Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and Eritrea Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and Eritrea

Name: Eritrea
Address: ER

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $455 in Egypt versus $726 in Eritrea.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $730 in Egypt versus $1,074 in Eritrea.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,005 in Egypt versus $1,421 in Eritrea.

Living in Egypt costs about 37% less than in Eritrea on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 66% lower, Eritrea 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 E£198

$12.20 ERN 183

-67.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.03 E£999

$30.38 ERN 456

-34.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 E£244

$5.58 ERN 83.9

-12.37%

Cappuccino

$1.45 E£72.6

$0.80 ERN 12.01

81.25%

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

$0.35 E£17.47

$1.82 ERN 27.30

-80.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£5.57

$1.35 ERN 20.20

-91.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.40 E£70.0

$0.99 ERN 14.80

41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 E£146

$1.96 ERN 29.41

49.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 E£41.74

$1.67 ERN 25.05

-49.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 E£28.64

$0.49 ERN 7.29

16.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.67 E£33.37

$1.96 ERN 29.46

-65.82%

Eggs

$1.45 E£72.1

$4.43 ERN 66.6

-67.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.16 E£157

$2.93 ERN 44.02

7.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 E£217

$26.81 ERN 403

-83.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 E£442

$10.19 ERN 153

-13.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 E£75.5

$12.28 ERN 184

-87.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.57 E£28.37

$1.27 ERN 19.05

-55.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.48 E£23.80

$1.86 ERN 27.87

-74.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.37 E£18.50

$1.20 ERN 18.00

-69.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 E£23.80

$1.78 ERN 26.76

-73.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£20.82

$1.09 ERN 16.40

-61.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.24 E£12.01

$0.64 ERN 9.60

-62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.02

$2.20 ERN 33.03

-91.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 E£95.5

$2.05 ERN 30.75

-6.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 E£340

$11.82 ERN 178

-42.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 E£63.7

$1.02 ERN 15.32

25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 E£96.4

$1.15 ERN 17.23

67.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 E£13.28

$0.12 ERN 1.79

125.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.99 E£299

$8.17 ERN 123

-26.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 E£20.57

$0.68 ERN 10.26

-39.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 E£14.26

$0.62 ERN 9.25

-53.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 E£64.5

$8.32 ERN 125

-84.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.31 E£15.29

$2.11 ERN 31.69

-85.31%

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

$34.9K E£1.7M

$66.0K ERN 990.6K

-47.02%

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

$32.0K E£1.6M

$71.3K ERN 1.1M

-55.13%

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

$21.27 E£1,061

$26.99 ERN 405

-21.19%

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

$7.21 E£360

$67.6 ERN 1,016

-89.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.59 E£578

$198 ERN 2,970

-94.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$14.83 E£740

$27.07 ERN 407

-45.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.83 E£341

$7.33 ERN 110

-6.82%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 E£151

$1.07 ERN 16.14

183.18%

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

$84.5 E£4,212

$25.23 ERN 379

234.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,978 E£98.7K

$1,673 ERN 25.1K

18.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.49 E£1,321

$81.7 ERN 1,227

-67.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.73 E£2,231

$74.4 ERN 1,117

-39.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 E£5,395

$204 ERN 3,063

-46.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.9 E£2,537

$96.1 ERN 1,443

-47.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$165 E£8,221

$477 ERN 7,160

-65.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.7 E£4,971

$404 ERN 6,065

-75.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$323 E£16.1K

$731 ERN 11.0K

-55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 E£9,540

$652 ERN 9,798

-70.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 E£38.1K

$1,274 ERN 19.1K

-40.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$463 E£23.1K

$2,237 ERN 33.6K

-79.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$147 E£7,310

$502 ERN 7,533

-70.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.38

36.50%

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

Last update for Egypt: June 13, 2026

Last update for Eritrea: June 16, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $183 in Egypt, $241 in Eritrea. Capital cities: $209 in Cairo vs $483 in Asmara.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 32% higher in Eritrea.

Public transport is 100% more expensive in Eritrea.

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

Egypt vs Eritrea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $519 per month in Egypt and $726 in Eritrea, there's a 40% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Egypt: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Eritrea is consistently higher than in Egypt across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Egypt, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in Eritrea it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Egypt wins on affordability; Eritrea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.