad. 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 $647, than in Halmstad at $1,605. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Halmstad 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, Halmstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.