Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cologne and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,189 in Cologne, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Cologne
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Cologne Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Cologne

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,189

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cologne and in Cairo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cologne and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,189 per month in Cologne vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Cologne $2,189
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $3,383 per month in Cologne vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Cologne $3,383
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $4,578 per month in Cologne vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Cologne $4,578
Cairo $1,431

Cologne costs about 240% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cologne sits 63% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €14.98

$4.69 E£245

258.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.2 €76.0

$28.49 E£1,491

198.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.56 €10.32

$6.03 E£315

91.71%

Cappuccino

$4.15 €3.70

$1.81 E£94.7

129.28%

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

$3.85 €3.43

$0.35 E£18.18

1000.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 €2.89

$0.15 E£7.95

2053.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 €4.98

$1.45 E£76.0

285.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 €5.06

$2.24 E£117

152.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.97 E£50.7

37.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 €2.26

$0.73 E£37.96

246.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$0.77 E£40.24

300.00%

Eggs

$3.58 €3.20

$1.17 E£61.2

205.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 €11.00

$4.32 E£226

185.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.16 €10.85

$5.07 E£265

139.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.82 €20.37

$8.92 E£467

155.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.62

$1.83 E£95.8

60.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$0.75 E£39.07

172.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$0.57 E£29.78

350.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 €3.54

$0.51 E£26.62

678.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$0.38 E£20.05

284.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.42 E£21.88

183.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.35 E£18.43

348.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.24 E£12.57

370.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.60 €8.57

$1.99 E£104

382.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.06

$7.48 E£391

-9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.52 E£79.4

-17.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$2.13 E£112

-16.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 €3.56

$0.33 E£17.10

1109.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.4 €63.7

$8.66 E£453

724.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.01

$0.37 E£19.27

1418.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 €2.37

$0.20 E£10.65

1225.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.41 €29.82

$1.49 E£77.8

2142.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.46 E£23.94

406.52%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$32.6K E£1.7M

0.74%

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

$37.7K €33.7K

$28.4K E£1.5M

32.87%

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

$307 €274

$27.54 E£1,441

1013.36%

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

$12.77 €11.40

$8.27 E£432

54.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 €33.35

$14.05 E£735

166.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.67 €39.86

$28.27 E£1,479

58.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.39 €30.69

$6.70 E£350

413.28%

Cinema Ticket

$15.94 €14.23

$4.40 E£230

262.27%

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

$1,077 €961

$121 E£6,356

786.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K €19.9K

$3,619 E£189.3K

515.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €81.1

$40.16 E£2,101

126.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.55 €36.18

$49.61 E£2,596

-18.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.3

$115 E£6,033

-13.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$60.6 E£3,170

119.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,068

$220 E£11.5K

444.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 €793

$194 E£10.2K

357.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,478 €2,212

$514 E£26.9K

382.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 €1,453

$334 E£17.5K

388.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,630 €6,809

$806 E£42.2K

846.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,172 €4,616

$513 E£26.9K

907.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,587 €3,201

$200 E£10.5K

1691.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

16.21

-76.37%

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

Last update for Cologne: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cologne

$888 40.1%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 78.1% $694

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cologne

$357 16.1%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 86% $307

Groceries & Markets

Cologne

$339 15.3%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 58.3% $197

Eating Out

Cologne

$286 12.9%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 68.2% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Cologne

$164 7.4%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 27.1% $44

Getting Around

Cologne

$106 4.8%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 89.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Cologne

$77 3.5%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 51.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,197 in Cologne versus $220 in Cairo. 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 1692% higher in Cologne, 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 $85.0 in Cologne versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Cologne

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

1 h ahead of Cologne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,095,520

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cologne Cairo 3,070 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cologne
Cairo

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

Cologne vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cologne is pricier by about 240%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,283 per month in Cologne and $965 in Cairo. 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 140% more in Cologne, 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 $85.0 in Cologne and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Cologne at $2,189. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cologne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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