Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eritrea and Egypt

Name: Egypt
Address: EG

For one person, living is cheaper in Egypt: $449 a month against $1,378 in Eritrea, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Eritrea
Learn more

Eritrea Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Egypt
Learn more

Egypt Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,378

/mo nomad

🇪🇬 Egypt

$449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Eritrea and in Egypt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,378 in Eritrea versus $449 in Egypt.

Eritrea $1,378
Egypt $449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,160 in Eritrea versus $733 in Egypt.

Eritrea $2,160
Egypt $733

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,943 in Eritrea versus $1,017 in Egypt.

Eritrea $2,943
Egypt $1,017

Internal cost variation is higher in Egypt: monthly costs span $295 to $677, compared to $1,387–$1,387 in Eritrea. City choice carries more weight in Egypt.

Living in Eritrea is roughly 207% more expensive than in Egypt on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.02 ERN 316

$3.46 E£194

507.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.23 ERN 515

$17.81 E£997

92.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.56 ERN 83.8

$4.51 E£252

23.28%

Cappuccino

$0.73 ERN 10.98

$1.38 E£77.5

-47.10%

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

$1.03 ERN 15.50

$0.34 E£18.77

202.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ERN 15.46

$0.14 E£7.66

635.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ERN 14.37

$1.37 E£76.5

-30.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 E£151

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ERN 23.45

$0.79 E£44.14

97.47%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 E£38.09

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ERN 34.81

$0.60 E£33.35

285.00%

Eggs

$4.34 ERN 65.4

$1.18 E£65.8

267.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 ERN 44.15

$3.18 E£178

-7.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.61 ERN 400

$3.91 E£219

580.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.89 ERN 149

$7.74 E£433

27.78%

Apples (1kg)

$12.39 ERN 187

$1.45 E£81.2

754.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ERN 18.86

$0.67 E£37.24

86.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ERN 29.83

$0.49 E£27.26

304.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ERN 17.41

$0.35 E£19.85

231.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 ERN 27.86

$0.36 E£20.23

413.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ERN 14.45

$0.35 E£19.74

174.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 E£15.74

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ERN 34.37

$0.19 E£10.40

1100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 E£102

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ERN 179

$6.19 E£347

91.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.31

$1.30 E£72.5

-21.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.30

$1.87 E£105

-45.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 ERN 1.72

$0.28 E£15.69

-60.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 ERN 120

$7.24 E£405

10.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£20.85

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ERN 9.38

$0.26 E£14.52

138.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 ERN 150

$1.82 E£102

446.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 ERN 37.28

$0.40 E£22.29

520.00%

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

$66.4K ERN 999.6K

$29.9K E£1.7M

122.29%

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

$70.5K ERN 1.1M

$24.0K E£1.3M

193.60%

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

$25.16 ERN 379

$20.40 E£1,142

23.33%

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

$68.1 ERN 1,024

$6.78 E£379

903.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$201 ERN 3,031

$12.41 E£694

1522.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.52 ERN 399

$17.00 E£952

56.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ERN 77.0

$6.36 E£356

-19.50%

Cinema Ticket

$1.19 ERN 17.89

$2.93 E£164

-59.39%

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

$25.46 ERN 383

$94.2 E£5,271

-72.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,622 ERN 39.5K

$2,362 E£132.2K

11.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 ERN 2,027

$25.33 E£1,418

431.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 ERN 1,818

$41.23 E£2,308

192.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$198 ERN 2,981

$105 E£5,875

88.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 ERN 2,242

$47.95 E£2,684

210.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ERN 3,748

$140 E£7,826

78.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 ERN 3,043

$88.9 E£4,974

127.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 ERN 6,716

$282 E£15.8K

58.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ERN 6,322

$179 E£10.0K

134.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,276 ERN 19.2K

$683 E£38.2K

86.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,295 ERN 34.5K

$432 E£24.2K

431.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ERN 7,606

$141 E£7,900

258.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

17.11

8.12%

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

Last update for Eritrea: October 25, 2026

Last update for Egypt: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Eritrea

$363 * 26.3%

Egypt

$117 26% 67.8% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eritrea

$295 21.4%

Egypt

$40 8.8% 86.6% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Eritrea

$271 19.7%

Egypt

$99 22% 63.6% $172

Eating Out

Eritrea

$207 * 15%

Egypt

$72 16% 65.2% $135

Accommodation & Living

Eritrea

$202 14.7%

Egypt

$89 19.8% 56.1% $113

Sport & Entertainment

Eritrea

$29 2.1%

Egypt

$23 5.1% 20.9% $6

Getting Around

Eritrea

$12 * 0.8%

Egypt

$10 2.2% 13% $1.5

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $252 in Eritrea, $136 in Egypt. Capital cities: $252 in Asmara vs $203 in Cairo.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 85% higher in Eritrea.

Dining out costs 113% more in Eritrea.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Eritrea

🇪🇬 Egypt

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

Same time as Eritrea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,497,000

114,535,772

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.64 USD

100 ERN = 5.96 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.05 ERN (100 ERN = 6.64 USD). 1 EUR = 16.78 ERN (100 ERN = 5.96 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to ERN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Eritrea Egypt 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Eritrea
Egypt

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

Eritrea vs Egypt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $449 per month in Egypt and $1,378 in Eritrea, there’s a 207% 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 cheaper in Egypt: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $252 in Eritrea and $136 in Egypt. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

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.