Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Mortsel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $2,130 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Mortsel

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $2,130 in Mortsel, rent included.

Cairo $635
Mortsel $2,130

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $3,214 in Mortsel, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Mortsel $3,214

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $4,298 in Mortsel, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Mortsel $4,298

Cairo is about 70% cheaper than Mortsel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 53% below the global median, while Mortsel is 57% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$21.95 €19.53

-78.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$106 €94.6

-74.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$13.26 €11.80

-56.03%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$4.24 €3.77

-60.14%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$3.38 €3.01

-89.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$2.92 €2.60

-95.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$5.33 €4.74

-72.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$5.62 €5.00

-60.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$1.35 €1.20

-30.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$2.75 €2.45

-71.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$2.16 €1.92

-67.59%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$3.99 €3.55

-71.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$17.39 €15.47

-76.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$11.95 €10.63

-60.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$23.09 €20.54

-61.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$2.77 €2.47

-39.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$2.33 €2.07

-69.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$2.64 €2.35

-77.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$2.85 €2.53

-82.11%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$2.16 €1.92

-82.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$1.88 €1.67

-76.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$1.36 €1.21

-75.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$1.01 €0.90

-79.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$13.18 €11.72

-84.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$8.79 €7.82

-14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.95 €1.74

-22.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$2.26 €2.01

-7.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$3.02 €2.69

-88.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$59.0 €52.5

-85.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$5.56 €4.95

-92.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$2.73 €2.43

-93.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$24.72 €21.98

-93.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$2.05 €1.82

-78.05%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$35.5K €31.6K

-6.71%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$33.6K €29.9K

-22.13%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$221 €197

-87.53%

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

$7.83 E£418

$20.75 €18.46

-62.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$46.34 €41.22

-68.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$35.60 €31.66

-19.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$19.83 €17.64

-62.33%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$15.09 €13.42

-69.78%

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

$120 E£6,417

$565 €502

-78.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$21.0K €18.7K

-83.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$110 €98.0

-64.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$47.79 €42.51

2.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$104 €92.7

6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$148 €132

-61.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$914 €813

-76.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$812 €722

-75.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$1,406 €1,251

-61.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$1,194 €1,062

-71.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$4,134 €3,677

-79.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$2,946 €2,620

-82.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$2,323 €2,066

-91.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.46

368.50%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Mortsel: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Mortsel

$812 38.1% 314% $616

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Mortsel

$359 16.9% 162% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Mortsel

$185 8.7% 60.1% $69

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Mortsel

$329 15.5% 272% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Mortsel

$289 13.6% 479% $239

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Mortsel

$66 3.1% 74.3% $28

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Mortsel

$90 4.2% 720% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $914 in Mortsel. 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 1092% higher in Mortsel, 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 $106 in Mortsel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $359 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

23:43 11:43 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

24,525

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Mortsel 3,230 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Mortsel

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 Mortsel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mortsel is pricier by about 235%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $3,194 in Mortsel. 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 162% more in Mortsel, 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 $106 in Mortsel. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Mortsel at $2,130. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mortsel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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, Mortsel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.