Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Maastricht

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,528 in Maastricht, rent and utilities included – about $22,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$643
/mo nomad
Maastricht
🇳🇱 Netherlands
$2,528
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Maastricht

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $2,528 in Maastricht, rent included.

  • Cairo $643
  • Maastricht $2,528

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $3,646 in Maastricht, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,037
  • Maastricht $3,646

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $4,764 in Maastricht, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,431
  • Maastricht $4,764

Cairo is about 75% cheaper than Maastricht, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Maastricht is 89% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.69 E£245
$20.54 €18.33
-77.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.49 E£1,491
$89.9 €80.3
-68.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£315
$12.20 €10.89
-50.57%
Cappuccino
$1.81 E£94.7
$4.44 €3.96
-59.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 E£18.18
$3.88 €3.47
-90.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 E£7.95
$3.14 €2.80
-95.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.45 E£76.0
$8.64 €7.71
-83.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 E£117
$5.75 €5.13
-61.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 E£50.7
$1.25 €1.11
-22.40%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£37.96
$2.51 €2.24
-70.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 E£40.24
$2.73 €2.44
-71.79%
Eggs
$1.17 E£61.2
$4.67 €4.17
-74.95%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.32 E£226
$14.86 €13.26
-70.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.07 E£265
$13.86 €12.37
-63.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.92 E£467
$15.76 €14.06
-43.40%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 E£95.8
$2.68 €2.39
-31.72%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 E£39.07
$2.43 €2.17
-69.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.57 E£29.78
$1.89 €1.69
-69.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 E£26.62
$4.33 €3.86
-88.22%
Potato (1kg)
$0.38 E£20.05
$1.94 €1.74
-80.41%
Onion (1kg)
$0.42 E£21.88
$2.40 €2.14
-82.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 E£18.43
$1.33 €1.19
-73.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.24 E£12.57
$0.84 €0.75
-71.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 E£104
$13.91 €12.41
-85.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.48 E£391
$6.82 €6.09
9.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 E£79.4
$1.47 €1.31
3.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 E£112
$2.65 €2.37
-19.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 E£17.10
$3.10 €2.77
-89.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.66 E£453
$89.3 €79.7
-90.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.37 E£19.27
$11.17 €9.96
-96.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 E£10.65
$3.21 €2.87
-93.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 E£77.8
$28.07 €25.05
-94.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.46 E£23.94
$2.42 €2.16
-80.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K E£1.7M
$41.1K €36.7K
-20.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K E£1.5M
$40.0K €35.7K
-28.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.54 E£1,441
$295 €263
-90.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.27 E£432
$17.39 €15.52
-52.44%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.05 E£735
$48.97 €43.70
-71.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.27 E£1,479
$46.12 €41.16
-38.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.70 E£350
$28.45 €25.39
-76.45%
Cinema Ticket
$4.40 E£230
$15.59 €13.91
-71.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,356
$1,245 €1,111
-90.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,619 E£189.3K
$11.2K €10.0K
-67.76%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.16 E£2,101
$81.5 €72.7
-50.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.61 E£2,596
$38.19 €34.08
29.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,033
$113 €101
2.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.6 E£3,170
$129 €115
-53.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$220 E£11.5K
$1,284 €1,145
-82.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$194 E£10.2K
$1,138 €1,016
-82.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$514 E£26.9K
$2,112 €1,885
-75.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 E£17.5K
$1,677 €1,496
-80.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$806 E£42.2K
$5,385 €4,805
-85.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$513 E£26.9K
$3,551 €3,169
-85.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Maastricht
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.5K
$3,251 €2,901
-93.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
4.42
266.74%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Maastricht: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$194
Maastricht
$1.1K 486% $944
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$141
Maastricht
$338 139% $197
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$120
Maastricht
$163 36.2% $43
Eating Out
Cairo
$91
Maastricht
$337 270% $246
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Maastricht
$361 625% $312
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$37
Maastricht
$77 109% $40
Getting Around
Cairo
$11
Maastricht
$129 1036% $118

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $1,284 in Maastricht. 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 1524% higher in Maastricht, 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 $90.0 in Maastricht. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $338 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇳🇱 Maastricht
🕒 Local time
13:25 1:25 PM
12:25 12:25 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
120,105
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Maastricht 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Maastricht

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 Maastricht: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Maastricht cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Maastricht is pricier by about 293%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $3,791 in Maastricht. 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 Maastricht?
Groceries cost about 139% more in Maastricht, 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 Maastricht?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $90.0 in Maastricht. 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 Maastricht?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Maastricht at $2,528. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maastricht it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cairo or Maastricht 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 Maastricht?
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, Maastricht makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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