Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Pale

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $972 in Pale, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Pale
Learn more

Pale Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Pale

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Pale

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $972 in Pale, rent included.

Cairo $647
Pale $972

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,473 in Pale, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Pale $1,473

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $1,974 in Pale, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Pale $1,974

Cairo is about 33% cheaper than Pale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Pale are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Pale 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£245

$8.71 BAM 15.20

-46.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,483

$40.50 BAM 70.7

-30.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£318

$8.35 BAM 14.57

-27.78%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£91.0

$1.84 BAM 3.21

-6.52%

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

$0.36 E£19.14

$2.23 BAM 3.89

-83.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.33

$1.47 BAM 2.56

-91.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£79.4

$2.38 BAM 4.15

-36.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£122

$2.81 BAM 4.91

-17.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.32

$1.43 BAM 2.49

-35.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.44

$1.21 BAM 2.11

-39.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.15

$1.62 BAM 2.83

-54.32%

Eggs

$1.19 E£62.9

$2.80 BAM 4.88

-57.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£229

$9.66 BAM 16.85

-55.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£265

$8.01 BAM 13.98

-37.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£489

$13.67 BAM 23.87

-32.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£93.2

$1.49 BAM 2.59

18.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£38.55

$1.84 BAM 3.22

-60.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.15

$2.16 BAM 3.77

-74.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.58

$2.00 BAM 3.48

-75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.14

$1.01 BAM 1.77

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.54

$1.37 BAM 2.38

-70.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.30

$1.17 BAM 2.04

-71.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.06

$0.90 BAM 1.58

-76.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£104

$3.97 BAM 6.92

-50.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£412

$7.54 BAM 13.15

3.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£83.6

$0.93 BAM 1.63

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£110

$1.48 BAM 2.58

41.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.60

$1.32 BAM 2.31

-73.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£458

$16.80 BAM 29.32

-48.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£20.76

$1.74 BAM 3.04

-77.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.43

$1.13 BAM 1.97

-80.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£79.5

$14.06 BAM 24.53

-89.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.59

$1.67 BAM 2.91

-74.25%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$30.2K BAM 52.8K

8.16%

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

$27.2K E£1.4M

$23.1K BAM 40.4K

17.75%

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

$27.27 E£1,438

$167 BAM 291

-83.64%

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

$8.58 E£453

$15.98 BAM 27.90

-46.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£738

$27.28 BAM 47.62

-48.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,566

$22.70 BAM 39.62

30.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£383

$8.35 BAM 14.57

-13.17%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£256

$5.86 BAM 10.22

-17.06%

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

$121 E£6,359

$207 BAM 361

-41.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£187.7K

$3,640 BAM 6,353

-2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,125

$84.5 BAM 148

-52.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,612

$36.27 BAM 63.3

36.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,061

$97.3 BAM 170

18.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,167

$123 BAM 215

-51.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.7K

$198 BAM 346

12.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.3K

$161 BAM 281

21.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.0K

$275 BAM 480

100.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.3K

$217 BAM 378

59.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.2K

$1,313 BAM 2,292

-39.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£27.7K

$1,118 BAM 1,952

-53.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$723 BAM 1,262

-72.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

4.08

297.30%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pale: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Pale

$161 16.5% 17.6% $34

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Pale

$235 24.2% 65.9% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Pale

$154 15.8% 28.9% $34

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Pale

$149 15.3% 65.6% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Pale

$210 21.6% 321% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Pale

$34 3.5% 12.7% $5

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Pale

$29 3% 155% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $198 in Pale. 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 262% higher in Pale, 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 $41.00 in Pale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $235 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇧🇦 Pale

🕒 Local time

14:03 2:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

12,569

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.9 USD

100 EGP = 1.69 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 52.74 EGP (100 EGP = 1.9 USD). 1 EUR = 59.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.69 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Pale 1,900 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Pale

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 Pale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pale is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,459 in Pale. 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 66% more in Pale, 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 $41.00 in Pale. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $972 in Pale, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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