Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Egypt and Somalia

Name: Somalia
Address: SO

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $620 in Somalia, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
Learn more

Egypt Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Somalia
Learn more

Somalia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

🇸🇴 Somalia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Egypt and in Somalia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $449 in Egypt versus $620 in Somalia.

Egypt $449
Somalia $620

Estimated couple costs with rent: $733 in Egypt versus $924 in Somalia.

Egypt $733
Somalia $924

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,017 in Egypt versus $1,229 in Somalia.

Egypt $1,017
Somalia $1,229

Internal cost variation is higher in Somalia: monthly costs span $70 to $616, compared to $295–$677 in Egypt. City choice carries more weight in Somalia.

Living in Egypt costs about 28% less than in Somalia on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Egypt 67% lower, Somalia 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.46 E£194

$3.06 SOS 1,740

13.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 E£997

$15.28 SOS 8,677

16.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 E£252

$5.14 SOS 2,918

-12.26%

Cappuccino

$1.38 E£77.5

$1.53 SOS 870

-9.80%

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

$0.34 E£18.77

$1.01 SOS 571

-66.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 E£7.66

$0.44 SOS 252

-68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 E£76.5

$11.14 SOS 6,329

-87.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 E£151

$14.81 SOS 8,410

-81.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£44.14

$1.33 SOS 755

-40.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£38.09

$1.12 SOS 635

-39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£33.35

$0.88 SOS 502

-31.82%

Eggs

$1.18 E£65.8

$2.16 SOS 1,226

-45.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.18 E£178

$4.81 SOS 2,733

-33.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 E£219

$4.55 SOS 2,585

-14.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.74 E£433

$4.60 SOS 2,610

68.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£81.2

$2.12 SOS 1,203

-31.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.67 E£37.24

$1.25 SOS 707

-46.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£27.26

$1.82 SOS 1,032

-73.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.85

$1.16 SOS 662

-69.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 E£20.23

$1.27 SOS 719

-71.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.74

$1.60 SOS 910

-78.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 E£15.74

$0.98 SOS 556

-71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.40

$0.71 SOS 405

-73.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 E£102

$0.98 SOS 557

86.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 E£347

$2.06 SOS 1,168

200.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 E£72.5

$2.06 SOS 1,169

-36.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 E£105

$1.99 SOS 1,128

-6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 E£15.69

$0.29 SOS 163

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.24 E£405

$12.00 SOS 6,815

-39.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.85

$1.48 SOS 840

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 E£14.52

$0.58 SOS 327

-55.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 E£102

$3.47 SOS 1,971

-47.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.29

$0.93 SOS 528

-56.99%

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

$29.9K E£1.7M

$10.1K SOS 5.8M

194.70%

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

$24.0K E£1.3M

$9,146 SOS 5.2M

162.62%

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

$20.40 E£1,142

$111 SOS 63.0K

-81.61%

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

$6.78 E£379

$6.82 SOS 3,872

-0.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.41 E£694

$39.60 SOS 22.5K

-68.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.00 E£952

$27.71 SOS 15.7K

-38.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.36 E£356

$1.97 SOS 1,116

222.84%

Cinema Ticket

$2.93 E£164

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

$94.2 E£5,271

$39.61 SOS 22.5K

137.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,362 E£132.2K

$290 SOS 164.9K

713.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.33 E£1,418

$12.84 SOS 7,290

97.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.23 E£2,308

$17.14 SOS 9,736

140.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 E£5,875

$17.10 SOS 9,711

513.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.95 E£2,684

$26.01 SOS 14.8K

84.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 E£7,826

$124 SOS 70.6K

12.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 E£4,974

$78.4 SOS 44.5K

13.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 E£15.8K

$373 SOS 212.1K

-24.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 E£10.0K

$184 SOS 104.4K

-2.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$683 E£38.2K

$4,674 SOS 2.7M

-85.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$432 E£24.2K

$3,699 SOS 2.1M

-88.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$141 E£7,900

$274 SOS 155.4K

-48.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

17.11

14.07%

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

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Last update for Somalia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Egypt

$117 26%

Somalia

$157 25.3% 34.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Egypt

$99 22%

Somalia

$33 5.3% 66.7% $66

Accommodation & Living

Egypt

$89 19.8%

Somalia

$78 12.7% 11.8% $10

Eating Out

Egypt

$72 16%

Somalia

$149 24.1% 108% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Egypt

$40 8.8%

Somalia

$157 25.4% 297% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Egypt

$23 5.1%

Somalia

$28 * 4.5% 21.2% $4.8

Getting Around

Egypt

$10 2.2%

Somalia

$18 2.8% 74.3% $7.5

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $136 in Egypt, $115 in Somalia. Capital cities: $203 in Cairo vs $192 in Mogadishu.

National salary averages: $129 in Egypt, $297 in Somalia. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Egypt.

Dining out costs 31% more in Somalia.

Public transport is 71% more expensive in Somalia.

Salaries are about 2.3 times higher in Somalia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Somalia.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Egypt

🇸🇴 Somalia

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

Same time as Egypt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,535,772

11,031,386

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.29 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 632 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Egypt Somalia 3,450 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Egypt
Somalia

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

Egypt vs Somalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $449 per month in Egypt and $620 in Somalia, there’s a 38% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Egypt is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

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