Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Uppsala

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,978 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Uppsala
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,978
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Uppsala

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,978 in Uppsala, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Uppsala $1,978

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $3,051 in Uppsala, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Uppsala $3,051

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $4,124 in Uppsala, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Uppsala $4,124

Cairo is about 67% cheaper than Uppsala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Uppsala is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$14.90 SEK 148
-68.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$81.0 SEK 802
-65.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$9.87 SEK 97.8
-38.91%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$4.98 SEK 49.39
-65.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$3.05 SEK 30.25
-88.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$2.40 SEK 23.74
-95.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$7.96 SEK 78.9
-81.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$9.87 SEK 97.8
-76.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.81 SEK 17.91
-49.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$2.78 SEK 27.57
-73.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$4.59 SEK 45.48
-83.88%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$5.05 SEK 50.1
-76.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$10.12 SEK 100
-57.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$14.77 SEK 146
-65.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$17.86 SEK 177
-48.04%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$4.18 SEK 41.42
-57.66%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$2.73 SEK 27.06
-73.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$3.49 SEK 34.63
-84.24%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$5.12 SEK 50.7
-90.23%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$1.94 SEK 19.20
-78.35%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$1.70 SEK 16.80
-75.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$2.64 SEK 26.21
-87.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$1.28 SEK 12.68
-83.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$7.96 SEK 78.9
-75.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$9.91 SEK 98.2
-21.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$2.47 SEK 24.51
-35.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$2.52 SEK 24.94
-17.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$3.92 SEK 38.80
-91.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
$111 SEK 1,103
-92.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$5.33 SEK 52.8
-92.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$1.32 SEK 13.13
-83.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$61.3 SEK 607
-97.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$1.77 SEK 17.54
-75.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$33.2K SEK 329.1K
-1.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$32.1K SEK 318.3K
-15.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$109 SEK 1,077
-74.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$15.95 SEK 158
-46.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$47.42 SEK 470
-70.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$39.13 SEK 388
-24.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$23.27 SEK 231
-68.84%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$18.61 SEK 184
-73.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$126 SEK 1,248
-4.28%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$105 SEK 1,037
-61.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$48.48 SEK 480
2.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$94.4 SEK 935
21.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$200 SEK 1,982
-69.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$892 SEK 8,836
-75.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$707 SEK 7,009
-72.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$1,750 SEK 17.3K
-68.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$1,138 SEK 11.3K
-69.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$5,186 SEK 51.4K
-84.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$2,595 SEK 25.7K
-79.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Uppsala
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
$3,008 SEK 29.8K
-93.36%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
3.8
326.58%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Uppsala: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Uppsala
$707 263% $512
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Uppsala
$391 176% $250
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Uppsala
$201 69% $82
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Uppsala
$290 222% $200
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Uppsala
$172 245% $122
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Uppsala
$76 93.7% $37
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Uppsala
$139 1100% $127

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $892 in Uppsala. 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 1406% higher in Uppsala, 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 $81.0 in Uppsala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $391 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇸🇪 Uppsala
🕒 Local time
05:50 5:50 AM
04:50 4:50 AM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
166,698
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Uppsala 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Uppsala

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 Uppsala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Uppsala cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Uppsala is pricier by about 206%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $2,966 in Uppsala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Cairo and in Uppsala?
Groceries cost about 176% more in Uppsala, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Cairo or in Uppsala?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $81.0 in Uppsala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Cairo or in Uppsala?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Uppsala at $1,978. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Uppsala it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Cairo or Uppsala more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Cairo or Uppsala?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Uppsala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Cairo vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?