Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Moratuwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Moratuwa: $131 a month against $611 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Moratuwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Moratuwa

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

A single person spends $611 per month in Cairo vs $131 in Moratuwa, rent included.

Cairo $611
Moratuwa $131

A couple spends around $970 per month in Cairo vs $211 in Moratuwa, rent included.

Cairo $970
Moratuwa $211

A family of three spends $1,329 per month in Cairo vs $291 in Moratuwa, rent included.

Cairo $1,329
Moratuwa $291

Cairo costs about 366% more than Moratuwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Moratuwa are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 55% lower, Moratuwa 90% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 E£253

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 E£1,514

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 E£300

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£96.2

$1.84 LKR 611

-6.52%

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

$0.34 E£19.10

$0.71 LKR 234

-52.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£8.10

$0.15 LKR 49.28

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 E£78.0

$1.85 LKR 616

-24.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 E£121

$2.46 LKR 816

-12.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.67

$1.25 LKR 417

-30.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 E£42.55

$0.46 LKR 154

65.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 E£35.18

$0.82 LKR 272

-23.17%

Eggs

$1.09 E£61.0

$2.36 LKR 785

-53.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 E£210

$12.27 LKR 4,078

-69.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 E£259

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 E£472

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 E£94.6

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 E£38.27

$0.46 LKR 154

47.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 E£31.19

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 E£26.22

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£21.57

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.86

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£18.77

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£12.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£104

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 E£406

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 E£79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 E£111

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 E£17.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.17 E£402

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 E£19.51

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£10.89

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 E£81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.40

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

$32.3K E£1.8M

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

$24.9K E£1.4M

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

$26.70 E£1,497

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

$7.51 E£421

$4.44 LKR 1,475

69.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.02 E£786

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.01 E£1,514

$15.01 LKR 4,989

79.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.15 E£401

$3.08 LKR 1,024

132.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 E£248

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

$117 E£6,538

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,269 E£183.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.71 E£2,114

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.61 E£2,670

$6.05 LKR 2,013

686.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 E£6,121

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 E£3,119

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 E£11.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 E£10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 E£29.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 E£17.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$793 E£44.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$484 E£27.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 E£10.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Moratuwa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$188 30.7%

Moratuwa

–

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$131 21.5%

Moratuwa

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$113 18.4%

Moratuwa

–

Eating Out

Cairo

$86 14.1%

Moratuwa

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$48 7.9%

Moratuwa

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$36 5.9%

Moratuwa

–

Getting Around

Cairo

$9.7 1.6%

Moratuwa

–

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇱🇰 Moratuwa

🕒 Local time

01:52 1:52 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

207,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.78 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.42 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Moratuwa 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Moratuwa

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 Moratuwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 366%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $917 per month in Cairo and $197 in Moratuwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $611 in Cairo and $131 in Moratuwa. That makes Moratuwa about 79% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 89% more in Cairo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $611 in Cairo and $131 in Moratuwa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.