Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Essen and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,973 in Essen, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Essen
Learn more

Essen Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Essen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,973

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,973 per month in Essen vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Essen $1,973
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $3,106 per month in Essen vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Essen $3,106
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $4,239 per month in Essen vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Essen $4,239
Cairo $1,431

Essen costs about 207% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Essen sits 47% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 €17.69

$4.69 E£245

322.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.1 €76.8

$28.49 E£1,491

202.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$6.03 E£315

125.87%

Cappuccino

$3.90 €3.48

$1.81 E£94.7

115.47%

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

$3.17 €2.83

$0.35 E£18.18

805.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.35

$0.15 E£7.95

1660.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.10 €5.44

$1.45 E£76.0

320.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.63 €5.02

$2.24 E£117

151.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$0.97 E£50.7

26.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.88

$0.73 E£37.96

187.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 €2.96

$0.77 E£40.24

331.17%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.39

$1.17 E£61.2

224.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.79 €14.98

$4.32 E£226

288.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.28 €9.18

$5.07 E£265

102.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.58 €21.94

$8.92 E£467

175.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.83 E£95.8

82.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.75 E£39.07

178.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.57 E£29.78

278.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 €3.51

$0.51 E£26.62

670.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.38 E£20.05

257.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.42 E£21.88

197.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.35 E£18.43

340.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$0.24 E£12.57

387.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.65 €8.61

$1.99 E£104

384.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.94

$7.48 E£391

-26.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.52 E£79.4

-28.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.13 E£112

-29.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 €3.63

$0.33 E£17.10

1133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 €58.4

$8.66 E£453

656.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 €4.46

$0.37 E£19.27

1248.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.46 €3.09

$0.20 E£10.65

1630.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.97 €35.67

$1.49 E£77.8

2582.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.46 E£23.94

378.26%

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

$33.4K €29.8K

$32.6K E£1.7M

2.24%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$28.4K E£1.5M

36.92%

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

$389 €347

$27.54 E£1,441

1311.00%

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

$38.24 €34.13

$8.27 E£432

362.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.91 €37.40

$14.05 E£735

198.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.22 €36.78

$28.27 E£1,479

45.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 €32.98

$6.70 E£350

451.64%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 €13.71

$4.40 E£230

249.09%

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

$465 €415

$121 E£6,356

282.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,333 €8,329

$3,619 E£189.3K

157.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.4 €84.3

$40.16 E£2,101

135.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$83.9 €74.8

$49.61 E£2,596

69.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.5

$115 E£6,033

-3.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 €142

$60.6 E£3,170

162.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 €572

$220 E£11.5K

191.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$487 €435

$194 E£10.2K

150.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,270

$514 E£26.9K

176.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$950 €848

$334 E£17.5K

184.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,666 €4,164

$806 E£42.2K

478.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,040 €2,713

$513 E£26.9K

492.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,050 €2,722

$200 E£10.5K

1423.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

16.21

-75.63%

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

Last update for Essen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Essen

$487 24.5%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 60.1% $293

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Essen

$469 23.6%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 89.4% $419

Groceries & Markets

Essen

$341 17.2%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 58.6% $200

Eating Out

Essen

$311 15.7%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 70.7% $220

Clothing & Footwear

Essen

$202 10.2%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 40.8% $82

Getting Around

Essen

$104 5.2%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 89.1% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Essen

$72 3.6%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 48.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $641 in Essen versus $220 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 1424% higher in Essen, 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 $86.0 in Essen versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Essen

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

05:47 5:47 AM

06:47 6:47 AM

1 h ahead of Essen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

569,884

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Essen Cairo 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Essen
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

Essen vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Essen is pricier by about 207%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,959 per month in Essen and $965 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 142% more in Essen, 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 $86.0 in Essen and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Essen at $1,973. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Essen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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