Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Herat

For one person, living is cheaper in Herat: $392 a month against $614 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cairo despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$614

/mo nomad

Herat

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Herat

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

A single person spends $614 per month in Cairo vs $392 in Herat, rent included.

Cairo $614
Herat $392

A couple spends around $974 per month in Cairo vs $471 in Herat, rent included.

Cairo $974
Herat $471

A family of three spends $1,333 per month in Cairo vs $550 in Herat, rent included.

Cairo $1,333
Herat $550

Cairo costs about 57% more than Herat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Herat are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 55% lower, Herat 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.61 E£249

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.32 E£1,473

$9.50 ؋617

187.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 E£287

$3.76 ؋244

41.76%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ؋99.2

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.80 ؋507

Cappuccino

$1.64 E£88.3

$0.76 ؋49.32

115.79%

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

$0.34 E£18.57

$0.45 ؋28.98

-24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 E£8.51

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 E£75.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 E£114

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 E£45.80

$0.65 ؋41.99

30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 E£39.83

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£35.06

Eggs

$1.15 E£62.0

$1.82 ؋118

-36.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.84 E£207

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 E£253

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 E£484

$6.11 ؋397

46.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 E£89.9

$0.63 ؋40.95

165.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 E£39.03

$0.74 ؋47.91

-2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.67

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 E£27.87

$0.63 ؋41.25

-17.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.94

$0.30 ؋19.38

23.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.25

$0.32 ؋21.09

21.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 E£16.14

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.88

$0.30 ؋19.17

-26.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ؋31.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 E£101

$3.12 ؋203

-40.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 E£396

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 E£79.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 E£104

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.76 E£418

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 E£20.23

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.15 E£8.27

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 E£29.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 E£23.71

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

$31.8K E£1.7M

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

$25.0K E£1.3M

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

$25.45 E£1,372

$306 ؋19.9K

-91.69%

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

$7.67 E£413

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.55 E£784

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.17 E£1,464

$15.29 ؋993

77.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£391

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 E£234

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

$123 E£6,605

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K E£552.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.47 E£2,127

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.07 E£2,645

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 E£6,105

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 E£2,912

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 E£11.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 E£10.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 E£25.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 E£16.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$808 E£43.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 E£26.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 E£9,926

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.93

-20.35%

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

Last update for Cairo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Herat: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$186 30.2%

Herat

–

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$134 21.8%

Herat

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.7%

Herat

–

Eating Out

Cairo

$86 14%

Herat

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$48 7.8%

Herat

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$36 5.8%

Herat

–

Getting Around

Cairo

$10 1.7%

Herat

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Cairo versus $9 in Herat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $134 vs $48 – making Herat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇫 Herat

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

23:00 11:00 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

349,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.65 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 53.9 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.65 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 64.97 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 73.01 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Herat 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Herat

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 Herat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 57%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $922 per month in Cairo and $588 in Herat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 180% more in Cairo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Cairo and $9 in Herat. 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 $614 in Cairo and $392 in Herat, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cairo has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $392 in Herat to $614 in Cairo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.