Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Livingstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Livingstone: $202 a month against $643 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Livingstone

🇿🇲 Zambia

$202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Livingstone

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $202 in Livingstone, rent included.

Cairo $643
Livingstone $202

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $374 in Livingstone, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Livingstone $374

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $546 in Livingstone, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Livingstone $546

Cairo costs about 219% more than Livingstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Livingstone are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Livingstone 85% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$7.40 ZMW 147

-36.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$30.21 ZMW 599

-5.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$9.09 ZMW 180

-33.66%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$5.00 ZMW 99.2

-63.80%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.34 ZMW 6.68

-55.88%

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

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$20.26 ZMW 402

-63.08%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$2.51 ZMW 49.86

-92.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

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

$27.54 E£1,441

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

$8.27 E£432

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

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

$121 E£6,356

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

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

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Livingstone: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Livingstone

–

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Livingstone

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Livingstone

–

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Livingstone

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Livingstone

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Livingstone

–

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Livingstone

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $30.00 in Livingstone. Groceries tell a different story – $141 in Cairo vs $41.00 in Livingstone – so Livingstone wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇲 Livingstone

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

136,897

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, 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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Livingstone 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Livingstone

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 Livingstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 219%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $303 in Livingstone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 249% more in Cairo, 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 $30.00 in Livingstone. 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 $643 in Cairo and $202 in Livingstone, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Livingstone – 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 Livingstone. 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.