Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Harstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $2,553 in Harstad, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Harstad
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Harstad Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Harstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Harstad

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $2,553 in Harstad, rent included.

Cairo $635
Harstad $2,553

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $3,807 in Harstad, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Harstad $3,807

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $5,061 in Harstad, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Harstad $5,061

Cairo is about 75% cheaper than Harstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 53% below the global median, while Harstad is 88% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$14.18 NOK 133

-67.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$103 NOK 969

-73.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$15.83 NOK 149

-63.17%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$6.29 NOK 59.2

-73.13%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$3.63 NOK 34.15

-90.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$3.14 NOK 29.58

-95.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$12.57 NOK 118

-88.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$13.53 NOK 127

-83.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$2.46 NOK 23.20

-61.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$3.25 NOK 30.60

-75.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$3.22 NOK 30.27

-78.26%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$4.31 NOK 40.61

-74.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$10.71 NOK 101

-61.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$14.37 NOK 135

-66.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$41.47 NOK 390

-78.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$4.15 NOK 39.10

-59.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$2.85 NOK 26.81

-75.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$3.69 NOK 34.75

-84.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$4.65 NOK 43.74

-89.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$2.06 NOK 19.36

-82.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$2.04 NOK 19.21

-78.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$2.98 NOK 28.02

-88.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$2.34 NOK 22.00

-91.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$16.03 NOK 151

-87.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$15.88 NOK 149

-52.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$3.82 NOK 35.99

-60.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$4.89 NOK 46.04

-57.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$6.09 NOK 57.3

-94.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$81.8 NOK 770

-89.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$15.86 NOK 149

-97.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$1.86 NOK 17.47

-89.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$55.0 NOK 517

-97.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$2.29 NOK 21.60

-80.35%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$36.4K NOK 343.0K

-9.12%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$30.9K NOK 291.0K

-15.43%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$167 NOK 1,568

-83.42%

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

$7.83 E£418

$33.30 NOK 313

-76.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$77.4 NOK 729

-81.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$48.78 NOK 459

-41.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$37.22 NOK 350

-79.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$17.10 NOK 161

-73.33%

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

$120 E£6,417

$237 NOK 2,231

-49.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$5,116 NOK 48.2K

-32.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$67.4 NOK 635

-41.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$34.87 NOK 328

40.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$118 NOK 1,111

-5.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$161 NOK 1,513

-64.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$1,335 NOK 12.6K

-83.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$1,035 NOK 9,740

-81.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$2,281 NOK 21.5K

-76.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$1,526 NOK 14.4K

-77.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$6,018 NOK 56.6K

-86.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$3,991 NOK 37.6K

-87.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$3,383 NOK 31.8K

-94.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

224.20%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Harstad: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Harstad

$1K 40.5% 428% $839

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Harstad

$502 19.7% 266% $365

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Harstad

$171 6.7% 48.7% $56

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Harstad

$353 13.8% 300% $265

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Harstad

$277 10.9% 456% $227

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Harstad

$83 3.3% 120% $45

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Harstad

$131 5.1% 1092% $120

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $1,335 in Harstad. 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 1636% higher in Harstad, 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 $103 in Harstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $502 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇳🇴 Harstad

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

25,119

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Harstad 4,410 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Harstad

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 Harstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Harstad is pricier by about 302%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $3,830 in Harstad. 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 266% more in Harstad, 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 $103 in Harstad. 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 $635, than in Harstad at $2,553. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harstad 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, Harstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.