Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Skien

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $2,336 in Skien, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Skien
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Skien Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Skien

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,336

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Skien

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $2,336 in Skien, rent included.

Cairo $647
Skien $2,336

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $3,267 in Skien, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Skien $3,267

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $4,197 in Skien, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Skien $4,197

Cairo is about 72% cheaper than Skien, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Skien is 73% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$21.21 NOK 200

-78.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$103 NOK 971

-72.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$15.47 NOK 146

-61.02%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$5.11 NOK 48.11

-66.34%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$4.36 NOK 41.01

-91.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$2.97 NOK 27.96

-95.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$11.89 NOK 112

-87.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$12.33 NOK 116

-81.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$2.11 NOK 19.84

-56.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$3.92 NOK 36.90

-81.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$4.57 NOK 42.98

-83.81%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$5.66 NOK 53.3

-78.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$13.16 NOK 124

-67.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$15.17 NOK 143

-66.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$21.79 NOK 205

-57.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$3.35 NOK 31.49

-47.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.70 NOK 25.42

-72.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$3.49 NOK 32.86

-84.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$5.95 NOK 56.0

-91.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$2.24 NOK 21.04

-81.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$2.78 NOK 26.12

-85.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$3.04 NOK 28.63

-89.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$2.48 NOK 23.33

-91.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$19.02 NOK 179

-89.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$15.76 NOK 148

-50.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$3.35 NOK 31.58

-52.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$4.33 NOK 40.76

-51.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$3.26 NOK 30.64

-89.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$47.91 NOK 451

-81.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$11.13 NOK 105

-96.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.81 NOK 17.02

-87.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$70.8 NOK 667

-97.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.27 NOK 21.39

-81.06%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$47.5K NOK 447.3K

-31.18%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$43.4K NOK 408.1K

-37.20%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$93.9 NOK 884

-70.95%

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

$8.58 E£458

$33.89 NOK 319

-74.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$53.6 NOK 504

-73.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$43.10 NOK 406

-31.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$15.29 NOK 144

-68.21%

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

$121 E£6,438

$239 NOK 2,247

-49.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$15.7K NOK 148.1K

-77.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$63.7 NOK 600

-36.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$60.4 NOK 568

-17.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$87.9 NOK 827

30.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$153 NOK 1,442

-60.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$1,042 NOK 9,811

-78.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$975 NOK 9,183

-80.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$1,035 NOK 9,746

-46.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$939 NOK 8,841

-63.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$3,395 NOK 32.0K

-76.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$3,149 NOK 29.6K

-83.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$4,236 NOK 39.9K

-95.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

4.37

270.94%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Skien: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Skien

$975 41.8% 400% $780

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Skien

$470 20.1% 231% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Skien

$164 7% 37.9% $45

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Skien

$391 16.7% 334% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Skien

$181 7.8% 264% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Skien

$74 3.2% 87% $34

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Skien

$81 3.5% 600% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $1,042 in Skien. 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 2021% higher in Skien, 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 $103 in Skien. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $470 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇳🇴 Skien

🕒 Local time

21:51 9:51 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

56,769

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Skien 3,640 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Skien

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 Skien: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Skien is pricier by about 261%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $3,504 in Skien. 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 231% more in Skien, 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 $103 in Skien. 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 Skien at $2,336. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Skien 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.

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 Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Skien makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.