Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Richards Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,022 in Richards Bay, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Richards Bay
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Richards Bay Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Richards Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Richards Bay

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,022 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Cairo $647
Richards Bay $1,022

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,612 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Richards Bay $1,612

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $2,202 in Richards Bay, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Richards Bay $2,202

Cairo is about 37% cheaper than Richards Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cairo and Richards Bay are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Richards Bay 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$7.76 R 128

-40.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$38.73 R 638

-27.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$5.60 R 92.2

7.68%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.07 R 34.13

-16.91%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.09 R 18.04

-66.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.90 R 14.79

-86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.54 R 25.33

-1.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$1.79 R 29.42

29.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.18 R 19.50

-22.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$0.93 R 15.26

-21.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$1.51 R 24.87

-50.99%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.39 R 39.40

-50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$6.57 R 108

-34.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$4.48 R 73.9

12.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$6.69 R 110

38.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$2.01 R 33.03

-11.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.66 R 27.27

-56.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.88 R 30.97

-70.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.70 R 28.04

-70.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$0.94 R 15.46

-55.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.18 R 19.43

-65.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.22 R 20.05

-72.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.19 R 19.52

-82.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$2.48 R 40.85

-20.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$4.80 R 79.1

62.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.46 R 24.06

8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.84 R 30.24

13.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$104 R 1,711

-91.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.43 R 7.09

-9.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.69 R 11.44

-68.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$7.60 R 125

-80.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.44 R 23.75

-70.14%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$20.9K R 344.3K

56.47%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$29.0K R 478.6K

-6.27%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$133 R 2,186

-79.44%

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

$8.58 E£458

$30.59 R 504

-71.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$39.50 R 651

-64.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$35.64 R 587

-16.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$7.30 R 120

-33.42%

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

$121 E£6,438

$106 R 1,754

13.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$2,678 R 44.1K

32.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$50.4 R 831

-20.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$18.53 R 305

167.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$75.1 R 1,237

53.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$84.2 R 1,387

-28.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$365 R 6,015

-39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$256 R 4,213

-23.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$680 R 11.2K

-19.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$567 R 9,347

-38.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$344 R 5,661

132.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$518 R 8,532

1.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$1,225 R 20.2K

-83.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

7.5

116.13%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Richards Bay

$256 25% 31.1% $61

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Richards Bay

$180 17.6% 26.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Richards Bay

$103 10.1% 13.8% $16

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Richards Bay

$123 12% 36.6% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Richards Bay

$203 19.8% 307% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Richards Bay

$50 4.9% 27.5% $11

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Richards Bay

$108 * 10.5% 830% $96

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $365 in Richards Bay. 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 513% higher in Richards Bay, 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 $39.00 in Richards Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $180 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Richards Bay

🕒 Local time

16:06 4:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

57,387

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Richards Bay 6,540 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Richards Bay

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 Richards Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Richards Bay is pricier by about 58%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,533 in Richards Bay. 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 27% more in Richards Bay, 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 $39.00 in Richards Bay. 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 $1,022 in Richards Bay, 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.

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