Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $1,133 in Upington, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Upington

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $1,133 in Upington, rent included.

Cairo $635
Upington $1,133

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $1,760 in Upington, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Upington $1,760

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $2,388 in Upington, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Upington $2,388

Cairo is about 44% cheaper than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Upington are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Upington 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$12.40 R 204

-62.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$37.12 R 612

-25.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$5.69 R 93.7

2.46%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$1.74 R 28.68

-2.87%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$1.04 R 17.17

-66.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$0.76 R 12.58

-82.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$1.73 R 28.48

-15.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$2.82 R 46.42

-21.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$0.89 R 14.65

5.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$1.25 R 20.66

-36.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$1.65 R 27.26

-57.58%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$2.64 R 43.52

-57.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$8.45 R 139

-51.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$5.12 R 84.3

-6.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$7.27 R 120

21.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$2.04 R 33.55

-17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$1.71 R 28.20

-58.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$1.78 R 29.35

-66.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$1.84 R 30.29

-72.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$1.51 R 24.81

-75.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$1.58 R 25.95

-72.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$1.27 R 20.96

-73.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$1.02 R 16.78

-79.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$2.76 R 45.51

-27.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$3.73 R 61.4

100.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.28 R 21.09

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$1.75 R 28.88

18.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$1.74 R 28.72

-80.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$0.55 R 9.03

-27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$0.96 R 15.86

-80.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$10.66 R 176

-85.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$1.50 R 24.69

-70.00%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$31.3K R 514.9K

5.95%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$34.0K R 560.5K

-23.14%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$146 R 2,404

-81.07%

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

$7.83 E£418

$37.98 R 626

-79.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$38.45 R 633

-62.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$27.77 R 458

3.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$12.05 R 198

-38.01%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$6.94 R 114

-34.29%

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

$120 E£6,417

$103 R 1,691

17.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$5,463 R 90.0K

-36.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$61.2 R 1,008

-36.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$33.44 R 551

46.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$116 R 1,916

-4.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$96.9 R 1,597

-41.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$394 R 6,494

-45.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$369 R 6,084

-46.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$616 R 10.2K

-12.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$737 R 12.1K

-54.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$763 R 12.6K

8.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$736 R 12.1K

-30.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$776 R 12.8K

-74.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

11.38

42.44%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Upington

$369 32.6% 88.5% $173

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Upington

$190 16.8% 38.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Upington

$139 12.2% 20.1% $23

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Upington

$159 14% 79.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Upington

$222 19.6% 346% $172

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Upington

$42 3.7% 10.3% $3.9

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Upington

$12 * 1.1% 11.9% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $394 in Upington. 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 298% higher in Upington, 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 $37.00 in Upington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $190 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

02:44 2:44 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

74,834

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Upington 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Upington is pricier by about 78%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $1,700 in Upington. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $635 in Cairo and $1,133 in Upington. That's a gap of about 78%.

Kindergarten costs $120 per month in Cairo and $103 in Upington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Upington at $1,133. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Upington 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, Upington makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.