Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Tanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanta: $325 a month against $611 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Tanta
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Tanta Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Tanta

🇪🇬 Egypt

$325

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Tanta

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

A single person spends $611 per month in Cairo vs $325 in Tanta, rent included.

Cairo $611
Tanta $325

A couple spends around $970 per month in Cairo vs $540 in Tanta, rent included.

Cairo $970
Tanta $540

A family of three spends $1,329 per month in Cairo vs $754 in Tanta, rent included.

Cairo $1,329
Tanta $754

Cairo costs about 88% more than Tanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Tanta are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 55% lower, Tanta 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.51 E£251

$1.75 E£97.6

157.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.00 E£1,505

$16.07 E£895

68.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 E£298

$4.48 E£250

19.20%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£95.6

$0.80 E£44.31

115.00%

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

$0.34 E£18.99

$0.30 E£16.82

13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£8.05

$0.09 E£5.27

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.39 E£77.5

$1.22 E£68.2

13.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 E£120

$2.73 E£152

-21.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.37

$0.54 E£30.01

61.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 E£42.29

$0.28 E£15.76

171.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 E£34.97

$0.48 E£26.83

31.25%

Eggs

$1.09 E£60.6

$1.06 E£59.3

2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.74 E£209

$1.94 E£108

92.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 E£257

$3.90 E£218

18.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.42 E£469

$5.98 E£333

40.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.69 E£94.0

$1.22 E£67.9

38.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.68 E£38.04

$0.57 E£31.77

19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.56 E£31.00

$0.32 E£18.07

75.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.47 E£26.07

$0.28 E£15.74

67.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£21.44

$0.23 E£12.81

65.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£21.72

$0.19 E£10.49

105.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£18.66

$0.08 E£4.36

312.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£12.28

$0.18 E£10.21

22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$1.71 E£95.4

8.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 E£404

$5.36 E£299

35.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 E£79.0

$1.04 E£58.1

36.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 E£111

$1.56 E£87.2

26.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 E£17.24

$0.09 E£5.28

244.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.17 E£400

$10.55 E£588

-32.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 E£19.39

$0.38 E£21.00

-7.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£10.82

$0.23 E£12.82

-17.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 E£81.1

$3.46 E£193

-57.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.27

$0.40 E£22.08

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

$32.3K E£1.8M

$30.3K E£1.7M

6.48%

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

$24.9K E£1.4M

$21.4K E£1.2M

16.32%

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

$26.70 E£1,488

$13.19 E£735

102.43%

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

$7.51 E£418

$6.57 E£366

14.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.02 E£781

$6.86 E£383

104.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.01 E£1,505

$19.78 E£1,102

36.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.15 E£398

$4.54 E£253

57.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 E£246

$2.61 E£146

68.97%

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

$117 E£6,499

$17.90 E£998

551.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,269 E£182.2K

$1,046 E£58.3K

212.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.71 E£2,102

$16.28 E£907

131.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.61 E£2,653

$30.74 E£1,713

54.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 E£6,083

$123 E£6,848

-11.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.6 E£3,101

$19.74 E£1,100

181.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 E£11.3K

$58.8 E£3,275

246.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 E£10.5K

$33.12 E£1,846

467.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 E£29.2K

$138 E£7,713

278.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 E£17.7K

$63.2 E£3,520

403.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$793 E£44.2K

$758 E£42.3K

4.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$484 E£27.0K

$288 E£16.1K

67.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$185 E£10.3K

$105 E£5,837

76.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

8.07%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Tanta: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$188 30.7%

Tanta

$33 10.2% 82.4% $155

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$131 21.5%

Tanta

$93 28.5% 29.5% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$113 18.4%

Tanta

$85 26.2% 24.2% $27

Eating Out

Cairo

$86 14.1%

Tanta

$50 15.4% 41.6% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$48 7.9%

Tanta

$27 8.2% 44.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$36 5.9%

Tanta

$25 7.7% 30.2% $11

Getting Around

Cairo

$9.7 1.6%

Tanta

$12 3.8% 28% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $203 in Cairo versus $59 in Tanta. 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 76% 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 $27 in Cairo versus $16 in Tanta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $131 vs $93 – making Tanta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇪🇬 Tanta

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

Same time as Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

658,798

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Cairo
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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 Tanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 88%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $917 per month in Cairo and $488 in Tanta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tanta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $59 there versus $203 in Cairo.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Cairo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Cairo and $16 in Tanta. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $611 in Cairo and $325 in Tanta, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tanta – 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 Tanta. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.