Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Hurghada

For one person, living is cheaper in Hurghada: $468 a month against $647 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Hurghada
Learn more

Hurghada Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Hurghada

🇪🇬 Egypt

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Hurghada

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $468 in Hurghada, rent included.

Cairo $647
Hurghada $468

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $973 in Hurghada, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Hurghada $973

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $1,478 in Hurghada, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Hurghada $1,478

Cairo costs about 38% more than Hurghada, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Hurghada are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Hurghada 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$4.00 E£214

16.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$39.57 E£2,113

-28.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$5.84 E£312

3.25%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.00 E£107

-14.00%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$0.47 E£24.93

-23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.15 E£8.17

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.92 E£102

-21.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$3.15 E£168

-26.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$0.98 E£52.4

-6.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$0.83 E£44.09

-12.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$0.66 E£35.11

12.12%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$1.87 E£99.9

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$3.18 E£170

36.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$5.75 E£307

-12.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$9.42 E£503

-1.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.42 E£75.7

24.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$0.48 E£25.52

52.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$0.43 E£22.98

27.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$0.38 E£20.30

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$0.31 E£16.80

35.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$0.37 E£19.74

10.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$0.29 E£15.67

13.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.17 E£9.09

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$2.14 E£114

-7.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$7.58 E£405

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.22 E£65.0

30.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.72 E£92.1

21.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$0.20 E£10.52

75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$5.72 E£305

51.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.93 E£49.90

-58.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.22 E£11.58

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$1.91 E£102

-20.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$0.45 E£24.06

-4.44%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$31.7K E£1.7M

3.02%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$21.5K E£1.1M

26.92%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$24.99 E£1,335

9.12%

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

$8.58 E£458

$7.66 E£409

12.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$9.15 E£488

52.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$27.42 E£1,464

8.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$6.00 E£320

20.83%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$3.36 E£179

44.64%

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

$121 E£6,438

$99.5 E£5,312

21.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$597 E£31.9K

496.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$20.53 E£1,096

96.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$32.90 E£1,757

50.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$28.05 E£1,498

114.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$214 E£11.4K

3.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$117 E£6,274

65.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$220 E£11.8K

149.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$558 E£29.8K

-37.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$541 E£28.9K

47.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$604 E£32.3K

-13.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$150 E£8,007

33.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hurghada: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Hurghada

$117 25.1% 39.8% $78

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Hurghada

$138 29.5% 2.7% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Hurghada

$37 * 7.8% 69.2% $82

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Hurghada

$92 19.6% 2% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Hurghada

$42 8.9% 16.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Hurghada

$34 7.3% 13.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Hurghada

$8.5 1.8% 26.4% $3.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $214 in Hurghada. 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 33% higher in Cairo, 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 $40.00 in Hurghada. Groceries tell a different story – $142 in Cairo vs $138 in Hurghada – so Hurghada wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 Hurghada

🕒 Local time

10:53 10:53 AM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

160,901

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cairo Hurghada 400 km

From you

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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 Hurghada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $703 in Hurghada. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hurghada, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Cairo, 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 $40.00 in Hurghada. 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 $647 in Cairo and $468 in Hurghada, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Hurghada – 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 Hurghada. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.