Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $488 a month against $614 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$614

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Kabul

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

A single person spends $614 per month in Cairo vs $488 in Kabul, rent included.

Cairo $614
Kabul $488

A couple spends around $974 per month in Cairo vs $664 in Kabul, rent included.

Cairo $974
Kabul $664

A family of three spends $1,333 per month in Cairo vs $839 in Kabul, rent included.

Cairo $1,333
Kabul $839

Cairo costs about 26% more than Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Kabul are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 55% lower, Kabul 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.61 E£249

$2.83 ؋184

62.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.32 E£1,473

$7.79 ؋506

250.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 E£287

$4.59 ؋298

16.12%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ؋147

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$1.64 E£88.3

$1.13 ؋73.2

45.13%

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

$0.34 E£18.57

$0.46 ؋29.77

-26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 E£8.51

$0.15 ؋9.70

6.67%

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

$0.81 ؋52.8

4.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 E£39.83

$0.25 ؋16.31

196.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£35.06

$1.86 ؋121

-65.05%

Eggs

$1.15 E£62.0

$1.57 ؋102

-26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.84 E£207

$4.39 ؋285

-12.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 E£253

$3.89 ؋253

20.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 E£484

$6.71 ؋436

33.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 E£89.9

$0.69 ؋44.68

142.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 E£39.03

$0.85 ؋55.5

-15.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.67

$0.96 ؋62.2

-42.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 E£27.87

$0.55 ؋35.64

-5.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.94

$0.65 ؋42.18

-43.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.25

$0.47 ؋30.73

-17.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 E£16.14

$0.30 ؋19.67

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.88

$0.39 ؋25.15

-43.59%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋49.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋67.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.87 E£101

$2.42 ؋157

-22.73%

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

$0.13 ؋8.65

161.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.76 E£418

$8.09 ؋525

-4.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 E£20.23

$2.10 ؋136

-81.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.15 E£8.27

$0.45 ؋29.22

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.55 E£29.70

$2.63 ؋171

-79.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 E£23.71

$1.11 ؋71.8

-60.36%

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

$31.8K E£1.7M

$8,558 ؋556.0K

271.36%

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

$25.0K E£1.3M

$34.0K ؋2.2M

-26.30%

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

$25.45 E£1,372

$42.10 ؋2,735

-39.55%

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

$7.67 E£413

$12.70 ؋825

-39.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.55 E£784

$95.2 ؋6,187

-84.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.17 E£1,464

$11.29 ؋734

140.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£391

$4.11 ؋267

76.40%

Cinema Ticket

$4.35 E£234

$2.33 ؋151

86.70%

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

$123 E£6,605

$20.27 ؋1,317

504.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K E£552.8K

$2,131 ؋138.5K

381.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.47 E£2,127

$10.78 ؋700

266.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.07 E£2,645

$15.98 ؋1,038

207.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 E£6,105

$57.3 ؋3,725

97.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.0 E£2,912

$25.02 ؋1,626

115.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$210 E£11.3K

$125 ؋8,133

67.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 E£10.0K

$107 ؋6,934

73.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 E£25.0K

$219 ؋14.2K

112.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 E£16.5K

$116 ؋7,513

164.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$808 E£43.5K

$678 ؋44.0K

19.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$491 E£26.5K

$356 ؋23.1K

37.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$184 E£9,926

$344 ؋22.4K

-46.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.93

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

Last update for Cairo: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kabul: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$186 30.2%

Kabul

$107 21.9% 42.5% $79

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$134 21.8%

Kabul

$101 20.7% 24.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.7%

Kabul

$49 10.1% 57.3% $66

Eating Out

Cairo

$86 14%

Kabul

$52 10.7% 38.9% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$48 7.8%

Kabul

$150 30.7% 215% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$36 5.8%

Kabul

$16 3.3% 55.5% $20

Getting Around

Cairo

$10 1.7%

Kabul

$13 2.7% 26.1% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $210 in Cairo versus $125 in Kabul. 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 87% higher in Kabul, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Cairo versus $8 in Kabul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $134 vs $101 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 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

3,289,000 Capital

💱 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 Kabul 3,580 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Kabul

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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 26%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $922 per month in Cairo and $732 in Kabul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kabul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $210 in Cairo.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Cairo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Cairo and $8 in Kabul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $614 in Cairo and $488 in Kabul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kabul – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.