Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,105 in George, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,105 per month in George vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

George $1,105
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,834 per month in George vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

George $1,834
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $2,563 per month in George vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

George $2,563
Cairo $1,423

George costs about 71% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both George and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – George 18% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.87 R 179

$4.64 E£248

134.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.26 R 680

$28.12 E£1,501

46.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.81 R 79.3

$6.03 E£322

-20.23%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.66

$1.72 E£92.1

22.09%

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

$1.06 R 17.47

$0.36 E£19.38

194.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.63

$0.12 E£6.41

541.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.72 R 44.76

$1.51 E£80.4

80.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 R 52.8

$2.32 E£124

37.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.55

$0.92 E£48.92

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$0.73 E£38.92

42.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$0.74 E£39.64

93.24%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.05

$1.19 E£63.7

135.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$4.33 E£231

93.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 R 89.8

$5.03 E£269

8.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.66 R 110

$9.28 E£496

-28.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.49

$1.77 E£94.4

-9.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$0.73 E£39.03

101.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.33

$0.55 E£29.51

180.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.44

$0.50 E£26.91

246.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.89

$0.42 E£22.42

288.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.41

$0.41 E£21.81

246.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.53

$0.33 E£17.51

278.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.99

$0.21 E£11.20

361.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$1.98 E£106

60.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.72 R 77.8

$7.81 E£417

-39.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.09

$1.59 E£84.7

-23.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.48

$2.09 E£112

-17.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.37

$0.35 E£18.83

340.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.77 R 457

$8.69 E£464

219.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.50

$0.39 E£21.02

48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.67

$0.22 E£11.57

113.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 138

$1.51 E£80.5

454.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.03

$0.43 E£22.88

183.72%

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

$29.7K R 488.9K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-9.25%

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

$29.4K R 483.7K

$27.2K E£1.5M

7.82%

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

$121 R 1,995

$27.27 E£1,456

343.93%

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

$17.44 R 287

$8.58 E£458

103.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.19 R 745

$13.99 E£747

223.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.75 R 490

$29.69 E£1,585

0.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.64 R 175

$7.25 E£387

46.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 R 100

$4.86 E£260

25.10%

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

$137 R 2,263

$121 E£6,438

13.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,187 R 85.5K

$3,560 E£190.1K

45.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,177

$40.28 E£2,151

77.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 R 625

$49.53 E£2,645

-23.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,845

$115 E£6,137

-2.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 R 1,413

$60.0 E£3,206

42.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,956

$222 E£11.9K

90.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 R 6,010

$195 E£10.4K

87.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 R 12.7K

$550 E£29.3K

40.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 R 15.3K

$346 E£18.5K

168.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$871 R 14.4K

$800 E£42.7K

8.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$525 E£28.0K

24.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,364 R 22.5K

$200 E£10.7K

582.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

16.21

-32.63%

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

Last update for George: 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

George

$365 33%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 46.5% $170

Groceries & Markets

George

$186 16.8%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 23.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$184 16.6%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 72.9% $134

Eating Out

George

$154 13.9%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 41.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

George

$138 12.5%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 13.8% $19

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 6% $2.5

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 68.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $422 in George 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 583% higher in George, 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 $41.00 in George versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

10:03 10:03 AM

1 h ahead of George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

George Cairo 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

George
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

George vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – George is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,658 per month in George 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 31% more in George, 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 $41.00 in George 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 George at $1,105. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in George 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, George makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.