Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,162 in Somerset West, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Somerset West

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,162 in Somerset West, rent included.

Cairo $647
Somerset West $1,162

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,890 in Somerset West, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Somerset West $1,890

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $2,618 in Somerset West, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Somerset West $2,618

Cairo is about 44% cheaper than Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Somerset West are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Somerset West 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$11.86 R 195

-60.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$45.93 R 757

-38.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$5.42 R 89.3

11.25%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$2.17 R 35.82

-20.74%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$1.03 R 16.99

-65.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.91 R 15.02

-86.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.52 R 41.47

-40.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$3.32 R 54.6

-30.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$0.94 R 15.56

-2.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$1.00 R 16.43

-27.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$2.06 R 33.91

-64.08%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$2.27 R 37.42

-47.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$8.65 R 142

-49.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$5.25 R 86.6

-4.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$9.52 R 157

-2.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.84 R 30.28

-3.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.90 R 31.24

-61.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$1.69 R 27.83

-67.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$1.74 R 28.62

-71.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.54 R 25.30

-72.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.54 R 25.30

-73.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$1.29 R 21.21

-74.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.09 R 17.92

-80.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$3.28 R 54.0

-39.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$5.98 R 98.5

30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$1.34 R 22.13

18.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.76 R 28.95

18.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$1.12 R 18.52

-68.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$59.4 R 979

-85.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.58 R 9.56

-32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$1.48 R 24.35

-85.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$5.08 R 83.7

-70.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$1.43 R 23.49

-69.93%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$28.8K R 474.1K

13.62%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$30.0K R 494.4K

-9.27%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$85.2 R 1,404

-67.99%

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

$8.58 E£458

$28.77 R 474

-70.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$40.92 R 674

-65.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$45.25 R 745

-34.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$10.76 R 177

-32.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$7.19 R 118

-32.41%

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

$121 E£6,438

$261 R 4,308

-53.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$3,633 R 59.9K

-2.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$30.84 R 508

30.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$31.76 R 523

55.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$70.5 R 1,161

63.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$56.5 R 930

6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$637 R 10.5K

-65.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$425 R 6,997

-54.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$1,358 R 22.4K

-59.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$935 R 15.4K

-62.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$1,227 R 20.2K

-34.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$907 R 14.9K

-42.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$1,427 R 23.5K

-86.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

10.12

60.18%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Somerset West

$425 36.5% 118% $230

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Somerset West

$202 17.4% 42.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Somerset West

$85 7.3% 28.4% $34

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Somerset West

$164 14.1% 82.4% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Somerset West

$155 13.3% 211% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Somerset West

$60 5.1% 51.3% $20

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Somerset West

$72 6.2% 521% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $637 in Somerset West. 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 615% higher in Somerset West, 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 $46.00 in Somerset West. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $202 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

11:28 11:28 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

55,166

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, 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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Somerset West 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Somerset West is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,743 in Somerset West. 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 42% more in Somerset West, 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 $46.00 in Somerset West. 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 Somerset West at $1,162. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Somerset West 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, Somerset West makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.