Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Zliten

For one person, living is cheaper in Zliten: $359 a month against $647 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Zliten
🇱🇾 Libya
$359
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Zliten

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $359 in Zliten, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Zliten $359

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $547 in Zliten, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Zliten $547

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $735 in Zliten, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Zliten $735

Cairo costs about 80% more than Zliten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cairo and Zliten are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Zliten 73% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$3.91 LYD 25.04
18.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$12.48 LYD 80.0
125.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$2.66 LYD 17.02
126.69%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.48 LYD 3.09
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.73 LYD 4.71
-
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$0.40 LYD 2.59
330.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$0.38 LYD 2.42
-5.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$0.10 LYD 0.64
20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$0.79 LYD 5.07
16.46%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$0.22 LYD 1.41
231.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$0.75 LYD 4.79
-1.33%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$1.13 LYD 7.26
5.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$5.27 LYD 33.77
-17.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$2.77 LYD 17.77
81.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$8.77 LYD 56.2
5.82%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$2.24 LYD 14.37
-20.98%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$1.47 LYD 9.42
-50.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$0.72 LYD 4.62
-23.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$0.56 LYD 3.61
-10.71%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$0.71 LYD 4.56
-40.85%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$0.49 LYD 3.12
-16.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$0.43 LYD 2.73
-23.26%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$0.19 LYD 1.23
10.53%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.75 LYD 11.22
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.01 LYD 6.44
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.77 LYD 4.93
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$1.89 LYD 12.12
4.76%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$0.81 LYD 5.21
-51.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$0.49 LYD 3.12
-55.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$0.02 LYD 0.14
2050.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$22.9K LYD 146.9K
42.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$21.2K LYD 135.7K
28.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$94.0 LYD 602
-70.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$6.00 LYD 38.47
43.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$26.52 LYD 170
-47.25%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$53.2 LYD 341
126.76%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$1,557 LYD 9,975
128.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$22.45 LYD 144
79.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$17.20 LYD 110
187.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$64.4 LYD 413
78.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$67.3 LYD 431
-10.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Zliten
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
0
-

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zliten: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Zliten
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Zliten
$106 24.9% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Zliten
$77 35.3% $42
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Zliten
$46 48.9% $44
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Zliten
$127 154% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Zliten
- * 100%
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Zliten
$3.3 * 71.9% $8.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $12.00 in Zliten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $106 – making Zliten the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇱🇾 Zliten
🕒 Local time
17:20 5:20 PM
16:20 4:20 PM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
240,000
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Zliten 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Zliten

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 Zliten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zliten cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $539 in Zliten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Cairo and in Zliten?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $647 in Cairo and $359 in Zliten. That's a gap of about 80%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $53.2 in Zliten. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,200 enough for either Cairo or Zliten?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $359 in Zliten, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Cairo or Zliten more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Zliten – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Zliten. 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.

Cairo vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

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