Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,001 in East London, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,001

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in East London 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 East London and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,001 per month in East London vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

East London $1,001
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,632 per month in East London vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

East London $1,632
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $2,262 per month in East London vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

East London $2,262
Cairo $1,423

East London costs about 55% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both East London and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – East London 26% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.27 R 153

$4.64 E£248

99.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.10 R 628

$28.12 E£1,501

35.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 R 94.4

$6.03 E£322

-4.98%

Cappuccino

$2.07 R 34.16

$1.72 E£92.1

20.35%

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

$1.02 R 16.79

$0.36 E£19.38

183.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.92

$0.12 E£6.41

550.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 R 44.62

$1.51 E£80.4

79.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 R 52.1

$2.32 E£124

36.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.32

$0.92 E£48.92

27.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 R 15.51

$0.73 E£38.92

28.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

$0.74 E£39.64

105.41%

Eggs

$2.29 R 37.81

$1.19 E£63.7

92.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.72 R 144

$4.33 E£231

101.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.3

$5.03 E£269

6.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 R 109

$9.28 E£496

-28.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.49

$1.77 E£94.4

-12.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.62

$0.73 E£39.03

112.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.68

$0.55 E£29.51

205.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.83

$0.50 E£26.91

202.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.53

$0.42 E£22.42

297.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.45

$0.41 E£21.81

246.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.49

$0.33 E£17.51

239.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.19

$0.21 E£11.20

338.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 47.01

$1.98 E£106

43.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 R 80.7

$7.81 E£417

-37.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.79

$1.59 E£84.7

-28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.04

$2.09 E£112

-56.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.40

$0.35 E£18.83

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.97 R 774

$8.69 E£464

440.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.39 E£21.02

205.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 R 8.11

$0.22 E£11.57

122.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 R 141

$1.51 E£80.5

466.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.30

$0.43 E£22.88

213.95%

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

$35.4K R 582.9K

$32.7K E£1.7M

8.20%

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

$30.1K R 495.4K

$27.2K E£1.5M

10.44%

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

$121 R 1,994

$27.27 E£1,456

343.78%

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

$32.82 R 541

$8.58 E£458

282.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.33 R 730

$13.99 E£747

216.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.22 R 646

$29.69 E£1,585

32.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.81 R 79.3

$4.86 E£260

-1.03%

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

$176 R 2,896

$121 E£6,438

45.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,405 R 89.1K

$3,560 E£190.1K

51.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.3 R 944

$40.28 E£2,151

42.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.61 R 554

$49.53 E£2,645

-32.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.7 R 1,214

$115 E£6,137

-35.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,568

$60.0 E£3,206

58.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 R 4,760

$222 E£11.9K

30.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 R 4,219

$195 E£10.4K

31.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 R 9,017

$550 E£29.3K

-0.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$655 R 10.8K

$346 E£18.5K

89.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,657 R 27.3K

$200 E£10.7K

729.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

-32.14%

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

Last update for East London: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East London

$256 25.6%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 23.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$198 19.8%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 74.8% $148

Groceries & Markets

East London

$181 18.1%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 21.8% $40

Eating Out

East London

$143 14.3%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 37.2% $53

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$117 11.7%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 1.9% $2.2

Getting Around

East London

$57 5.7%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 79.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 19.3% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in East London versus $222 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 729% higher in East London, 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 $38.00 in East London versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

12:18 12:18 PM

13:18 1:18 PM

1 h ahead of East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

East London Cairo 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – East London is pricier by about 55%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,502 per month in East London and $970 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 28% more in East London, 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 $38.00 in East London and $28.00 in Cairo. 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 $1,001 in East London and $647 in Cairo, 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.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, East London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.