For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hamar and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $2,380 per month in Hamar vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.
Hamar $2,380
Cairo $647
A couple spends around $3,750 per month in Hamar vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.
Hamar $3,750
Cairo $1,035
A family of three spends $5,120 per month in Hamar vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.
Hamar $5,120
Cairo $1,423
😐
Hamar costs about 268% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.
📊
Hamar sits 76% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.18NOK 199
$4.64E£248
356.47%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$125NOK 1,180
$28.12E£1,501
345.63%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$15.83NOK 149
$6.03E£322
162.52%
Cappuccino
$5.76NOK 54.2
$1.72E£92.1
234.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.21NOK 39.63
$0.36E£19.38
1069.44%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.28NOK 30.85
$0.12E£6.41
2633.33%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$11.49NOK 108
$1.51E£80.4
660.93%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$8.07NOK 76.0
$2.32E£124
247.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.50NOK 23.53
$0.92E£48.92
171.74%
White Bread(500g)
$2.93NOK 27.57
$0.73E£38.92
301.37%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.06NOK 19.36
$0.74E£39.64
178.38%
Eggs
$5.76NOK 54.3
$1.19E£63.7
384.03%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$11.05NOK 104
$4.33E£231
155.20%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$12.20NOK 115
$5.03E£269
142.54%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$31.42NOK 296
$9.28E£496
238.58%
Apples(1kg)
$3.21NOK 30.26
$1.77E£94.4
81.36%
Banana(1kg)
$2.57NOK 24.17
$0.73E£39.03
252.05%
Oranges(1kg)
$3.05NOK 28.74
$0.55E£29.51
454.55%
Tomato(1kg)
$5.89NOK 55.5
$0.50E£26.91
1078.00%
Potato(1kg)
$2.48NOK 23.34
$0.42E£22.42
490.48%
Onion(1kg)
$2.44NOK 22.95
$0.41E£21.81
495.12%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.12NOK 19.97
$0.33E£17.51
542.42%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.99NOK 18.74
$0.21E£11.20
847.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$18.94NOK 178
$1.98E£106
856.57%
Wine(Bottle)
$16.40NOK 154
$7.81E£417
109.99%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$3.38NOK 31.78
$1.59E£84.7
112.58%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$4.18NOK 39.37
$2.09E£112
100.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$4.66NOK 43.87
$0.35E£18.83
1231.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$67.5NOK 635
$8.69E£464
676.29%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$11.92NOK 112
$0.39E£21.02
2956.41%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.78NOK 16.76
$0.22E£11.57
709.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$69.5NOK 654
$1.51E£80.5
4503.97%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.37NOK 22.32
$0.43E£22.88
451.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$47.8KNOK 449.5K
$32.7KE£1.7M
46.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$43.6KNOK 410.2K
$27.2KE£1.5M
60.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$223NOK 2,104
$27.27E£1,456
719.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.07NOK 311
$8.58E£458
285.43%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$54.1NOK 509
$13.99E£747
286.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$58.2NOK 548
$29.69E£1,585
96.06%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.40NOK 277
$7.25E£387
305.52%
Cinema Ticket
$19.79NOK 186
$4.86E£260
307.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$207NOK 1,948
$121E£6,438
71.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$15.8KNOK 148.3K
$3,560E£190.1K
342.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$102NOK 959
$40.28E£2,151
152.90%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.5NOK 560
$49.53E£2,645
20.19%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$131NOK 1,230
$115E£6,137
13.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$104NOK 977
$60.0E£3,206
72.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,227NOK 11.6K
$222E£11.9K
452.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$847NOK 7,973
$195E£10.4K
334.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,578NOK 14.9K
$550E£29.3K
187.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,489NOK 14.0K
$346E£18.5K
330.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$4,302NOK 40.5K
$800E£42.7K
437.98%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$3,421NOK 32.2K
$525E£28.0K
551.84%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hamar
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$4,269NOK 40.2K
$200E£10.7K
2037.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
4.94
16.21
-69.52%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026
Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Hamar
$847 35.6%
Cairo
$195 30.2% ↓ 77%$652
🛒Groceries & Markets
Hamar
$450 18.9%
Cairo
$142 21.9% ↓ 68.5%$308
🍽Eating Out
Hamar
$390 16.4%
Cairo
$90 13.9% ↓ 76.9%$299
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamar
$311 13.1%
Cairo
$50 7.7% ↓ 84%$261
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Hamar
$178 7.5%
Cairo
$119 18.4% ↓ 33.1%$59
🚌Getting Around
Hamar
$107 4.5%
Cairo
$12 1.8% ↓ 89.2%$95
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Hamar
$98 4.1%
Cairo
$39 6.1% ↓ 59.7%$58
🏠Accommodation & Living
Hamar
$1.5K 29.1%
Cairo
$346 24.3% ↓ 76.8%$1.1K
🛒Groceries & Markets
Hamar
$1K 20.5%
Cairo
$324 22.8% ↓ 69.1%$725
🍽Eating Out
Hamar
$1.4K 27.2%
Cairo
$320 22.5% ↓ 77.1%$1.1K
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hamar
$344 6.7%
Cairo
$58 4.1% ↓ 83%$285
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Hamar
$396 7.7%
Cairo
$265 18.6% ↓ 33.1%$131
🚌Getting Around
Hamar
$223 4.4%
Cairo
$24 1.7% ↓ 89.3%$199
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Hamar
$225 4.4%
Cairo
$86 6.1% ↓ 61.7%$139
Cost Breakdown
🏠A central one-bedroom costs $1,227 in Hamar 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 2037% higher in Hamar, 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 $125 in Hamar versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.
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
Hamar vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cairo cheaper than Hamar?
Yes – Hamar is pricier by about 268%, 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 $3,570 per month in Hamar 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 Hamar and in Cairo?
Groceries cost about 217% more in Hamar, 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 Hamar or in Cairo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $125 in Hamar and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Hamar or in Cairo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Hamar at $2,380. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Hamar 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, Hamar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.