Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Zenica

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $850 in Zenica, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Zenica
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Zenica Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Zenica

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Zenica

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $850 in Zenica, rent included.

Cairo $647
Zenica $850

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,245 in Zenica, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Zenica $1,245

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $1,639 in Zenica, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Zenica $1,639

Cairo is about 24% cheaper than Zenica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Zenica are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Zenica 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£245

$6.98 BAM 12.19

-33.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,483

$18.26 BAM 31.88

54.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£318

$4.09 BAM 7.14

47.43%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£91.0

$1.59 BAM 2.78

8.18%

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

$0.36 E£19.14

$1.69 BAM 2.96

-78.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.33

$1.23 BAM 2.16

-90.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£79.4

$1.99 BAM 3.47

-24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£122

$2.01 BAM 3.52

15.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.32

$1.27 BAM 2.22

-27.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.44

$0.94 BAM 1.64

-22.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.15

$1.73 BAM 3.01

-57.23%

Eggs

$1.19 E£62.9

$2.70 BAM 4.72

-55.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£229

$7.58 BAM 13.23

-42.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£265

$7.07 BAM 12.34

-28.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£489

$12.55 BAM 21.90

-26.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£93.2

$1.35 BAM 2.35

31.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£38.55

$1.59 BAM 2.78

-54.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.15

$1.55 BAM 2.71

-64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.58

$1.76 BAM 3.07

-71.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.14

$1.01 BAM 1.77

-58.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.54

$1.22 BAM 2.14

-66.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.30

$0.58 BAM 1.01

-43.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.06

$0.70 BAM 1.23

-70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£104

$3.35 BAM 5.85

-40.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£412

$5.58 BAM 9.75

39.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£83.6

$0.85 BAM 1.48

87.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£110

$0.99 BAM 1.74

111.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.60

$0.90 BAM 1.57

-61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£458

$31.58 BAM 55.1

-72.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£20.76

$1.54 BAM 2.69

-74.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.43

$0.87 BAM 1.52

-74.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£79.5

$8.73 BAM 15.24

-82.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.59

$1.50 BAM 2.61

-71.33%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$30.7K BAM 53.5K

6.67%

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

$27.2K E£1.4M

$21.7K BAM 37.9K

25.54%

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

$27.27 E£1,438

$161 BAM 281

-83.06%

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

$8.58 E£453

$18.28 BAM 31.91

-53.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£738

$23.97 BAM 41.83

-41.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,566

$24.06 BAM 41.99

23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£383

$14.24 BAM 24.86

-49.09%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£256

$4.50 BAM 7.86

8.00%

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

$121 E£6,359

$134 BAM 235

-10.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£187.7K

$3,848 BAM 6,716

-7.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,125

$50.4 BAM 87.9

-20.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,612

$30.31 BAM 52.9

63.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,061

$92.8 BAM 162

23.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,167

$86.9 BAM 152

-30.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.7K

$191 BAM 334

16.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.3K

$142 BAM 248

37.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.0K

$267 BAM 467

105.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.3K

$200 BAM 349

73.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.2K

$1,584 BAM 2,764

-49.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£27.7K

$1,280 BAM 2,235

-59.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$653 BAM 1,140

-69.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

440.33%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zenica: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Zenica

$142 16.7% 27.1% $53

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Zenica

$201 23.6% 41.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Zenica

$117 13.8% 1.7% $2

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Zenica

$113 13.3% 25.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Zenica

$203 23.9% 308% $153

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Zenica

$33 3.9% 16.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Zenica

$41 4.8% 255% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $191 in Zenica. 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 227% higher in Zenica, 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 $18.00 in Zenica. Groceries tell a different story – $142 in Cairo vs $201 in Zenica – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇧🇦 Zenica

🕒 Local time

15:42 3:42 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

70,533

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.9 USD

100 EGP = 1.69 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 52.74 EGP (100 EGP = 1.9 USD). 1 EUR = 59.09 EGP (100 EGP = 1.69 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Zenica 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Zenica

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 Zenica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zenica is pricier by about 31%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,275 in Zenica. 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 41% more in Zenica, 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 $18.00 in Zenica. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $850 in Zenica, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Zenica makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.