Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Mbabane

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $747 in Mbabane, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
Learn more

Mbabane Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$747

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Mbabane

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $747 in Mbabane, rent included.

Cairo $643
Mbabane $747

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $1,223 in Mbabane, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Mbabane $1,223

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $1,700 in Mbabane, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Mbabane $1,700

Cairo is about 14% cheaper than Mbabane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Mbabane are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Mbabane 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$10.27 SZL 169

-54.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$34.04 SZL 561

-16.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$5.74 SZL 94.6

5.05%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$2.62 SZL 43.16

-30.92%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$1.12 SZL 18.41

-68.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.62 SZL 10.21

-75.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$2.16 SZL 35.58

-32.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$2.45 SZL 40.46

-8.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.53 SZL 25.29

-36.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$0.81 SZL 13.34

-9.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.75 SZL 28.82

-56.00%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$1.78 SZL 29.32

-34.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$11.01 SZL 181

-60.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$5.60 SZL 92.3

-9.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$4.98 SZL 82.0

79.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.74 SZL 28.72

5.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$0.63 SZL 10.38

19.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.25 SZL 20.56

-54.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.41 SZL 23.18

-63.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.25 SZL 20.57

-69.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.49 SZL 24.48

-71.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$0.71 SZL 11.74

-50.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.76 SZL 12.56

-68.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$2.85 SZL 46.91

-30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$5.93 SZL 97.8

26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.52 SZL 25.10

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$1.67 SZL 27.59

27.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.74 SZL 12.18

-55.41%

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

$1.38 SZL 22.80

-85.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$3.03 SZL 50.0

-50.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.27 SZL 20.98

-63.78%

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

$64.0 SZL 1,056

-57.00%

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

$8.27 E£432

$38.40 SZL 633

-78.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$26.97 SZL 445

-47.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$22.61 SZL 373

25.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$3.04 SZL 50.1

120.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$3.65 SZL 60.1

20.55%

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

$121 E£6,356

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$6,330 SZL 104.3K

-42.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$35.21 SZL 580

14.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$14.80 SZL 244

235.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$69.1 SZL 1,139

66.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$53.2 SZL 877

13.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$267 SZL 4,406

-17.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$179 SZL 2,950

8.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$445 SZL 7,332

15.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$347 SZL 5,720

-3.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$473 SZL 7,794

70.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$359 SZL 5,915

43.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

7.25

123.59%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Mbabane: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Mbabane

$179 23.6% 7.9% $15

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Mbabane

$180 23.7% 27.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Mbabane

$78 10.2% 35.1% $42

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Mbabane

$153 20.2% 68.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Mbabane

$129 17.1% 160% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Mbabane

$30 3.9% 19.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Mbabane

$9.9 * 1.3% 13% $1.5

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 $267 in Mbabane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $34.00 in Mbabane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $180 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

09:01 9:01 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

94,874 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SZL, 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).

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Mbabane 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Mbabane

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 Mbabane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mbabane is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $1,121 in Mbabane. 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 27% more in Mbabane, 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 $34.00 in Mbabane. 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 $747 in Mbabane, 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.

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.

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