Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Khartoum

For one person, living is cheaper in Khartoum: $505 a month against $643 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Cairo despite lower rent and utilities.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Khartoum
Learn more

Khartoum Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Khartoum

🇸🇩 Sudan

$505

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Khartoum

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $505 in Khartoum, rent included.

Cairo $643
Khartoum $505

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $681 in Khartoum, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Khartoum $681

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $856 in Khartoum, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Khartoum $856

Cairo costs about 27% more than Khartoum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Khartoum are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Khartoum 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$2.34 SDG 1,401

100.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$14.08 SDG 8,425

102.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$2.64 SDG 1,579

128.41%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 SDG 1,434

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SDG 1,289

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$2.73 SDG 1,633

-33.70%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$0.52 SDG 314

-32.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.35 SDG 212

-57.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.38 SDG 826

-29.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.39 SDG 829

-47.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.42 SDG 853

-45.77%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.64 SDG 2,179

-67.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$4.32 SDG 2,584

17.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$4.27 SDG 2,555

-57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.02 SDG 611

-26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.57 SDG 941

-63.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.61 SDG 964

-68.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.04 SDG 625

-63.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$0.74 SDG 444

-43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$0.57 SDG 340

-38.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.56 SDG 336

-57.14%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.97 SDG 2,374

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 SDG 463

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 SDG 1,010

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$1.86 SDG 1,114

6.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.67 SDG 404

-50.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$3.80 SDG 2,274

-90.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$4.88 SDG 2,923

-69.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.16 SDG 693

-60.34%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$4,970 SDG 3.0M

556.52%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$10.1K SDG 6.0M

181.19%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$71.1 SDG 42.6K

-61.29%

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

$8.27 E£432

$9.87 SDG 5,906

-16.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$32.81 SDG 19.6K

-57.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$8.18 SDG 4,897

245.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$3.89 SDG 2,329

13.11%

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

$121 E£6,356

$111 SDG 66.7K

8.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$2,732 SDG 1.6M

32.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$8.72 SDG 5,218

468.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$538 SDG 322.2K

-59.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$170 SDG 101.9K

14.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,243 SDG 743.7K

-58.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$164 SDG 98.4K

102.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$1,029 SDG 615.8K

-21.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$1,019 SDG 609.7K

-49.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$241 SDG 144.2K

-16.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

-45.97%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Khartoum: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Khartoum

$170 34.2% 12.4% $24

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Khartoum

$125 * 25.1% 11.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Khartoum

$3.9 * 0.8% 96.7% $116

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Khartoum

$63 12.6% 30.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Khartoum

$114 22.8% 128% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Khartoum

$16 3.2% 56.9% $21

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Khartoum

$6.5 * 1.3% 42.7% $4.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $538 in Khartoum. 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 20% higher in Khartoum, 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 $28.00 in Cairo versus $14.00 in Khartoum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $125 – making Khartoum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇩 Khartoum

🕒 Local time

10:02 10:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

2,682,431 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Sudanese Pound SDG £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD

1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SDG, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Sudanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 599 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 671 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Khartoum 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Khartoum

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 Khartoum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $758 in Khartoum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $643 in Cairo and $505 in Khartoum. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $111 in Khartoum. 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 $643 in Cairo and $505 in Khartoum, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Khartoum. 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.