Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Malmo

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $2,046 in Malmo, rent included.

Cairo $643
Malmo $2,046

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $3,083 in Malmo, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Malmo $3,083

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $4,121 in Malmo, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Malmo $4,121

Cairo is about 69% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Malmo is 53% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$14.90 SEK 149

-68.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$74.0 SEK 740

-61.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$12.18 SEK 122

-50.49%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$4.83 SEK 48.23

-62.53%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$3.35 SEK 33.52

-89.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-94.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-82.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-75.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.73 SEK 17.26

-43.93%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$2.87 SEK 28.67

-74.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-76.81%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$4.11 SEK 41.10

-71.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$12.74 SEK 127

-66.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$11.86 SEK 119

-57.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$21.61 SEK 216

-58.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.99 SEK 29.93

-38.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-70.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.96 SEK 29.61

-80.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$4.15 SEK 41.43

-87.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.66 SEK 16.62

-77.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.53 SEK 15.29

-72.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-85.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.23 SEK 12.24

-80.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$7.72 SEK 77.1

-74.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$11.53 SEK 115

-35.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.01 SEK 20.05

-24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.34 SEK 23.43

-8.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-89.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$63.5 SEK 635

-86.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-93.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-91.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$49.13 SEK 491

-96.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.74 SEK 17.36

-73.56%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

1.09%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

-14.39%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$138 SEK 1,380

-80.06%

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

$8.27 E£432

$26.21 SEK 262

-68.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$36.07 SEK 361

-61.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$39.93 SEK 399

-29.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$28.69 SEK 287

-76.65%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$17.17 SEK 172

-74.37%

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

$121 E£6,356

$167 SEK 1,666

-27.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

9.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$98.0 SEK 979

-59.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$44.19 SEK 442

12.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$113 SEK 1,125

2.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$152 SEK 1,520

-60.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

-79.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$818 SEK 8,173

-76.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

-70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

-75.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

-79.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

-83.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

-93.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.05

431.48%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 321% $624

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 163% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Malmo

$183 9% 53.2% $64

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 228% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 302% $151

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 100% $37

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 730% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $1,063 in Malmo. 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 1421% higher in Malmo, 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 $74.0 in Malmo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $372 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

316,588

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Malmo 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Malmo

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 Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Malmo is pricier by about 218%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $3,069 in Malmo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Groceries cost about 163% more in Malmo, 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 $74.0 in Malmo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.