Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Ismailia

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $330 in Ismailia, rent included.

Cairo $635
Ismailia $330

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $561 in Ismailia, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Ismailia $561

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $792 in Ismailia, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Ismailia $792

Cairo costs about 93% more than Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Ismailia are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Ismailia 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$3.30 E£176

40.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$14.58 E£778

89.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$3.76 E£201

55.05%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$1.04 E£55.5

62.50%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$0.30 E£15.91

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$0.13 E£6.85

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$1.32 E£70.6

11.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$1.80 E£96.0

22.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$0.79 E£42.30

18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$0.36 E£19.07

119.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$0.60 E£32.12

16.67%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$1.15 E£61.5

-2.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$3.49 E£186

16.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$3.98 E£213

19.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$6.95 E£371

26.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$1.45 E£77.3

15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$0.54 E£29.05

31.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$0.41 E£22.01

43.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$0.31 E£16.79

64.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$0.26 E£13.89

42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$0.32 E£17.12

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$0.23 E£12.31

47.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$0.20 E£10.67

5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$1.86 E£99.5

6.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$5.48 E£293

36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.04 E£55.4

45.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$1.89 E£101

10.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$0.23 E£12.26

47.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$3.77 E£201

120.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$0.39 E£20.60

2.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$0.48 E£25.72

-60.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$1.13 E£60.2

32.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$0.42 E£22.18

7.14%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$27.6K E£1.5M

19.80%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$14.6K E£780.2K

78.95%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$13.94 E£744

98.13%

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

$7.83 E£418

$6.66 E£355

17.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$7.33 E£391

96.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$9.65 E£515

196.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$18.42 E£984

-59.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$1.82 E£97.4

150.55%

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

$120 E£6,417

$65.6 E£3,502

83.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$1,171 E£62.5K

196.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$12.92 E£690

202.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$9.19 E£491

433.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$127 E£6,764

-12.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$27.53 E£1,470

106.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$78.3 E£4,181

174.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$31.44 E£1,679

523.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$120 E£6,414

350.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$75.2 E£4,017

349.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$458 E£24.5K

81.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$131 E£6,984

291.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$101 E£5,387

93.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

21.33

-24.00%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 84% $164

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 21.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 31.2% $36

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 29.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 44% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Ismailia

$13 4% 64.8% $24

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 32.1% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $78.3 in Ismailia. 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 93% 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 $15.00 in Ismailia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $108 – making Ismailia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

352,000

💱 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

On the map

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Cairo Ismailia 120 km

From you

Cairo
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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 Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $494 in Ismailia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $15.00 in Ismailia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $635 in Cairo and $330 in Ismailia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ismailia – 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 Ismailia. 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.