Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elbasan and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $882 in Elbasan, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Elbasan
🇦🇱 Albania
$882
/mo nomad
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $882 per month in Elbasan vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Elbasan $882
  • Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,391 per month in Elbasan vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Elbasan $1,391
  • Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $1,901 per month in Elbasan vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Elbasan $1,901
  • Cairo $1,423

Elbasan costs about 36% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Elbasan and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Elbasan 35% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.79 ALL 788
$4.64 E£248
110.99%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.36 ALL 2,928
$28.12 E£1,501
29.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.85 ALL 552
$6.03 E£322
13.60%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ALL 135
$1.72 E£92.1
-2.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ALL 109
$0.36 E£19.38
275.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 ALL 50.8
$0.12 E£6.41
425.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.16 ALL 174
$1.51 E£80.4
43.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.83 ALL 228
$2.32 E£124
21.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 ALL 151
$0.92 E£48.92
104.35%
White Bread (500g)
$0.91 ALL 73.4
$0.73 E£38.92
24.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 ALL 131
$0.74 E£39.64
118.92%
Eggs
$2.70 ALL 218
$1.19 E£63.7
126.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.98 ALL 804
$4.33 E£231
130.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.87 ALL 473
$5.03 E£269
16.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.19 ALL 901
$9.28 E£496
20.58%
Apples (1kg)
$1.20 ALL 96.3
$1.77 E£94.4
-32.20%
Banana (1kg)
$2.28 ALL 184
$0.73 E£39.03
212.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.36 ALL 109
$0.55 E£29.51
147.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.07 ALL 86.1
$0.50 E£26.91
114.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.98 ALL 79.0
$0.42 E£22.42
133.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ALL 87.5
$0.41 E£21.81
165.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.81 ALL 65.1
$0.33 E£17.51
145.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.65 ALL 52.1
$0.21 E£11.20
209.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ALL 353
$1.98 E£106
121.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.07 ALL 649
$7.81 E£417
3.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 ALL 82.0
$1.59 E£84.7
-35.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 ALL 149
$2.09 E£112
-11.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.48 ALL 38.46
$0.35 E£18.83
37.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.51 ALL 1,571
$8.69 E£464
124.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.77 ALL 303
$0.39 E£21.02
866.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.51 ALL 122
$0.22 E£11.57
586.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.94 ALL 1,203
$1.51 E£80.5
889.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.15 ALL 173
$0.43 E£22.88
400.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.9K ALL 2.3M
$32.7K E£1.7M
-11.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K ALL 2.4M
$27.2K E£1.5M
9.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.1 ALL 4,918
$27.27 E£1,456
123.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.20 ALL 1,224
$8.58 E£458
77.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.00 ALL 966
$13.99 E£747
-14.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.6 ALL 4,558
$29.69 E£1,585
90.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.22 ALL 1,386
$7.25 E£387
137.52%
Cinema Ticket
$4.33 ALL 349
$4.86 E£260
-10.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$139 ALL 11.2K
$121 E£6,438
15.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,835 ALL 147.8K
$3,560 E£190.1K
-48.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.1 ALL 5,804
$40.28 E£2,151
78.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.85 ALL 3,611
$49.53 E£2,645
-9.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 ALL 7,630
$115 E£6,137
-17.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.3 ALL 7,754
$60.0 E£3,206
60.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$299 ALL 24.1K
$222 E£11.9K
34.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$204 ALL 16.4K
$195 E£10.4K
4.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 ALL 35.6K
$550 E£29.3K
-19.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$311 ALL 25.1K
$346 E£18.5K
-10.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,361 ALL 109.6K
$800 E£42.7K
70.15%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$858 ALL 69.1K
$525 E£28.0K
63.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Elbasan
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$539 ALL 43.4K
$200 E£10.7K
169.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.1
16.21
-62.37%

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

Last update for Elbasan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Elbasan
$210
Cairo
$142 32.3% $68
Accommodation & Living
Elbasan
$204
Cairo
$195 4.3% $8.8
Eating Out
Elbasan
$143
Cairo
$90 37.2% $53
Clothing & Footwear
Elbasan
$139
Cairo
$119 14% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elbasan
$88
Cairo
$50 43.5% $38
Sport & Entertainment
Elbasan
$65
Cairo
$39 39.6% $26
Getting Around
Elbasan
$33
Cairo
$12 64.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $299 in Elbasan 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 170% higher in Elbasan, 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 $36.00 in Elbasan versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇱 Elbasan
🇪🇬 Cairo
🕒 Local time
03:32 3:32 AM
04:32 4:32 AM
1 h ahead of Elbasan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
78,703
9,120,350 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Elbasan Cairo 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Elbasan
  • 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
Elbasan vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cairo cheaper than Elbasan?
Yes – Elbasan is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,322 per month in Elbasan and $970 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Elbasan and in Cairo?
Groceries cost about 48% more in Elbasan, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Elbasan or in Cairo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Elbasan and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough for either Elbasan or Cairo?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $882 in Elbasan and $647 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Elbasan or Cairo more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Elbasan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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