Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Sveti Nikole

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $847 in Sveti Nikole, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$643
/mo nomad
Sveti Nikole
🇲🇰 North Macedonia
$847
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Sveti Nikole

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $847 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

  • Cairo $643
  • Sveti Nikole $847

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $1,299 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,037
  • Sveti Nikole $1,299

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $1,752 in Sveti Nikole, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,431
  • Sveti Nikole $1,752

Cairo is about 24% cheaper than Sveti Nikole, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Sveti Nikole are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Sveti Nikole 37% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.69 E£245
$8.91 MKD 488
-47.36%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.49 E£1,491
$34.23 MKD 1,876
-16.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£315
$5.31 MKD 291
13.56%
Cappuccino
$1.81 E£94.7
$1.62 MKD 88.8
11.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 E£18.18
$1.40 MKD 76.7
-75.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 E£7.95
$0.98 MKD 53.6
-84.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.45 E£76.0
$1.59 MKD 87.0
-8.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.24 E£117
$1.81 MKD 99.1
23.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 E£50.7
$1.30 MKD 71.1
-25.38%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£37.96
$0.59 MKD 32.37
23.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 E£40.24
$1.15 MKD 63.2
-33.04%
Eggs
$1.17 E£61.2
$2.50 MKD 137
-53.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.32 E£226
$8.98 MKD 492
-51.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.07 E£265
$4.62 MKD 253
9.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.92 E£467
$12.02 MKD 659
-25.79%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 E£95.8
$1.35 MKD 74.0
35.56%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 E£39.07
$1.24 MKD 67.8
-39.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.57 E£29.78
$1.23 MKD 67.7
-53.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.51 E£26.62
$1.70 MKD 93.3
-70.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.38 E£20.05
$0.74 MKD 40.77
-48.65%
Onion (1kg)
$0.42 E£21.88
$1.16 MKD 63.8
-63.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 E£18.43
$0.80 MKD 43.74
-56.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.24 E£12.57
$0.42 MKD 23.08
-42.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.99 E£104
$3.03 MKD 166
-34.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.48 E£391
$6.41 MKD 351
16.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.52 E£79.4
$0.98 MKD 53.5
55.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 E£112
$1.42 MKD 77.7
50.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 E£17.10
$0.72 MKD 39.23
-54.17%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.66 E£453
$23.30 MKD 1,277
-62.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.37 E£19.27
$1.43 MKD 78.6
-74.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 E£10.65
$0.99 MKD 54.1
-79.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.49 E£77.8
$3.71 MKD 203
-59.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.46 E£23.94
$1.47 MKD 80.7
-68.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.6K E£1.7M
$34.4K MKD 1.9M
-5.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K E£1.5M
$27.3K MKD 1.5M
4.00%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.54 E£1,441
$128 MKD 7,030
-78.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.27 E£432
$15.35 MKD 841
-46.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.05 E£735
$11.85 MKD 649
18.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.27 E£1,479
$22.65 MKD 1,241
24.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.70 E£350
$16.14 MKD 884
-58.49%
Cinema Ticket
$4.40 E£230
$4.93 MKD 270
-10.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,356
$303 MKD 16.6K
-59.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,619 E£189.3K
$3,086 MKD 169.1K
17.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.16 E£2,101
$72.7 MKD 3,982
-44.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.61 E£2,596
$31.69 MKD 1,736
56.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,033
$82.5 MKD 4,523
39.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.6 E£3,170
$85.5 MKD 4,684
-29.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$220 E£11.5K
$239 MKD 13.1K
-7.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$194 E£10.2K
$182 MKD 9,990
6.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$514 E£26.9K
$539 MKD 29.5K
-4.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$334 E£17.5K
$262 MKD 14.3K
27.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$806 E£42.2K
$1,505 MKD 82.5K
-46.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$513 E£26.9K
$1,149 MKD 63.0K
-55.34%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Sveti Nikole
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.5K
$548 MKD 30.0K
-63.44%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
4.23
283.22%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sveti Nikole: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$194
Sveti Nikole
$182 6.1% $12
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$141
Sveti Nikole
$181 27.8% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$120
Sveti Nikole
$123 2.5% $3
Eating Out
Cairo
$91
Sveti Nikole
$128 40.2% $37
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Sveti Nikole
$155 212% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$37
Sveti Nikole
$33 12.3% $4.6
Getting Around
Cairo
$11
Sveti Nikole
$33 187% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $239 in Sveti Nikole. 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 174% higher in Sveti Nikole, 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 $34.00 in Sveti Nikole. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $181 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇲🇰 Sveti Nikole
🕒 Local time
15:35 3:35 PM
14:35 2:35 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
13,220
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MKD, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

North Macedonian Denar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 54.8 MKD (100 MKD = 1.82 USD). 1 EUR = 61.41 MKD (100 MKD = 1.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Sveti Nikole 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Sveti Nikole

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 Sveti Nikole: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sveti Nikole cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Sveti Nikole is pricier by about 32%, 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 $965 per month in Cairo and $1,271 in Sveti Nikole. 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 Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Sveti Nikole?
Groceries cost about 28% more in Sveti Nikole, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Sveti Nikole?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $34.00 in Sveti Nikole. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cairo or Sveti Nikole?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $643 in Cairo and $847 in Sveti Nikole, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Cairo or Sveti Nikole more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Cairo or Sveti Nikole?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sveti Nikole makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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