Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Zimba

For one person, living is cheaper in Zimba: $133 a month against $643 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Zimba

🇿🇲 Zambia

$133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Zimba

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $133 in Zimba, rent included.

Cairo $643
Zimba $133

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $207 in Zimba, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
Zimba $207

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $280 in Zimba, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
Zimba $280

Cairo costs about 382% more than Zimba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cairo and Zimba are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Zimba 90% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$3.08 ZMW 61.0

95.78%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$1.48 ZMW 29.44

22.30%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$0.73 ZMW 14.50

-52.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$0.36 ZMW 7.14

-58.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$0.75 ZMW 14.81

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$1.04 ZMW 20.57

115.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$1.02 ZMW 20.26

-28.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$1.54 ZMW 30.50

-50.00%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$1.29 ZMW 25.64

-9.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$3.57 ZMW 70.7

149.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$1.80 ZMW 35.74

1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.56 ZMW 30.93

-51.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$3.10 ZMW 61.6

-81.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$0.79 ZMW 15.59

-35.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$0.79 ZMW 15.70

-46.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$0.82 ZMW 16.29

-57.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$0.49 ZMW 9.69

-51.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$6.21 ZMW 123

20.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$0.79 ZMW 15.76

92.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$1.04 ZMW 20.57

104.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

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

$27.54 E£1,441

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

$8.27 E£432

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

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

$121 E£6,356

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

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 3, 2026

Last update for Zimba: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Zimba

–

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Zimba

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Zimba

–

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Zimba

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Zimba

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Zimba

–

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Zimba

–

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇿🇲 Zimba

🕒 Local time

07:54 7:54 AM

06:54 6:54 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, 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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

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Cairo Zimba 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

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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 Zimba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 382%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $200 in Zimba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $643 in Cairo and $133 in Zimba. That's a gap of about 382%.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Cairo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $643 in Cairo and $133 in Zimba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Zimba – 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 Zimba. 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.