Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Tirana

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,372 in Tirana, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Tirana
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Tirana Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Tirana

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Tirana

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,372 in Tirana, rent included.

Cairo $643
Tirana $1,372

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $2,167 in Tirana, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Tirana $2,167

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $2,961 in Tirana, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Tirana $2,961

Cairo is about 53% cheaper than Tirana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Tirana is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$9.80 ALL 797

-52.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$55.6 ALL 4,525

-48.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$11.01 ALL 896

-45.23%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$2.26 ALL 184

-19.91%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$2.42 ALL 197

-85.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$1.28 ALL 104

-88.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$3.56 ALL 290

-59.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$4.10 ALL 334

-45.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$2.18 ALL 177

-55.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.15 ALL 93.7

-36.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$2.35 ALL 191

-67.23%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.84 ALL 313

-69.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$12.66 ALL 1,030

-65.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$8.92 ALL 725

-43.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$17.17 ALL 1,397

-48.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.92 ALL 156

-4.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.49 ALL 203

-69.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.22 ALL 181

-74.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$1.80 ALL 146

-71.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.05 ALL 85.6

-63.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.30 ALL 106

-67.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$1.45 ALL 118

-75.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.73 ALL 59.5

-67.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$4.88 ALL 397

-59.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$10.45 ALL 851

-28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$1.57 ALL 128

-3.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.06 ALL 167

3.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.51 ALL 41.53

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$19.78 ALL 1,609

-56.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$3.58 ALL 291

-89.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$3.75 ALL 305

-94.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$18.40 ALL 1,497

-91.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$2.26 ALL 184

-79.65%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$33.8K ALL 2.7M

-3.36%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$34.9K ALL 2.8M

-18.72%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$96.8 ALL 7,877

-71.56%

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

$8.27 E£432

$17.91 ALL 1,457

-53.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$19.96 ALL 1,624

-29.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$56.3 ALL 4,580

-49.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$19.34 ALL 1,573

-65.36%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$9.90 ALL 805

-55.56%

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

$121 E£6,356

$340 ALL 27.6K

-64.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$8,356 ALL 679.8K

-56.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$69.8 ALL 5,676

-42.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$47.16 ALL 3,837

5.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$124 ALL 10.1K

-7.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$117 ALL 9,530

-48.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$819 ALL 66.6K

-73.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$473 ALL 38.4K

-58.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,585 ALL 129.0K

-67.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$891 ALL 72.5K

-62.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$4,310 ALL 350.7K

-81.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$2,090 ALL 170.0K

-75.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$895 ALL 72.8K

-77.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

5.39

200.74%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tirana: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Tirana

$473 34.9% 143% $278

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Tirana

$288 21.2% 104% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Tirana

$161 11.9% 34.8% $42

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Tirana

$179 13.2% 96.9% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Tirana

$135 9.9% 170% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Tirana

$76 5.6% 105% $39

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Tirana

$44 3.3% 289% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $819 in Tirana. 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 347% higher in Tirana, 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 $56.0 in Tirana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $288 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇦🇱 Tirana

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

12:05 12:05 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

418,495 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.36 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.17 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Tirana 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Tirana

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 Tirana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tirana is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $2,058 in Tirana. 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 104% more in Tirana, 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 $56.0 in Tirana. 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 $643, than in Tirana at $1,372. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tirana 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.

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