Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Mersa Matruh

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $457 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Cairo $635
Mersa Matruh $457

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $749 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Mersa Matruh $749

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $1,040 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Mersa Matruh $1,040

Cairo costs about 39% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cairo and Mersa Matruh are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Mersa Matruh 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£258

$4.20 E£234

10.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,542

$19.05 E£1,062

45.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£325

$4.72 E£264

23.52%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£94.1

$1.27 E£70.6

33.07%

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

$0.35 E£19.62

$0.33 E£18.14

6.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£7.17

$0.11 E£6.01

18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£81.8

$1.36 E£75.8

8.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£123

$2.79 E£156

-20.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£52.7

$0.87 E£48.65

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£43.82

$0.66 E£37.07

19.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£39.07

$0.65 E£36.07

7.69%

Eggs

$1.12 E£62.2

$1.19 E£66.1

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£227

$3.80 E£212

7.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£266

$4.24 E£237

12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£491

$9.23 E£515

-4.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£93.7

$1.54 E£86.1

9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£39.76

$0.75 E£41.82

-5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£32.70

$0.55 E£30.85

7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£28.26

$0.35 E£19.76

45.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£20.69

$0.26 E£14.59

42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£24.51

$0.30 E£16.70

46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£19.19

$0.27 E£15.19

25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.66

$0.22 E£11.99

-4.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£111

$1.85 E£103

7.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£418

$5.67 E£316

32.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£84.0

$1.25 E£69.6

20.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£116

$2.28 E£127

-8.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£19.10

$0.21 E£11.72

61.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£22.43

$0.56 E£31.13

-28.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£10.43

$0.17 E£9.23

11.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£83.6

$1.20 E£67.1

25.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£24.82

$0.43 E£24.06

4.65%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$32.5K E£1.8M

1.95%

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

$26.1K E£1.5M

$27.1K E£1.5M

-3.43%

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

$27.62 E£1,541

$14.05 E£784

96.58%

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

$7.83 E£437

$6.68 E£373

17.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£803

$13.50 E£753

6.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,596

$15.88 E£885

80.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£417

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£254

$2.91 E£162

56.70%

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

$120 E£6,701

$85.0 E£4,740

41.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£193.9K

$2,090 E£116.6K

66.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,182

$33.72 E£1,881

16.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,735

$45.91 E£2,560

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£6,198

$128 E£7,112

-12.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,178

$57.4 E£3,202

-0.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£12.0K

$128 E£7,152

67.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.9K

$76.7 E£4,278

155.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£30.2K

$256 E£14.3K

111.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.8K

$144 E£8,048

134.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£46.3K

$772 E£43.0K

7.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£28.5K

$354 E£19.7K

44.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.9K

$94.2 E£5,253

106.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

21.33

-24.00%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8% 60.8% $119

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6% 7.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Mersa Matruh

$119 26% 3.2% $3.7

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9% 12.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5% 31.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7% 42.5% $16

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5% 79.8% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $128 in Mersa Matruh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cairo are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Cairo versus $19 in Mersa Matruh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $126 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

140,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cairo Mersa Matruh 410 km

From you

Cairo
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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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $686 in Mersa Matruh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $215 in Cairo.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $635 in Cairo and $457 in Mersa Matruh. That’s a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $120 per month in Cairo and $85 in Mersa Matruh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $635 in Cairo and $457 in Mersa Matruh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – 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 Mersa Matruh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.