Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Kiruna

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $1,747 in Kiruna, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$635
/mo nomad
Kiruna
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,747
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Kiruna

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $1,747 in Kiruna, rent included.

  • Cairo $635
  • Kiruna $1,747

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $2,915 in Kiruna, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,010
  • Kiruna $2,915

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $4,082 in Kiruna, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,385
  • Kiruna $4,082

Cairo is about 64% cheaper than Kiruna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 53% below the global median, while Kiruna is 29% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.63 E£247
$13.82 SEK 137
-66.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.66 E£1,477
$128 SEK 1,270
-78.42%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 E£311
$10.40 SEK 103
-43.94%
Cappuccino
$1.69 E£90.1
$4.33 SEK 42.90
-60.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 E£18.79
$2.69 SEK 26.70
-86.99%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 E£6.86
$2.26 SEK 22.37
-94.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 E£78.3
$9.54 SEK 94.5
-84.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 E£118
$6.59 SEK 65.3
-66.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.94 E£50.5
$1.45 SEK 14.34
-35.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.79 E£41.96
$2.80 SEK 27.79
-71.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.70 E£37.41
$3.72 SEK 36.83
-81.18%
Eggs
$1.12 E£59.5
$3.55 SEK 35.18
-68.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.08 E£218
$12.29 SEK 122
-66.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.77 E£255
$13.80 SEK 137
-65.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.81 E£470
$19.62 SEK 194
-55.10%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 E£89.7
$2.79 SEK 27.66
-39.78%
Banana (1kg)
$0.71 E£38.07
$2.53 SEK 25.12
-71.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.59 E£31.31
$2.61 SEK 25.90
-77.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 E£27.06
$4.40 SEK 43.63
-88.41%
Potato (1kg)
$0.37 E£19.81
$1.47 SEK 14.58
-74.83%
Onion (1kg)
$0.44 E£23.47
$1.59 SEK 15.77
-72.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.34 E£18.37
$2.01 SEK 19.93
-83.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.16
$1.56 SEK 15.46
-86.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 E£106
$6.46 SEK 64.0
-69.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.49 E£400
$9.69 SEK 96.1
-22.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 E£80.4
$1.98 SEK 19.65
-23.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 E£111
$1.99 SEK 19.75
4.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 E£18.29
$3.22 SEK 31.95
-89.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.31 E£444
$79.4 SEK 787
-89.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 E£21.48
$5.85 SEK 57.9
-93.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.19 E£9.99
$1.68 SEK 16.68
-88.69%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.50 E£80.0
$56.9 SEK 563
-97.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.45 E£23.77
$2.11 SEK 20.90
-78.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K E£1.8M
$31.3K SEK 310.1K
5.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K E£1.4M
$33.3K SEK 329.6K
-21.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.62 E£1,475
$95.9 SEK 951
-71.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.83 E£418
$24.86 SEK 246
-68.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.39 E£769
$35.94 SEK 356
-59.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.62 E£1,528
$37.74 SEK 374
-24.17%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.47 E£399
$25.04 SEK 248
-70.17%
Cinema Ticket
$4.56 E£244
$15.92 SEK 158
-71.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$120 E£6,417
$152 SEK 1,506
-20.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,476 E£185.6K
$5,610 SEK 55.6K
-38.04%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.13 E£2,090
$100 SEK 993
-60.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.04 E£2,619
$44.87 SEK 445
9.29%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 E£5,934
$81.8 SEK 810
35.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.0 E£3,043
$139 SEK 1,378
-59.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$215 E£11.5K
$812 SEK 8,047
-73.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$196 E£10.5K
$610 SEK 6,043
-67.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$542 E£28.9K
$1,363 SEK 13.5K
-60.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$338 E£18.0K
$1,123 SEK 11.1K
-69.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$830 E£44.3K
$3,456 SEK 34.2K
-75.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$512 E£27.3K
$2,527 SEK 25.0K
-79.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Kiruna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$195 E£10.4K
$3,257 SEK 32.3K
-94.02%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
4
305.25%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Kiruna: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$196
Kiruna
$610 211% $414
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$137
Kiruna
$366 167% $228
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$115
Kiruna
$165 42.8% $49
Eating Out
Cairo
$88
Kiruna
$274 210% $186
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Kiruna
$157 214% $107
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$38
Kiruna
$70 84.4% $32
Getting Around
Cairo
$11
Kiruna
$107 867% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $812 in Kiruna. 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 1571% higher in Kiruna, 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 $128 in Kiruna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $366 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇸🇪 Kiruna
🕒 Local time
22:09 10:09 PM
21:09 9:09 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
22,454
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Kiruna 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Kiruna

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 Kiruna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kiruna cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Kiruna is pricier by about 175%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $2,621 in Kiruna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Kiruna?
Groceries cost about 167% more in Kiruna, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Kiruna?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $128 in Kiruna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cairo or in Kiruna?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Kiruna at $1,747. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kiruna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cairo or Kiruna more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Cairo or Kiruna?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kiruna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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