Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genk and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,812 in Genk, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
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Genk Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,812

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,812 per month in Genk vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Genk $1,812
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $2,755 per month in Genk vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Genk $2,755
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $3,698 per month in Genk vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Genk $3,698
Cairo $1,423

Genk costs about 180% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Genk sits 34% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.46 €19.98

$4.64 E£248

384.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.3 €78.5

$28.12 E£1,501

213.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.46 €11.97

$6.03 E£322

123.22%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.65

$1.72 E£92.1

138.37%

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

$2.52 €2.24

$0.36 E£19.38

600.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.12 E£6.41

1716.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.52 €4.02

$1.51 E£80.4

199.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.56

$2.32 E£124

72.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.92 E£48.92

2.17%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 €2.49

$0.73 E£38.92

283.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$0.74 E£39.64

202.70%

Eggs

$3.73 €3.32

$1.19 E£63.7

213.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 €7.93

$4.33 E£231

106.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.31 €6.50

$5.03 E£269

45.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.22 €9.98

$9.28 E£496

20.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.77 E£94.4

36.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.73 E£39.03

221.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$0.55 E£29.51

374.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.50 E£26.91

478.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$0.42 E£22.42

478.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.41 E£21.81

353.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.33 E£17.51

360.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.90

$0.21 E£11.20

385.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.92 €11.49

$1.98 E£106

552.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.11 €6.32

$7.81 E£417

-8.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.59 E£84.7

6.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.09 E£112

-47.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.90

$0.35 E£18.83

834.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.6 €49.48

$8.69 E£464

540.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.70 €5.07

$0.39 E£21.02

1361.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 €2.42

$0.22 E£11.57

1136.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.50 €22.68

$1.51 E£80.5

1588.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.43 E£22.88

341.86%

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

$21.9K €19.5K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-33.05%

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

$27.7K €24.7K

$27.2K E£1.5M

1.90%

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

$167 €148

$27.27 E£1,456

511.15%

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

$20.09 €17.87

$8.58 E£458

134.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.01 €36.48

$13.99 E£747

193.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.87 €33.68

$29.69 E£1,585

27.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.49 €17.34

$7.25 E£387

168.83%

Cinema Ticket

$14.91 €13.26

$4.86 E£260

206.79%

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

$278 €248

$121 E£6,438

130.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.1K €29.4K

$3,560 E£190.1K

828.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.8

$40.28 E£2,151

172.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.74 €41.57

$49.53 E£2,645

-5.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 €68.4

$115 E£6,137

-33.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.8

$60.0 E£3,206

73.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 €842

$222 E£11.9K

326.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 €618

$195 E£10.4K

256.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 €1,139

$550 E£29.3K

133.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 €951

$346 E£18.5K

208.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,137 €3,680

$800 E£42.7K

417.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,877 €2,559

$525 E£28.0K

448.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,276 €2,024

$200 E£10.7K

1039.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

16.21

-78.66%

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

Last update for Genk: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Genk

$695 38.3%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 71.9% $500

Eating Out

Genk

$319 17.6%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 71.8% $229

Groceries & Markets

Genk

$263 14.5%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 46.2% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genk

$228 12.6%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 78.1% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Genk

$152 8.4%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 21.6% $33

Getting Around

Genk

$88 4.9%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 86.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Genk

$68 3.7%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 41.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $947 in Genk 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 1039% higher in Genk, 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 $88.0 in Genk versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Genk

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

23:41 11:41 PM

1 h ahead of Genk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,321

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Genk Cairo 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Genk
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

Genk vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Genk is pricier by about 180%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,718 per month in Genk and $970 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 86% more in Genk, 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 $88.0 in Genk 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 $647, than in Genk at $1,812. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Genk 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, Genk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.