Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Umea

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,608 in Umea, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
80

Cost of Living Index in Umea
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Umea Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Umea

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Umea

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $1,608 in Umea, rent included.

Cairo $643
Umea $1,608

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $2,579 in Umea, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Umea $2,579

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $3,550 in Umea, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Umea $3,550

Cairo is about 60% cheaper than Umea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Umea is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$15.02 SEK 150

-68.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$79.3 SEK 793

-64.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$12.00 SEK 120

-49.75%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$3.99 SEK 39.90

-54.64%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$3.20 SEK 31.99

-89.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$2.36 SEK 23.59

-93.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$8.30 SEK 83.0

-82.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$7.40 SEK 74.0

-69.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$1.63 SEK 16.29

-40.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$3.44 SEK 34.42

-78.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$4.07 SEK 40.68

-81.08%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$3.90 SEK 38.95

-70.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$11.24 SEK 112

-61.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$10.73 SEK 107

-52.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$17.23 SEK 172

-48.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$2.46 SEK 24.57

-25.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.26 SEK 22.63

-66.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.82 SEK 28.16

-79.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$4.30 SEK 43.00

-88.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.64 SEK 16.35

-76.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.66 SEK 16.60

-74.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$2.49 SEK 24.90

-85.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.28 SEK 12.83

-81.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$6.89 SEK 68.9

-71.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$9.89 SEK 98.9

-24.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.27 SEK 22.66

-33.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.44 SEK 24.40

-12.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$2.92 SEK 29.16

-88.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$56.9 SEK 568

-84.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$6.80 SEK 68.0

-94.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$5.02 SEK 50.2

-96.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$1.74 SEK 17.37

-73.56%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$33.0K SEK 330.0K

-1.20%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$33.6K SEK 336.3K

-15.61%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$86.0 SEK 860

-67.99%

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

$8.27 E£432

$32.39 SEK 324

-74.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$27.15 SEK 271

-48.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$48.96 SEK 489

-42.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$35.34 SEK 353

-81.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$16.17 SEK 162

-72.79%

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

$121 E£6,356

$137 SEK 1,368

-11.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$99.5 SEK 995

-59.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$36.44 SEK 364

36.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$117 SEK 1,166

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$141 SEK 1,405

-56.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$736 SEK 7,357

-70.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$504 SEK 5,040

-61.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$1,105 SEK 11.0K

-53.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$823 SEK 8,227

-59.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$4,542 SEK 45.4K

-82.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$3,043 SEK 30.4K

-83.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$2,674 SEK 26.7K

-92.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

3.65

344.11%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Umea: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Umea

$504 30.7% 160% $310

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Umea

$350 21.3% 148% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Umea

$177 10.8% 48% $57

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Umea

$283 17.2% 210% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Umea

$146 8.9% 192% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Umea

$81 5% 119% $44

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Umea

$100 6.1% 785% $89

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $736 in Umea. 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 1236% higher in Umea, 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 $79.0 in Umea. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $350 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇸🇪 Umea

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

08:13 8:13 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

79,594

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Umea 3,840 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Umea

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 Umea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Umea is pricier by about 150%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $2,413 in Umea. 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 148% more in Umea, 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 $79.0 in Umea. 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 Umea at $1,608. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Umea 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, Umea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.