Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Sala

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,530 in Sala, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Sala
Learn more

Sala Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Sala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Sala

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,530 in Sala, rent included.

Cairo $647
Sala $1,530

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $2,260 in Sala, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Sala $2,260

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $2,989 in Sala, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Sala $2,989

Cairo is about 58% cheaper than Sala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Sala is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$11.75 SEK 116

-60.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$58.6 SEK 581

-52.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$9.45 SEK 93.6

-36.19%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$3.17 SEK 31.39

-45.74%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.75 SEK 17.38

-79.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$2.15 SEK 21.35

-94.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$6.94 SEK 68.7

-78.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$6.93 SEK 68.7

-66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.66 SEK 16.45

-44.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$2.54 SEK 25.16

-71.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$3.48 SEK 34.45

-78.74%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$5.29 SEK 52.5

-77.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$11.10 SEK 110

-60.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$12.95 SEK 128

-61.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$22.02 SEK 218

-57.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$2.87 SEK 28.42

-38.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.66 SEK 26.39

-72.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$2.59 SEK 25.65

-78.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$4.79 SEK 47.50

-89.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.46 SEK 14.46

-71.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.14 SEK 11.29

-64.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$2.57 SEK 25.51

-87.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.01 SEK 10.02

-79.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-71.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$6.10 SEK 60.5

28.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.89 SEK 18.76

-15.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.76 SEK 17.47

18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$2.90 SEK 28.75

-87.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$21.18 SEK 210

-58.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$5.90 SEK 58.5

-93.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.69 SEK 16.73

-86.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$79.0 SEK 782

-98.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.73 SEK 17.13

-75.14%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$32.5K SEK 322.3K

0.52%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

-17.72%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$177 SEK 1,752

-84.57%

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

$8.58 E£458

$19.96 SEK 198

-57.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$38.76 SEK 384

-63.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$45.97 SEK 456

-35.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$20.24 SEK 201

-64.18%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$16.13 SEK 160

-69.87%

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

$121 E£6,438

$213 SEK 2,111

-43.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$1,194 SEK 11.8K

198.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$44.45 SEK 440

-9.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$34.80 SEK 345

42.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$51.9 SEK 514

121.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$54.0 SEK 535

11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$705 SEK 6,989

-68.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$501 SEK 4,966

-61.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$930 SEK 9,217

-40.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$684 SEK 6,782

-49.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$4,018 SEK 39.8K

-80.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$2,838 SEK 28.1K

-81.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$2,422 SEK 24.0K

-91.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

2.8

478.93%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sala: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Sala

$501 32.8% 157% $306

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Sala

$360 23.5% 154% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Sala

$83 5.4% 30.1% $36

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Sala

$225 14.7% 149% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Sala

$236 15.4% 373% $186

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Sala

$78 5.1% 98.5% $39

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Sala

$47 3.1% 307% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $705 in Sala. 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 1113% higher in Sala, 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 $59.0 in Sala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $360 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇪 Sala

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

22,994

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Sala 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Sala

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 Sala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sala is pricier by about 137%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $2,295 in Sala. 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 154% more in Sala, 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 $59.0 in Sala. 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 $647, than in Sala at $1,530. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sala 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, Sala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.