Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Santiago de Compostela

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Santiago de Compostela
🇪🇸 Spain
$1,439
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Santiago de Compostela $1,439

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $2,215 in Santiago de Compostela, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Santiago de Compostela $2,215

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $2,991 in Santiago de Compostela, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Santiago de Compostela $2,991

Cairo is about 55% cheaper than Santiago de Compostela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Santiago de Compostela is 7% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$13.22 €11.76
-64.90%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$66.5 €59.2
-57.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$9.21 €8.19
-34.53%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$1.95 €1.74
-11.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$2.69 €2.39
-86.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$2.17 €1.93
-94.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$3.10 €2.76
-51.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$3.87 €3.44
-40.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.20 €1.07
-23.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$1.17 €1.04
-37.61%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$1.32 €1.17
-43.94%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$2.77 €2.47
-57.04%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$8.85 €7.88
-51.07%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$6.67 €5.93
-24.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$17.00 €15.12
-45.41%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$2.04 €1.81
-13.24%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$2.09 €1.86
-65.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$1.48 €1.32
-62.84%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$2.86 €2.54
-82.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$1.96 €1.74
-78.57%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$1.47 €1.30
-72.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$1.13 €1.01
-70.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$0.84 €0.75
-75.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$5.97 €5.31
-66.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$5.12 €4.55
52.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$1.45 €1.29
9.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$2.37 €2.11
-11.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$1.19 €1.06
-70.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
$32.89 €29.26
-73.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$4.87 €4.33
-91.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$1.31 €1.17
-83.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$18.83 €16.75
-91.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$1.69 €1.50
-74.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$35.4K €31.5K
-7.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$28.8K €25.7K
-5.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$155 €138
-82.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$21.74 €19.34
-60.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$32.64 €29.04
-57.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$51.2 €45.56
-42.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$2.19 €1.95
231.05%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$10.11 €8.99
-51.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$331 €294
-63.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$8,249 €7,337
-56.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$87.7 €78.1
-54.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$62.9 €55.9
-21.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$100.0 €88.9
14.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$92.3 €82.1
-34.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$712 €633
-68.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$516 €459
-62.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$1,047 €931
-47.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$869 €773
-60.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$3,001 €2,670
-73.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$2,094 €1,863
-74.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Santiago de Compostela
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$1,870 €1,663
-89.32%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
2.96
447.64%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Santiago de Compostela
$516 165% $321
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Santiago de Compostela
$240 68.9% $98
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Santiago de Compostela
$154 29.5% $35
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Santiago de Compostela
$199 122% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Santiago de Compostela
$210 320% $160
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Santiago de Compostela
$71 81.2% $32
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Santiago de Compostela
$49 324% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $712 in Santiago de Compostela. 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 836% higher in Santiago de Compostela, 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 $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $240 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela
🕒 Local time
23:08 11:08 PM
22:08 10:08 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
98,687
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Santiago de Compostela 3,790 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Santiago de Compostela

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 Santiago de Compostela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Santiago de Compostela cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Santiago de Compostela is pricier by about 123%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $2,159 in Santiago de Compostela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Santiago de Compostela?
Groceries cost about 69% more in Santiago de Compostela, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Santiago de Compostela?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cairo or in Santiago de Compostela?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Santiago de Compostela at $1,439. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santiago de Compostela it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cairo or Santiago de Compostela more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Cairo or Santiago de Compostela?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santiago de Compostela makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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