Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $647 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
Learn more

Zawiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Zawiya

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $441 in Zawiya, rent included.

Cairo $647
Zawiya $441

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $685 in Zawiya, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Zawiya $685

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $929 in Zawiya, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Zawiya $929

Cairo costs about 47% more than Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Zawiya are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Zawiya 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$2.39 LYD 15.32

94.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$15.64 LYD 100

79.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$2.68 LYD 17.16

125.00%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 LYD 3.80

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$0.42 LYD 2.68

309.52%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$0.41 LYD 2.63

-12.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$0.12 LYD 0.80

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$0.92 LYD 5.90

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$0.20 LYD 1.28

265.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$0.98 LYD 6.26

-24.49%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$1.35 LYD 8.65

-11.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$4.65 LYD 29.77

-6.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$3.58 LYD 22.97

40.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$8.99 LYD 57.6

3.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$1.94 LYD 12.46

-8.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.44 LYD 9.21

-49.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$0.68 LYD 4.38

-19.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$0.50 LYD 3.18

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$0.62 LYD 3.96

-32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$0.28 LYD 1.80

46.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$0.30 LYD 1.92

10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$0.18 LYD 1.18

16.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.75 LYD 4.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$1.72 LYD 11.03

15.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$0.80 LYD 5.13

-56.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$39.03 LYD 250

-77.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$0.76 LYD 4.84

-48.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$0.49 LYD 3.13

-55.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$2.38 LYD 15.25

-36.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$0.02 LYD 0.13

2050.00%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$15.2K LYD 97.4K

115.13%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$16.5K LYD 105.4K

65.49%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$94.2 LYD 603

-71.04%

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

$8.58 E£458

$5.59 LYD 35.80

53.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$12.12 LYD 77.7

15.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$16.94 LYD 109

75.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$3.84 LYD 24.61

88.80%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$3.78 LYD 24.25

28.57%

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

$121 E£6,438

$52.5 LYD 337

129.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$879 LYD 5,630

305.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$20.92 LYD 134

92.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$44.60 LYD 286

11.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$31.29 LYD 200

267.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$30.69 LYD 197

95.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$89.2 LYD 572

148.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$58.3 LYD 373

234.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$167 LYD 1,072

228.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$120 LYD 766

189.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$349 LYD 2,238

128.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$95.9 LYD 614

447.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$244 LYD 1,566

-18.25%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Zawiya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 70.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 23.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Zawiya

$57 13% 51.9% $62

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Zawiya

$34 7.8% 61.9% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 125% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Zawiya

$25 5.6% 37.8% $15

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Zawiya

$45 10.3% 292% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $89.2 in Zawiya. 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 22% higher in Zawiya, 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 $16.00 in Zawiya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $109 – making Zawiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

22:21 10:21 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

318,726

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Zawiya 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Zawiya

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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $661 in Zawiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 30% more in Cairo, 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 $16.00 in Zawiya. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $441 in Zawiya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Zawiya – 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 Zawiya. 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.