Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Sohag

For one person, living is cheaper in Sohag: $393 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$635
/mo nomad
Sohag
🇪🇬 Egypt
$393
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Sohag

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $393 in Sohag, rent included.

  • Cairo $635
  • Sohag $393

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $642 in Sohag, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,010
  • Sohag $642

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $892 in Sohag, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,385
  • Sohag $892

Cairo costs about 62% more than Sohag, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Sohag are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Sohag 71% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.63 E£247
$3.73 E£199
24.13%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.66 E£1,477
$15.00 E£801
84.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.83 E£311
$4.68 E£250
24.57%
Cappuccino
$1.69 E£90.1
$1.02 E£54.3
65.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 E£18.79
$0.32 E£16.86
9.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.13 E£6.86
$0.14 E£7.60
-7.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.47 E£78.3
$1.31 E£70.2
12.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 E£118
$2.83 E£151
-21.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.94 E£50.5
$0.79 E£42.23
18.99%
White Bread (500g)
$0.79 E£41.96
$0.69 E£37.10
14.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.70 E£37.41
$0.52 E£27.67
34.62%
Eggs
$1.12 E£59.5
$1.28 E£68.5
-12.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.08 E£218
$3.08 E£164
32.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.77 E£255
$3.97 E£212
20.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.81 E£470
$7.84 E£419
12.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 E£89.7
$1.39 E£74.0
20.86%
Banana (1kg)
$0.71 E£38.07
$0.68 E£36.44
4.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.59 E£31.31
$0.47 E£25.23
25.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 E£27.06
$0.31 E£16.81
64.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.37 E£19.81
$0.33 E£17.52
12.12%
Onion (1kg)
$0.44 E£23.47
$0.33 E£17.58
33.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.34 E£18.37
$0.25 E£13.57
36.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.16
$0.18 E£9.70
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 E£106
$1.76 E£94.2
13.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.49 E£400
$6.76 E£361
10.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 E£80.4
$1.23 E£65.4
22.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 E£111
$1.82 E£97.2
14.29%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 E£18.29
$0.18 E£9.67
88.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.31 E£444
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 E£21.48
$0.36 E£19.48
11.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.19 E£9.99
$0.21 E£11.43
-9.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.50 E£80.0
$1.37 E£73.2
9.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.45 E£23.77
$0.41 E£22.13
9.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.1K E£1.8M
$34.4K E£1.8M
-3.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K E£1.4M
$24.0K E£1.3M
9.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.62 E£1,475
$14.51 E£775
90.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.83 E£418
$6.87 E£367
13.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.39 E£769
$13.15 E£702
9.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.62 E£1,528
$15.89 E£849
80.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.47 E£399
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.56 E£244
$2.83 E£151
61.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$120 E£6,417
$79.9 E£4,264
50.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,476 E£185.6K
$2,116 E£113.0K
64.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$39.13 E£2,090
$18.50 E£988
111.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.04 E£2,619
$42.80 E£2,285
14.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 E£5,934
$121 E£6,485
-8.48%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.0 E£3,043
$49.65 E£2,651
14.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$215 E£11.5K
$130 E£6,947
65.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$196 E£10.5K
$42.27 E£2,257
363.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$542 E£28.9K
$111 E£5,912
389.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$338 E£18.0K
$86.7 E£4,630
289.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$830 E£44.3K
$735 E£39.3K
12.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$512 E£27.3K
$344 E£18.4K
48.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Sohag
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$195 E£10.4K
$127 E£6,795
53.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
16.21
-

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sohag: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$196
Sohag
$42 78.4% $154
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$137
Sohag
$117 14.5% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$115
Sohag
$105 9.3% $11
Eating Out
Cairo
$88
Sohag
$70 20.7% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Sohag
$35 30.7% $15
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$38
Sohag
$22 42.9% $16
Getting Around
Cairo
$11
Sohag
$2.2 * 80.4% $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 $130 in Sohag. 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 53% 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 $15.00 in Sohag. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $117 – making Sohag the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇪🇬 Sohag
🕒 Local time
19:04 7:04 PM
19:04 7:04 PM
Same time as Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
189,695
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Sohag 390 km
From you
  • Cairo
  • Sohag

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 Sohag: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sohag cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $589 in Sohag. 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 Sohag, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Cairo and in Sohag?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $635 in Cairo and $393 in Sohag. That's a gap of about 62%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $120 per month in Cairo and $79.9 in Sohag. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 enough for either Cairo or Sohag?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $635 in Cairo and $393 in Sohag, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Cairo or Sohag more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sohag – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sohag. 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.

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