Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Karlstad

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,713 in Karlstad, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 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
83

Cost of Living Index in Karlstad
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Karlstad Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Karlstad

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,713

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Karlstad

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,713 in Karlstad, rent included.

Cairo $647
Karlstad $1,713

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $2,643 in Karlstad, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Karlstad $2,643

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $3,572 in Karlstad, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Karlstad $3,572

Cairo is about 62% cheaper than Karlstad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Karlstad is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$14.97 SEK 148

-69.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$78.2 SEK 775

-64.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$9.66 SEK 95.7

-37.58%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$4.80 SEK 47.60

-64.17%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$2.54 SEK 25.21

-85.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$2.12 SEK 20.98

-94.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$7.69 SEK 76.2

-80.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$6.45 SEK 63.9

-64.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.51 SEK 15.00

-39.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$2.89 SEK 28.64

-74.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$3.68 SEK 36.48

-79.89%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$4.50 SEK 44.60

-73.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$9.84 SEK 97.5

-56.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$14.17 SEK 140

-64.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$17.97 SEK 178

-48.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$2.82 SEK 27.95

-37.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.64 SEK 26.12

-72.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$3.09 SEK 30.57

-82.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$5.09 SEK 50.4

-90.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.91 SEK 18.88

-78.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.67 SEK 16.58

-75.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$2.61 SEK 25.90

-87.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.31 SEK 12.95

-83.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$6.89 SEK 68.3

-71.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$9.86 SEK 97.7

-20.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$2.37 SEK 23.46

-32.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$2.09 SEK 20.69

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$3.16 SEK 31.32

-88.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$79.9 SEK 792

-89.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$5.42 SEK 53.7

-92.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.33 SEK 13.16

-83.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$61.5 SEK 609

-97.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.77 SEK 17.50

-75.71%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$32.2K SEK 319.4K

1.44%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$32.7K SEK 323.8K

-16.69%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$101 SEK 1,001

-73.01%

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

$8.58 E£458

$15.82 SEK 157

-45.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$44.59 SEK 442

-68.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$44.52 SEK 441

-33.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$16.95 SEK 168

-57.23%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$13.91 SEK 138

-65.06%

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

$121 E£6,438

$123 SEK 1,223

-2.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$105 SEK 1,039

-61.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$38.98 SEK 386

27.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$73.5 SEK 728

56.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$142 SEK 1,403

-57.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$834 SEK 8,264

-73.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$567 SEK 5,617

-65.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$1,154 SEK 11.4K

-52.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$861 SEK 8,528

-59.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$3,710 SEK 36.8K

-78.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$2,794 SEK 27.7K

-81.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$3,220 SEK 31.9K

-93.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.8

326.58%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Karlstad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Karlstad

$567 33.1% 191% $372

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Karlstad

$370 21.6% 161% $228

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Karlstad

$161 9.4% 35.5% $42

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Karlstad

$276 16.1% 207% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Karlstad

$161 9.4% 224% $112

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Karlstad

$72 4.2% 83.6% $33

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Karlstad

$105 6.1% 803% $93

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $834 in Karlstad. 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 1512% higher in Karlstad, 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 $78.0 in Karlstad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $370 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇪 Karlstad

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

62,797

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Karlstad 3,520 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Karlstad

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 Karlstad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karlstad is pricier by about 165%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $2,569 in Karlstad. 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 161% more in Karlstad, 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 $78.0 in Karlstad. 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 $647, than in Karlstad at $1,713. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlstad 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, Karlstad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.