Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Sheikh Zayed

For one person, living is cheaper in Sheikh Zayed: $462 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Sheikh Zayed
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Sheikh Zayed Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Sheikh Zayed

🇪🇬 Egypt

$462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Sheikh Zayed

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $462 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Cairo $635
Sheikh Zayed $462

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $780 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Sheikh Zayed $780

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $1,099 in Sheikh Zayed, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Sheikh Zayed $1,099

Cairo costs about 38% more than Sheikh Zayed, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Sheikh Zayed are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Sheikh Zayed 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$3.68 E£196

25.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$18.59 E£993

48.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$4.07 E£217

43.24%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$1.26 E£67.3

34.13%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$0.30 E£15.83

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$0.12 E£6.15

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$1.28 E£68.3

14.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$2.70 E£144

-18.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$0.80 E£42.81

17.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$0.70 E£37.32

12.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$0.54 E£28.89

29.63%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$1.16 E£62.1

-3.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$3.76 E£201

8.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$4.30 E£230

10.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$9.01 E£481

-2.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$1.48 E£78.8

13.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$0.78 E£41.42

-8.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$0.55 E£29.19

7.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$0.34 E£18.25

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$0.26 E£13.91

42.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$0.32 E£17.28

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$0.27 E£14.56

25.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$0.20 E£10.60

5.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$1.57 E£84.0

26.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$5.48 E£292

36.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$0.91 E£48.49

65.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$2.26 E£121

-7.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$0.27 E£14.24

25.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$0.50 E£26.60

-20.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$0.53 E£28.40

-64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$1.11 E£59.5

35.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$0.41 E£21.73

9.76%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$29.3K E£1.6M

13.20%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$24.8K E£1.3M

5.30%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$13.92 E£743

98.42%

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

$7.83 E£418

$6.80 E£363

15.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$12.79 E£683

12.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$37.41 E£1,998

-23.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$9.25 E£494

-19.24%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$2.77 E£148

64.62%

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

$120 E£6,417

$84.4 E£4,505

42.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$2,064 E£110.2K

68.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$32.64 E£1,743

19.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$44.08 E£2,354

11.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$123 E£6,545

-9.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$52.0 E£2,775

9.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$184 E£9,848

16.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$75.3 E£4,022

160.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$488 E£26.1K

10.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$184 E£9,843

83.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$1,033 E£55.1K

-19.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$552 E£29.5K

-7.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$130 E£6,959

49.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

21.33

-24.00%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sheikh Zayed: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Sheikh Zayed

$75 16.3% 61.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Sheikh Zayed

$122 26.5% 10.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Sheikh Zayed

$113 24.5% 2% $2.3

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Sheikh Zayed

$70 15.2% 20.6% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Sheikh Zayed

$34 7.3% 32.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Sheikh Zayed

$43 9.3% 13.8% $5.2

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Sheikh Zayed

$4.2 * 0.9% 61.7% $6.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $184 in Sheikh Zayed. 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 50% higher in Cairo, 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 $19.00 in Sheikh Zayed. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $122 – making Sheikh Zayed the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 Sheikh Zayed

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

80,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cairo Sheikh Zayed 24 km

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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 Sheikh Zayed: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 38%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $693 in Sheikh Zayed. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sheikh Zayed, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $635 in Cairo and $462 in Sheikh Zayed. That's a gap of about 38%.

Kindergarten costs $120 per month in Cairo and $84.4 in Sheikh Zayed. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $635 in Cairo and $462 in Sheikh Zayed, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sheikh Zayed – 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 Sheikh Zayed. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.