Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Hamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Hamar
🇳🇴 Norway
$2,380
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Hamar

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $2,380 in Hamar, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Hamar $2,380

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $3,750 in Hamar, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Hamar $3,750

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $5,120 in Hamar, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Hamar $5,120

Cairo is about 73% cheaper than Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Hamar is 76% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$21.18 NOK 199
-78.09%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$125 NOK 1,180
-77.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$15.83 NOK 149
-61.91%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$5.76 NOK 54.2
-70.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$4.21 NOK 39.63
-91.45%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$3.28 NOK 30.85
-96.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$11.49 NOK 108
-86.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$8.07 NOK 76.0
-71.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$2.50 NOK 23.53
-63.20%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$2.93 NOK 27.57
-75.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$2.06 NOK 19.36
-64.08%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$5.76 NOK 54.3
-79.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$11.05 NOK 104
-60.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$12.20 NOK 115
-58.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$31.42 NOK 296
-70.46%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$3.21 NOK 30.26
-44.86%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$2.57 NOK 24.17
-71.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$3.05 NOK 28.74
-81.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$5.89 NOK 55.5
-91.51%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$2.48 NOK 23.34
-83.06%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$2.44 NOK 22.95
-83.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$2.12 NOK 19.97
-84.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$1.99 NOK 18.74
-89.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$18.94 NOK 178
-89.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$16.40 NOK 154
-52.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$3.38 NOK 31.78
-52.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$4.18 NOK 39.37
-50.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$4.66 NOK 43.87
-92.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
$67.5 NOK 635
-87.12%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$11.92 NOK 112
-96.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$1.78 NOK 16.76
-87.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$69.5 NOK 654
-97.83%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$2.37 NOK 22.32
-81.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$47.8K NOK 449.5K
-31.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$43.6K NOK 410.2K
-37.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$223 NOK 2,104
-87.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$33.07 NOK 311
-74.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$54.1 NOK 509
-74.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$58.2 NOK 548
-49.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$29.40 NOK 277
-75.34%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$19.79 NOK 186
-75.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$207 NOK 1,948
-41.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$15.8K NOK 148.3K
-77.41%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$102 NOK 959
-60.46%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$59.5 NOK 560
-16.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$131 NOK 1,230
-12.08%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$104 NOK 977
-42.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$1,227 NOK 11.6K
-81.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$847 NOK 7,973
-76.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$1,578 NOK 14.9K
-65.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$1,489 NOK 14.0K
-76.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$4,302 NOK 40.5K
-81.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$3,421 NOK 32.2K
-84.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Hamar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$4,269 NOK 40.2K
-95.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
4.94
228.14%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Hamar
$847 334% $652
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Hamar
$450 217% $308
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Hamar
$178 49.5% $59
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Hamar
$390 333% $299
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Hamar
$311 523% $261
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Hamar
$98 148% $58
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Hamar
$107 823% $95

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $1,227 in Hamar. 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 2037% higher in Hamar, 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 $125 in Hamar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $450 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇳🇴 Hamar
🕒 Local time
19:17 7:17 PM
18:17 6:17 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
33,059
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Hamar 3,750 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Hamar

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 Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hamar cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Hamar is pricier by about 268%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $3,570 in Hamar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Hamar?
Groceries cost about 217% more in Hamar, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Hamar?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $125 in Hamar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cairo or in Hamar?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Hamar at $2,380. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cairo or Hamar more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hamar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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