Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Santa Tecla

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $611 a month against $1,364 in Santa Tecla, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Santa Tecla
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Santa Tecla Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Santa Tecla

🇸🇻 El Salvador

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Santa Tecla

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

A single person spends $611 per month in Cairo vs $1,364 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Cairo $611
Santa Tecla $1,364

A couple spends around $970 per month in Cairo vs $2,031 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Cairo $970
Santa Tecla $2,031

A family of three spends $1,329 per month in Cairo vs $2,698 in Santa Tecla, rent included.

Cairo $1,329
Santa Tecla $2,698

Cairo is about 55% cheaper than Santa Tecla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 E£252

$6.70 $6.70

-32.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 E£1,511

$45.47 $45.47

-40.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 E£299

$6.84 $6.84

-21.93%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£96.0

$3.64 $3.64

-52.75%

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

$0.34 E£19.06

$1.16 $1.16

-70.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£8.08

$0.85 $0.85

-83.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 E£77.8

$2.02 $2.02

-31.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 E£120

$3.54 $3.54

-39.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.56

$1.72 $1.72

-49.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 E£42.45

$2.25 $2.25

-66.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 E£35.10

$1.43 $1.43

-55.94%

Eggs

$1.09 E£60.9

$2.31 $2.31

-52.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 E£209

$7.85 $7.85

-52.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 E£258

$5.57 $5.57

-17.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 E£471

$10.39 $10.39

-18.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 E£94.4

$3.33 $3.33

-49.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 E£38.19

$1.43 $1.43

-52.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 E£31.12

$2.56 $2.56

-78.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 E£26.17

$3.51 $3.51

-86.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£21.53

$3.01 $3.01

-87.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.81

$3.36 $3.36

-88.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£18.73

$0.96 $0.96

-65.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£12.32

$0.92 $0.92

-76.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£104

$4.03 $4.03

-54.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 E£405

$11.80 $11.80

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 E£79.3

$2.28 $2.28

-37.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 E£111

$2.98 $2.98

-33.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 E£17.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.17 E£401

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 E£19.46

$5.83 $5.83

-94.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£10.87

$3.08 $3.08

-93.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 E£81.5

$19.68 $19.68

-92.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.36

$1.29 $1.29

-68.99%

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

$32.3K E£1.8M

$24.9K $24.9K

29.89%

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

$24.9K E£1.4M

$26.8K $26.8K

-7.23%

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

$26.70 E£1,494

$129 $129

-79.36%

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

$7.51 E£420

$20.96 $20.96

-64.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.02 E£785

$42.20 $42.20

-66.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.01 E£1,511

$24.86 $24.86

8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.15 E£400

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 E£247

$4.93 $4.93

-10.55%

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

$117 E£6,524

$161 $161

-27.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,269 E£182.9K

$4,677 $4,677

-30.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.71 E£2,110

$68.0 $68.0

-44.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.61 E£2,664

$47.52 $47.52

0.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 E£6,108

$119 $119

-7.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 E£3,113

$115 $115

-51.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 E£11.4K

$736 $736

-72.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 E£10.5K

$554 $554

-66.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 E£29.3K

$1,220 $1,220

-57.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 E£17.8K

$909 $909

-65.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$793 E£44.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$484 E£27.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 E£10.3K

$407 $407

-54.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

8.5

90.71%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Santa Tecla: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$188 30.7%

Santa Tecla

$554 40.6% 195% $366

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$131 21.5%

Santa Tecla

$262 19.2% 99.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$113 18.4%

Santa Tecla

$157 11.5% 39.7% $45

Eating Out

Cairo

$86 14.1%

Santa Tecla

$143 10.5% 66.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$48 7.9%

Santa Tecla

$193 14.1% 299% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$36 5.9%

Santa Tecla

$35 2.5% 3.1% $1.1

Getting Around

Cairo

$9.7 1.6%

Santa Tecla

$21 * 1.6% 118% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $203 in Cairo versus $736 in Santa Tecla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Santa Tecla are about 2.2 times higher, 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 $27 in Cairo versus $45 in Santa Tecla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $131 vs $262 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇻 Santa Tecla

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

15:13 3:13 PM

8 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

138,695

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Santa Tecla 12,010 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Santa Tecla

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 Santa Tecla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Santa Tecla is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $917 per month in Cairo and $2,047 in Santa Tecla. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $736 in Santa Tecla.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $611 in Cairo and $1,364 in Santa Tecla. That makes Cairo about 55% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $117 per month in Cairo and $161 in Santa Tecla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Santa Tecla at $1,364. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Tecla 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 or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Tecla makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.