Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
Learn more

Port Elizabeth Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Port Elizabeth

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Cairo $643
Port Elizabeth $1,233

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $1,847 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Port Elizabeth $1,847

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $2,461 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Port Elizabeth $2,461

Cairo is about 48% cheaper than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Port Elizabeth are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Port Elizabeth 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$10.62 R 175

-55.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$42.87 R 707

-33.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$6.02 R 99.3

0.17%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$2.12 R 35.03

-14.62%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$1.04 R 17.24

-66.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.72 R 11.93

-79.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$2.76 R 45.50

-47.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$3.06 R 50.5

-26.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.14 R 18.74

-14.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.04 R 17.10

-29.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.44 R 23.78

-46.53%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$2.81 R 46.33

-58.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$8.58 R 142

-49.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$5.47 R 90.2

-7.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$8.28 R 137

7.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.11 R 34.80

-13.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.54 R 25.46

-51.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$1.61 R 26.56

-64.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.78 R 29.43

-71.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.73 R 28.56

-78.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.42 R 23.46

-70.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.29 R 21.27

-72.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.01 R 16.70

-76.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$3.13 R 51.6

-36.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$4.82 R 79.6

55.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.25 R 20.63

21.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$1.82 R 30.06

17.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$1.09 R 17.96

-69.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$36.08 R 595

-76.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$2.12 R 35.03

-82.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.50 R 8.20

-60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$8.45 R 139

-82.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.45 R 23.86

-68.28%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$35.4K R 584.3K

-7.86%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$34.0K R 561.2K

-16.52%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$123 R 2,024

-77.55%

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

$8.27 E£432

$35.08 R 579

-76.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$45.22 R 746

-68.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$31.88 R 526

-11.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$22.73 R 375

-70.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$10.61 R 175

-58.53%

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

$121 E£6,356

$176 R 2,902

-30.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$6,192 R 102.2K

-41.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$70.6 R 1,164

-43.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$38.27 R 631

29.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$110 R 1,807

5.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$96.5 R 1,593

-37.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$612 R 10.1K

-64.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$418 R 6,891

-53.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$805 R 13.3K

-36.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$689 R 11.4K

-51.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$750 R 12.4K

7.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$531 R 8,754

-3.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$1,612 R 26.6K

-87.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

11.94

35.76%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4% 115% $223

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 39.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 18.5% $22

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8% 70.7% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7% 307% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4% 43.2% $16

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7% 297% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $612 in Port Elizabeth. 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 705% higher in Port Elizabeth, 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 $43.00 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $197 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

14:52 2:52 PM

13:52 1:52 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Port Elizabeth 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Port Elizabeth

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Port Elizabeth is pricier by about 92%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $1,849 in Port Elizabeth. 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 39% more in Port Elizabeth, 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 $43.00 in Port Elizabeth. 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 $643, than in Port Elizabeth at $1,233. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Elizabeth 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.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Elizabeth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.