Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Mellieha

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,868 in Mellieha, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Mellieha
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,868
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Mellieha

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,868 in Mellieha, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Mellieha $1,868

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $2,814 in Mellieha, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Mellieha $2,814

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $3,761 in Mellieha, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Mellieha $3,761

Cairo is about 65% cheaper than Mellieha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Mellieha is 38% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$16.84 €14.98
-72.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$64.6 €57.4
-56.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$10.74 €9.55
-43.85%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$2.65 €2.36
-35.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$2.43 €2.16
-85.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$1.98 €1.76
-93.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$3.92 €3.49
-61.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$6.84 €6.08
-66.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.37 €1.22
-32.85%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$1.37 €1.22
-46.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$3.44 €3.06
-78.49%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$4.43 €3.94
-73.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$10.15 €9.03
-57.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$9.90 €8.80
-49.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$18.22 €16.21
-49.07%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$3.69 €3.28
-52.03%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$2.81 €2.50
-74.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$3.99 €3.55
-86.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$3.78 €3.36
-86.77%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$1.90 €1.69
-77.89%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$3.39 €3.02
-87.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$1.70 €1.51
-80.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$1.15 €1.02
-81.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$6.43 €5.72
-69.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$6.01 €5.35
29.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$2.42 €2.15
-34.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$2.36 €2.10
-11.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$2.74 €2.43
-87.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$3.96 €3.52
-90.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$1.84 €1.64
-88.04%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$33.19 €29.52
-95.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$1.46 €1.30
-70.55%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$28.1K €25.0K
16.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$39.0K €34.7K
-30.15%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$104 €92.3
-73.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$30.81 €27.40
-72.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$28.75 €25.57
-51.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$59.9 €53.3
-50.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$8.44 €7.51
-42.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$282 €250
-57.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$12.3K €11.0K
-71.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$57.2 €50.9
-29.58%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$39.17 €34.85
26.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$82.3 €73.2
39.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$72.7 €64.7
-17.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$1,131 €1,006
-80.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$915 €814
-78.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$1,789 €1,591
-69.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$1,508 €1,341
-77.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$3,935 €3,500
-79.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$2,756 €2,451
-80.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Mellieha
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$1,350 €1,201
-85.20%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
4.05
300.25%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Mellieha
$915 369% $720
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Mellieha
$326 130% $184
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Mellieha
$113 5.1% $6
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Mellieha
$250 177% $160
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Mellieha
$163 228% $114
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Mellieha
$77 94.8% $37
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Mellieha
$24 * 108% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $1,131 in Mellieha. 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 576% higher in Mellieha, 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 $65.0 in Mellieha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $326 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇲🇹 Mellieha
🕒 Local time
18:58 6:58 PM
17:58 5:58 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
10,087
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Mellieha 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Mellieha

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 Mellieha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mellieha cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Mellieha is pricier by about 189%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $2,802 in Mellieha. 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.
What are total monthly expenses in Cairo and in Mellieha?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $647 in Cairo and $1,868 in Mellieha. That's a gap of about 189%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $282 in Mellieha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cairo or in Mellieha?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Mellieha at $1,868. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mellieha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cairo or Mellieha 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 Mellieha?
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, Mellieha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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