Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hurghada and Ismailia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $460 in Hurghada, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Hurghada
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Hurghada Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index

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Hurghada

🇪🇬 Egypt

$460

/mo nomad

Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hurghada and in Ismailia

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

A single person spends $460 per month in Hurghada vs $330 in Ismailia, rent included.

Hurghada $460
Ismailia $330

A couple spends around $951 per month in Hurghada vs $561 in Ismailia, rent included.

Hurghada $951
Ismailia $561

A family of three spends $1,442 per month in Hurghada vs $792 in Ismailia, rent included.

Hurghada $1,442
Ismailia $792

Hurghada costs about 40% more than Ismailia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hurghada and Ismailia are more affordable than the global median – Hurghada 66% lower, Ismailia 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 E£200

$3.30 E£176

13.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.51 E£2,057

$14.58 E£778

164.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 E£298

$3.76 E£201

48.14%

Cappuccino

$1.92 E£103

$1.04 E£55.5

84.62%

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

$0.48 E£25.58

$0.30 E£15.91

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 E£9.22

$0.13 E£6.85

30.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.82 E£97.4

$1.32 E£70.6

37.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 E£159

$1.80 E£96.0

65.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 E£47.99

$0.79 E£42.30

13.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 E£42.77

$0.36 E£19.07

122.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.59

$0.60 E£32.12

-1.67%

Eggs

$1.92 E£102

$1.15 E£61.5

66.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.17 E£169

$3.49 E£186

-9.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.69 E£304

$3.98 E£213

42.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 E£513

$6.95 E£371

38.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 E£73.7

$1.45 E£77.3

-4.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.21

$0.54 E£29.05

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.43 E£22.88

$0.41 E£22.01

4.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.83

$0.31 E£16.79

32.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 E£16.55

$0.26 E£13.89

19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 E£20.56

$0.32 E£17.12

21.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.28 E£14.97

$0.23 E£12.31

21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 E£9.59

$0.20 E£10.67

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 E£112

$1.86 E£99.5

12.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.40 E£395

$5.48 E£293

35.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 E£66.4

$1.04 E£55.4

19.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 E£91.3

$1.89 E£101

-9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 E£10.83

$0.23 E£12.26

-13.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.64 E£301

$3.77 E£201

49.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 E£47.75

$0.39 E£20.60

128.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 E£11.06

$0.48 E£25.72

-56.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.82 E£97.0

$1.13 E£60.2

61.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£24.01

$0.42 E£22.18

7.14%

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

$31.3K E£1.7M

$27.6K E£1.5M

13.34%

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

$22.7K E£1.2M

$14.6K E£780.2K

55.15%

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

$24.47 E£1,307

$13.94 E£744

75.54%

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

$7.62 E£407

$6.66 E£355

14.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.09 E£485

$7.33 E£391

24.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.29 E£1,458

$9.65 E£515

182.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.03 E£322

$18.42 E£984

-67.26%

Cinema Ticket

$3.32 E£177

$1.82 E£97.4

82.42%

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

$98.5 E£5,259

$65.6 E£3,502

50.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$596 E£31.8K

$1,171 E£62.5K

-49.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.03 E£1,070

$12.92 E£690

55.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 E£1,743

$9.19 E£491

255.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 E£6,764

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.15 E£1,503

$27.53 E£1,470

2.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$78.3 E£4,181

174.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 E£6,203

$31.44 E£1,679

269.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 E£11.5K

$120 E£6,414

79.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$540 E£28.8K

$75.2 E£4,017

617.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$531 E£28.3K

$458 E£24.5K

15.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$602 E£32.1K

$131 E£6,984

360.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$150 E£8,031

$101 E£5,387

49.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

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

Last update for Hurghada: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hurghada

$137 29.7%

Ismailia

$108 32.8% 21% $29

Accommodation & Living

Hurghada

$116 25.2%

Ismailia

$31 9.5% 72.9% $85

Eating Out

Hurghada

$87 19%

Ismailia

$62 18.8% 29.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hurghada

$41 8.9%

Ismailia

$28 8.5% 32.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Hurghada

$36 * 7.9%

Ismailia

$79 24.1% 118% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Hurghada

$34 7.4%

Ismailia

$13 4% 60.8% $21

Getting Around

Hurghada

$8.4 1.8%

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3% 10.7% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Hurghada versus $78.3 in Ismailia. 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 49% higher in Hurghada, 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 $39.00 in Hurghada versus $15.00 in Ismailia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $108 – making Ismailia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Hurghada

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

Same time as Hurghada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,901

352,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hurghada Ismailia 410 km

From you

Hurghada
Ismailia

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

Hurghada vs Ismailia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hurghada is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $691 per month in Hurghada and $494 in Ismailia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ismailia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $460 in Hurghada and $330 in Ismailia. That's a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Ismailia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $460 in Hurghada and $330 in Ismailia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Ismailia – 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 Ismailia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hurghada makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.