Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Maseru

For one person, living costs are similar in Cairo and in Maseru: $643 and $658 a month, rent and utilities included.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
Learn more

Maseru Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Maseru

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $658 in Maseru, rent included.

Cairo $643
Maseru $658

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $1,123 in Maseru, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Maseru $1,123

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $1,588 in Maseru, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Maseru $1,588

Cairo is about 2% cheaper than Maseru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Maseru are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Maseru 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$9.06 LSL 149

-48.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$23.68 LSL 391

20.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$8.35 LSL 138

-27.78%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$2.01 LSL 33.20

-9.95%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$1.05 LSL 17.27

-66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.80 LSL 13.18

-81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$1.75 LSL 28.89

-17.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$2.46 LSL 40.61

-8.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.18 LSL 19.47

-17.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$0.80 LSL 13.14

-8.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.78 LSL 29.34

-56.74%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$1.53 LSL 25.23

-23.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$6.71 LSL 111

-35.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$6.32 LSL 104

-19.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$6.20 LSL 102

43.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.92 LSL 31.60

-4.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.30 LSL 37.95

-67.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.64 LSL 43.54

-78.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$2.36 LSL 39.02

-78.39%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.59 LSL 26.25

-76.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.62 LSL 26.75

-74.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.52 LSL 25.10

-76.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.78 LSL 12.88

-69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$5.03 LSL 83.0

-60.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$7.31 LSL 121

2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.03 LSL 16.99

47.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$1.52 LSL 25.15

40.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.77 LSL 12.68

-57.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$30.06 LSL 496

-71.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$0.73 LSL 12.05

-49.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.63 LSL 10.36

-68.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$3.65 LSL 60.3

-59.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.33 LSL 22.02

-65.41%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$20.9K LSL 344.3K

56.35%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$16.4K LSL 270.6K

73.15%

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

$14.63 LSL 241

-43.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$37.63 LSL 621

-62.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$23.17 LSL 382

22.01%

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

$51.2 LSL 845

137.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$1,181 LSL 19.5K

206.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$46.25 LSL 763

-13.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$55.2 LSL 911

-10.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$105 LSL 1,736

9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$151 LSL 2,493

-59.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$92.4 LSL 1,525

138.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$55.8 LSL 920

248.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$426 LSL 7,025

20.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$173 LSL 2,851

93.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$377 LSL 6,219

113.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$514 LSL 8,481

-0.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$631 LSL 10.4K

-68.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

8.5

90.71%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Maseru: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Maseru

$56 8.4% 71.3% $138

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Maseru

$195 29.3% 38.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Maseru

$161 24.1% 34.7% $41

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Maseru

$143 21.4% 56.7% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Maseru

$52 * 7.8% 4.8% $2.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Maseru

$23 * 3.5% 37.5% $14

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Maseru

$37 5.6% 226% $26

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 $92.4 in Maseru. 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 215% higher in Maseru, 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 $24.00 in Maseru. Groceries tell a different story – $141 in Cairo vs $195 in Maseru – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇱🇸 Maseru

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

14:05 2:05 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

227,880 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Lesotho Loti LSL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

100 LSL = 6.06 USD

100 LSL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LSL, 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 = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 LSL (100 LSL = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 LSL (100 LSL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Maseru 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Maseru

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 Maseru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maseru is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $987 in Maseru. 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 38% more in Maseru, 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 $24.00 in Maseru. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $643 in Cairo and $658 in Maseru, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Maseru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.