Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,723 in Helsingborg, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,723

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Helsingborg

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,723 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Cairo $643
Helsingborg $1,723

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $2,599 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Helsingborg $2,599

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $3,474 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Helsingborg $3,474

Cairo is about 63% cheaper than Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Helsingborg is 29% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$12.83 SEK 128

-63.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$69.0 SEK 689

-58.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$12.36 SEK 124

-51.21%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$4.61 SEK 46.08

-60.74%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$2.91 SEK 29.10

-87.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$2.32 SEK 23.17

-93.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$6.77 SEK 67.7

-78.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$6.09 SEK 60.9

-63.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.43 SEK 14.28

-32.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$2.70 SEK 27.00

-72.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$3.01 SEK 30.05

-74.42%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.86 SEK 38.60

-69.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$11.17 SEK 112

-61.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$10.95 SEK 109

-53.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$14.75 SEK 147

-39.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$3.01 SEK 30.06

-39.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.44 SEK 24.37

-69.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$3.02 SEK 30.14

-81.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$4.41 SEK 44.11

-88.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.63 SEK 16.28

-76.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.52 SEK 15.19

-72.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.81 SEK 18.08

-80.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.65 SEK 16.45

-85.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$8.19 SEK 81.8

-75.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$9.30 SEK 92.9

-19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.03 SEK 20.33

-25.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.16 SEK 21.59

-1.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$3.13 SEK 31.24

-89.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$62.6 SEK 626

-86.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$6.20 SEK 62.0

-94.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$1.69 SEK 16.94

-88.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$59.5 SEK 594

-97.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.75 SEK 17.53

-73.71%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$32.2K SEK 322.2K

1.21%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$33.0K SEK 329.7K

-13.94%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$104 SEK 1,041

-73.57%

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

$8.27 E£432

$19.28 SEK 193

-57.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$33.29 SEK 333

-57.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$37.67 SEK 377

-24.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$21.86 SEK 218

-69.35%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$14.85 SEK 148

-70.37%

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

$121 E£6,356

$172 SEK 1,721

-29.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$78.7 SEK 786

-48.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$33.25 SEK 332

49.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$85.8 SEK 858

34.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$109 SEK 1,091

-44.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$830 SEK 8,294

-73.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$632 SEK 6,315

-69.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,362 SEK 13.6K

-62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,061 SEK 10.6K

-68.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$3,047 SEK 30.5K

-73.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$2,288 SEK 22.9K

-77.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$2,855 SEK 28.5K

-92.99%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Helsingborg

$632 37.6% 225% $438

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Helsingborg

$333 19.8% 136% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Helsingborg

$138 8.2% 15.5% $19

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Helsingborg

$262 15.6% 188% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Helsingborg

$157 9.3% 214% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Helsingborg

$67 4% 81.7% $30

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Helsingborg

$90 5.4% 691% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $830 in Helsingborg. 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 1326% higher in Helsingborg, 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 $69.0 in Helsingborg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $333 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

93,838

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Helsingborg 3,240 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Helsingborg is pricier by about 168%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $2,585 in Helsingborg. 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 136% more in Helsingborg, 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 $69.0 in Helsingborg. 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 Helsingborg at $1,723. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Helsingborg 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, Helsingborg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.