Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Sarande

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,285 in Sarande, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Sarande
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Sarande Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Sarande

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Sarande

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,285 in Sarande, rent included.

Cairo $647
Sarande $1,285

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $2,181 in Sarande, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Sarande $2,181

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $3,076 in Sarande, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Sarande $3,076

Cairo is about 50% cheaper than Sarande, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Sarande are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Sarande 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$9.93 ALL 800

-53.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$54.5 ALL 4,392

-48.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$11.03 ALL 888

-45.33%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.23 ALL 180

-22.87%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$2.44 ALL 197

-85.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$1.15 ALL 92.8

-89.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$3.52 ALL 283

-57.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$4.12 ALL 332

-43.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$2.18 ALL 175

-57.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.18 ALL 95.4

-38.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$2.31 ALL 186

-67.97%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$3.77 ALL 304

-68.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$12.44 ALL 1,002

-65.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$9.09 ALL 732

-44.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$16.98 ALL 1,368

-45.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.94 ALL 156

-8.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.41 ALL 194

-69.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.98 ALL 160

-72.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.83 ALL 147

-72.68%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.01 ALL 81.5

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.29 ALL 103

-68.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.48 ALL 119

-77.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.77 ALL 62.2

-72.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$4.82 ALL 388

-58.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$7.46 ALL 601

4.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.61 ALL 129

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$2.06 ALL 166

1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$1.10 ALL 88.7

-68.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$22.72 ALL 1,830

-61.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$3.69 ALL 297

-89.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$3.56 ALL 287

-93.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$18.51 ALL 1,491

-91.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.23 ALL 180

-80.72%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$33.1K ALL 2.7M

-1.31%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$27.8K ALL 2.2M

-1.92%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$99.9 ALL 8,043

-72.70%

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

$8.58 E£458

$18.16 ALL 1,462

-52.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$19.41 ALL 1,563

-27.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$87.5 ALL 7,047

-66.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$40.89 ALL 3,293

-82.27%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$9.79 ALL 788

-50.36%

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

$121 E£6,438

$296 ALL 23.8K

-59.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$7,951 ALL 640.3K

-55.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$71.9 ALL 5,789

-43.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$47.68 ALL 3,839

3.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$120 ALL 9,692

-4.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$111 ALL 8,958

-46.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$857 ALL 69.0K

-74.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$373 ALL 30.1K

-47.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$1,094 ALL 88.1K

-49.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$925 ALL 74.5K

-62.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$4,468 ALL 359.8K

-82.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$2,840 ALL 228.7K

-81.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$756 ALL 60.9K

-73.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

5.39

200.74%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sarande: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Sarande

$373 29.1% 91.5% $178

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Sarande

$281 21.9% 98% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Sarande

$158 12.3% 32.6% $39

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Sarande

$180 14% 99.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Sarande

$137 10.7% 176% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Sarande

$107 8.3% 172% $68

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Sarande

$49 3.8% 320% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $857 in Sarande. 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 279% higher in Sarande, 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 $55.0 in Sarande. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $281 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇱 Sarande

🕒 Local time

15:13 3:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

17,233

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Sarande 1,490 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Sarande

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 Sarande: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sarande is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,927 in Sarande. 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 98% more in Sarande, 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 $55.0 in Sarande. 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 Sarande at $1,285. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sarande 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, Sarande makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.