Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Tripoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $537 a month against $643 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
Learn more

Tripoli Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Tripoli

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $537 in Tripoli, rent included.

Cairo $643
Tripoli $537

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $822 in Tripoli, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Tripoli $822

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $1,108 in Tripoli, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Tripoli $1,108

Cairo costs about 20% more than Tripoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Tripoli are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Tripoli 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$3.98 LYD 25.47

17.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$15.24 LYD 97.5

86.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$2.58 LYD 16.53

133.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 LYD 3.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 LYD 4.30

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$0.45 LYD 2.86

302.22%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$0.43 LYD 2.73

-18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.11 LYD 0.70

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$0.90 LYD 5.77

7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$0.20 LYD 1.28

265.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.18 LYD 7.54

-34.75%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$1.36 LYD 8.72

-13.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$5.24 LYD 33.54

-17.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$3.47 LYD 22.21

46.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$9.25 LYD 59.2

-3.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.26 LYD 14.46

-19.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.46 LYD 9.35

-48.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$0.68 LYD 4.36

-16.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$0.60 LYD 3.81

-15.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$0.76 LYD 4.86

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$0.50 LYD 3.20

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$0.43 LYD 2.75

-18.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.21 LYD 1.31

14.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 LYD 6.06

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 LYD 5.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$1.96 LYD 12.57

1.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$0.30 LYD 1.89

10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$0.81 LYD 5.19

-54.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$0.49 LYD 3.12

-59.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$0.02 LYD 0.11

2200.00%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$23.4K LYD 150.0K

39.23%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$21.2K LYD 135.9K

33.73%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$93.3 LYD 597

-70.49%

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

$8.27 E£432

$6.11 LYD 39.10

35.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$26.55 LYD 170

-47.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$24.99 LYD 160

13.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$2.30 LYD 14.70

191.30%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

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

$121 E£6,356

$52.3 LYD 335

132.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$1,579 LYD 10.1K

129.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$22.63 LYD 145

77.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$17.54 LYD 112

182.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$63.4 LYD 406

81.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$66.3 LYD 424

-8.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$356 LYD 2,280

-38.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$146 LYD 934

33.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$596 LYD 3,815

-13.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$257 LYD 1,644

29.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$257 LYD 1,645

-22.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tripoli: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Tripoli

$146 27% 24.9% $48

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Tripoli

$115 21.3% 18.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Tripoli

$76 14.2% 36.1% $43

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Tripoli

$47 8.7% 48.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Tripoli

$126 23.3% 153% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6% 32.6% $12

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8% 61% $6.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $356 in Tripoli. 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 28% higher in Tripoli, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $15.00 in Tripoli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $115 – making Tripoli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

2,127,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, 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 = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.4 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.18 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Tripoli 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Tripoli

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 Tripoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $805 in Tripoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tripoli, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $643 in Cairo and $537 in Tripoli. That's a gap of about 20%.

Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $52.3 in Tripoli. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $643 in Cairo and $537 in Tripoli, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tripoli – 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 Tripoli. 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.