Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Katunayaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $506 a month against $611 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cairo outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Katunayaka
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Katunayaka Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Katunayaka

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

A single person spends $611 per month in Cairo vs $506 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Cairo $611
Katunayaka $506

A couple spends around $970 per month in Cairo vs $822 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Cairo $970
Katunayaka $822

A family of three spends $1,329 per month in Cairo vs $1,138 in Katunayaka, rent included.

Cairo $1,329
Katunayaka $1,138

Cairo costs about 21% more than Katunayaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Katunayaka are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 55% lower, Katunayaka 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 E£253

$3.84 LKR 1,278

17.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 E£1,514

$25.36 LKR 8,429

6.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 E£300

$7.49 LKR 2,491

-28.70%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£96.2

$2.55 LKR 848

-32.55%

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

$0.34 E£19.10

$0.71 LKR 236

-52.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£8.10

$0.27 LKR 89.9

-48.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 E£78.0

$2.19 LKR 727

-36.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 E£121

$3.08 LKR 1,023

-30.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.67

$1.64 LKR 544

-46.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 E£42.55

$0.57 LKR 190

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 E£35.18

$0.76 LKR 254

-17.11%

Eggs

$1.09 E£61.0

$1.72 LKR 573

-36.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 E£210

$13.55 LKR 4,503

-72.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 E£259

$4.89 LKR 1,627

-5.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 E£472

$7.46 LKR 2,481

12.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 E£94.6

$6.50 LKR 2,162

-74.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 E£38.27

$0.84 LKR 281

-19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 E£31.19

$4.40 LKR 1,464

-87.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 E£26.22

$1.29 LKR 428

-63.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£21.57

$0.99 LKR 329

-61.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.86

$0.76 LKR 253

-48.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£18.77

$0.95 LKR 316

-65.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£12.35

$0.45 LKR 151

-51.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£104

$10.25 LKR 3,409

-81.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 E£406

$12.79 LKR 4,251

-43.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 E£79.5

$1.91 LKR 636

-25.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 E£111

$2.95 LKR 979

-32.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 E£17.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.17 E£402

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 E£19.51

$0.41 LKR 135

-14.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£10.89

$0.37 LKR 123

-48.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 E£81.6

$0.93 LKR 310

56.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.40

$1.40 LKR 464

-71.43%

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

$32.3K E£1.8M

$44.7K LKR 14.8M

-27.65%

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

$24.9K E£1.4M

$40.9K LKR 13.6M

-39.26%

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

$26.70 E£1,497

$58.3 LKR 19.4K

-54.22%

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

$7.51 E£421

$4.33 LKR 1,441

73.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.02 E£786

$21.11 LKR 7,019

-33.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.01 E£1,514

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.15 E£401

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 E£248

$4.40 LKR 1,462

0.23%

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

$117 E£6,538

$38.35 LKR 12.8K

204.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,269 E£183.3K

$1,203 LKR 399.9K

171.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.71 E£2,114

$18.46 LKR 6,138

104.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.61 E£2,670

$16.89 LKR 5,616

181.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 E£6,121

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

37.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 E£3,119

$41.36 LKR 13.7K

34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 E£11.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 E£10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 E£29.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 E£17.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$793 E£44.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$484 E£27.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 E£10.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

12.69

27.74%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Katunayaka: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$188 30.7%

Katunayaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$131 21.5%

Katunayaka

$236 46.6% 79.8% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$113 18.4%

Katunayaka

$70 13.9% 37.6% $42

Eating Out

Cairo

$86 14.1%

Katunayaka

$105 20.7% 22.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$48 7.9%

Katunayaka

$84 16.6% 73.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$36 5.9%

Katunayaka

$8.8 * 1.7% 75.5% $27

Getting Around

Cairo

$9.7 1.6%

Katunayaka

$2.3 * 0.5% 76.8% $7.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Cairo versus $25 in Katunayaka. Groceries tell a different story – $131 in Cairo vs $236 in Katunayaka – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

84,643

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.78 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.42 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Katunayaka 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Katunayaka

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 Katunayaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $917 per month in Cairo and $759 in Katunayaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $611 in Cairo and $506 in Katunayaka. That makes Katunayaka about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $117 per month in Cairo and $38 in Katunayaka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $611 in Cairo and $506 in Katunayaka, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Katunayaka has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Katunayaka to $611 in Cairo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.