Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Shkoder

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $961 in Shkoder, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Shkoder
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Shkoder Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Shkoder

🇦🇱 Albania

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Shkoder

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $961 in Shkoder, rent included.

Cairo $647
Shkoder $961

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,451 in Shkoder, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Shkoder $1,451

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $1,941 in Shkoder, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Shkoder $1,941

Cairo is about 33% cheaper than Shkoder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Shkoder are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Shkoder 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$8.94 ALL 720

-48.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$37.60 ALL 3,028

-25.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$6.04 ALL 487

-0.17%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$1.88 ALL 152

-8.51%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.85 ALL 149

-80.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.63 ALL 51.1

-80.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.82 ALL 147

-17.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$3.06 ALL 247

-24.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$1.89 ALL 152

-51.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.00 ALL 80.3

-27.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$2.03 ALL 163

-63.55%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.58 ALL 208

-53.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$7.26 ALL 585

-40.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$5.03 ALL 405

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$10.79 ALL 869

-13.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.63 ALL 131

8.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.22 ALL 178

-67.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.66 ALL 134

-66.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.50 ALL 121

-66.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.02 ALL 81.9

-58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.24 ALL 100

-66.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.18 ALL 95.2

-72.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.72 ALL 57.6

-70.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$4.18 ALL 336

-52.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$6.26 ALL 504

24.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.58 ALL 127

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.75 ALL 141

19.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$0.49 ALL 39.24

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$11.09 ALL 893

-21.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$3.60 ALL 290

-89.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$3.87 ALL 311

-94.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$18.31 ALL 1,474

-91.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.24 ALL 180

-80.80%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$34.1K ALL 2.7M

-4.22%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

11.32%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$61.2 ALL 4,926

-55.42%

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

$8.58 E£458

$16.81 ALL 1,354

-48.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$17.27 ALL 1,391

-18.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$42.56 ALL 3,427

-30.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$12.07 ALL 972

-39.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$7.39 ALL 595

-34.24%

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

$121 E£6,438

$93.2 ALL 7,509

29.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$1,846 ALL 148.7K

92.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$49.08 ALL 3,952

-17.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$12.44 ALL 1,002

298.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$72.2 ALL 5,818

59.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$144 ALL 11.6K

-58.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$476 ALL 38.3K

-53.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$305 ALL 24.6K

-36.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$485 ALL 39.0K

13.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$407 ALL 32.7K

-14.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$1,855 ALL 149.4K

-56.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$1,213 ALL 97.7K

-56.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$572 ALL 46.1K

-65.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

224.20%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Shkoder: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Shkoder

$305 31.8% 56.6% $110

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Shkoder

$205 21.3% 44.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Shkoder

$125 13% 5.1% $6

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Shkoder

$137 14.3% 52.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Shkoder

$95 9.9% 91.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Shkoder

$57 6% 45.5% $18

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Shkoder

$36 3.7% 211% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $476 in Shkoder. 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 186% higher in Shkoder, 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 $38.00 in Shkoder. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $205 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇱 Shkoder

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

77,075

💱 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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Between locations

Cairo Shkoder 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Shkoder

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 Shkoder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Shkoder is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,442 in Shkoder. 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 45% more in Shkoder, 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 $38.00 in Shkoder. 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 Shkoder at $961. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Shkoder 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, Shkoder makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.