Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Shibin Al Kawm

For one person, living is cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm: $458 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.

Cairo, Egypt
Shibin Al Kawm, Egypt
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$635
/mo nomad
Shibin Al Kawm
🇪🇬 Egypt
$458
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $458 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

  • Cairo $635
  • Shibin Al Kawm $458

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $730 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,010
  • Shibin Al Kawm $730

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $1,003 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,385
  • Shibin Al Kawm $1,003

Cairo costs about 39% more than Shibin Al Kawm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Cairo and Shibin Al Kawm are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Shibin Al Kawm 66% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.63 E£258
$4.16 E£232
11.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.66 E£1,542
$11.51 E£642
140.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 E£325
$4.78 E£267
21.97%
Cappuccino
$1.69 E£94.1
$1.32 E£73.4
28.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 E£19.62
$0.27 E£14.84
29.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 E£7.17
$0.11 E£6.20
18.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 E£81.8
$1.31 E£72.8
12.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 E£123
$2.93 E£163
-24.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.94 E£52.7
$0.80 E£44.51
17.50%
White Bread (500g)
$0.79 E£43.82
$0.72 E£39.90
9.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.70 E£39.07
$0.59 E£33.14
18.64%
Eggs
$1.12 E£62.2
$1.19 E£66.6
-5.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.08 E£227
$3.91 E£218
4.35%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.77 E£266
$4.39 E£245
8.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.81 E£491
$9.38 E£523
-6.08%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 E£93.7
$1.54 E£86.0
9.09%
Banana (1kg)
$0.71 E£39.76
$0.74 E£41.10
-4.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.59 E£32.70
$0.55 E£30.72
7.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 E£28.26
$0.33 E£18.35
54.55%
Potato (1kg)
$0.37 E£20.69
$0.24 E£13.38
54.17%
Onion (1kg)
$0.44 E£24.51
$0.32 E£17.95
37.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.34 E£19.19
$0.27 E£15.09
25.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.66
$0.20 E£11.37
5.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 E£111
$1.94 E£108
2.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.49 E£418
$5.62 E£313
33.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 E£84.0
$1.25 E£69.9
20.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 E£116
$2.23 E£124
-6.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 E£19.10
$0.18 E£10.26
88.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.31 E£464
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 E£22.43
$0.56 E£31.03
-28.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.19 E£10.43
$0.17 E£9.38
11.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.50 E£83.6
$1.15 E£64.1
30.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.45 E£24.82
$0.43 E£24.08
4.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K E£1.8M
$31.7K E£1.8M
4.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K E£1.5M
$26.6K E£1.5M
-1.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.62 E£1,541
$14.50 E£808
90.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.83 E£437
$6.85 E£382
14.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.39 E£803
$13.24 E£738
8.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.62 E£1,596
$15.90 E£887
80.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.47 E£417
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.56 E£254
$2.92 E£163
56.16%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$120 E£6,701
$85.1 E£4,744
41.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,476 E£193.9K
$2,145 E£119.6K
62.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.13 E£2,182
$33.51 E£1,869
16.77%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.04 E£2,735
$45.24 E£2,523
8.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 E£6,198
$129 E£7,209
-14.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.0 E£3,178
$57.1 E£3,185
-0.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$215 E£12.0K
$133 E£7,417
61.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$196 E£10.9K
$75.6 E£4,214
159.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$542 E£30.2K
$249 E£13.9K
117.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$338 E£18.8K
$142 E£7,927
137.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$830 E£46.3K
$765 E£42.7K
8.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$512 E£28.5K
$345 E£19.2K
48.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Shibin Al Kawm
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$195 E£10.9K
-
-
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 Shibin Al Kawm: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$196
Shibin Al Kawm
$76 61.4% $120
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$137
Shibin Al Kawm
$127 7.4% $10
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$115
Shibin Al Kawm
$119 3.5% $4
Eating Out
Cairo
$88
Shibin Al Kawm
$77 12.6% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Shibin Al Kawm
$35 30.6% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$38
Shibin Al Kawm
$22 42.4% $16
Getting Around
Cairo
$11
Shibin Al Kawm
$2.1 * 80.7% $8.9

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 $133 in Shibin Al Kawm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Cairo versus $12 in Shibin Al Kawm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $127 – making Shibin Al Kawm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇪🇬 Shibin Al Kawm
🕒 Local time
09:17 9:17 AM
09:17 9:17 AM
Same time as Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
184,097
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Shibin Al Kawm 61 km
From you
  • Cairo
  • Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shibin Al Kawm cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $686 in Shibin Al Kawm. 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 Shibin Al Kawm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $215 in Cairo.
What are total monthly expenses in Cairo and in Shibin Al Kawm?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $635 in Cairo and $458 in Shibin Al Kawm. That’s a gap of about 39%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $120 per month in Cairo and $85 in Shibin Al Kawm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $800 enough for either Cairo or Shibin Al Kawm?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $635 in Cairo and $458 in Shibin Al Kawm, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Cairo or Shibin Al Kawm more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Shibin Al Kawm – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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