Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Mlava

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,406 in Mlava, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Mlava
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,406
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Mlava

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,406 in Mlava, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Mlava $1,406

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,992 in Mlava, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Mlava $1,992

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $2,577 in Mlava, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Mlava $2,577

Cairo is about 54% cheaper than Mlava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Mlava is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$10.13 zł 39.35
-54.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$25.39 zł 98.7
10.75%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$7.60 zł 29.51
-20.66%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$2.50 zł 9.70
-31.20%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$1.86 zł 7.24
-80.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$1.61 zł 6.25
-92.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$2.47 zł 9.58
-38.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$3.78 zł 14.69
-38.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.04 zł 4.04
-11.54%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$1.66 zł 6.46
-56.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$0.96 zł 3.74
-22.92%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$3.64 zł 14.13
-67.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$8.72 zł 33.87
-50.34%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$6.86 zł 26.65
-26.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$11.68 zł 45.38
-20.55%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$1.36 zł 5.27
30.15%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$1.73 zł 6.71
-57.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$1.56 zł 6.05
-64.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$3.23 zł 12.55
-84.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$0.98 zł 3.81
-57.14%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$1.31 zł 5.11
-68.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$1.10 zł 4.27
-70.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$0.69 zł 2.68
-69.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$4.58 zł 17.79
-56.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$6.42 zł 24.94
21.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$1.06 zł 4.12
50.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$1.39 zł 5.41
50.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$0.96 zł 3.71
-63.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
$32.25 zł 125
-73.05%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$2.10 zł 8.14
-81.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$0.83 zł 3.21
-73.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$9.71 zł 37.71
-84.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$1.57 zł 6.10
-72.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$30.7K zł 119.1K
6.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$27.4K zł 106.6K
-0.73%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$283 zł 1,099
-90.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$6.26 zł 24.33
37.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$7.61 zł 29.55
83.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$37.86 zł 147
-21.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$22.41 zł 87.1
-67.65%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$5.21 zł 20.24
-6.72%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$329 zł 1,279
-63.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$5,139 zł 20.0K
-30.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$80.3 zł 312
-49.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$37.28 zł 145
32.86%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$87.5 zł 340
31.34%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$76.1 zł 296
-21.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$608 zł 2,363
-63.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$505 zł 1,962
-61.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$979 zł 3,802
-43.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$805 zł 3,129
-57.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$2,881 zł 11.2K
-72.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$2,203 zł 8,560
-76.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Mlava
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$1,013 zł 3,935
-80.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
6.89
135.27%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mlava: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Mlava
$505 159% $310
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Mlava
$220 54.9% $78
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Mlava
$127 6.2% $7.4
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Mlava
$168 86.1% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Mlava
$297 496% $247
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Mlava
$48 22.5% $8.9
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Mlava
$42 265% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $608 in Mlava. 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 407% higher in Mlava, 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 $25.00 in Mlava. Groceries tell a different story – $142 in Cairo vs $220 in Mlava – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇵🇱 Mlava
🕒 Local time
03:26 3:26 AM
02:26 2:26 AM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
31,130
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Mlava 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Mlava

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 Mlava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mlava cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Mlava is pricier by about 117%, 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 $2,109 in Mlava. 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.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Mlava?
Groceries cost about 55% more in Mlava, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Mlava?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $25.00 in Mlava. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cairo or in Mlava?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Mlava at $1,406. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mlava it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cairo or Mlava 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 Mlava?
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, Mlava makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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