Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ismailia and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ismailia: $330 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

16

Cost of Living Index in Ismailia
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Ismailia Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Ismailia

🇪🇬 Egypt

$330

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $330 per month in Ismailia vs $635 in Cairo, rent included.

Ismailia $330
Cairo $635

A couple spends around $561 per month in Ismailia vs $1,010 in Cairo, rent included.

Ismailia $561
Cairo $1,010

A family of three spends $792 per month in Ismailia vs $1,385 in Cairo, rent included.

Ismailia $792
Cairo $1,385

Ismailia is about 48% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ismailia and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Ismailia 76% lower, Cairo 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 E£176

$4.63 E£247

-28.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.58 E£778

$27.66 E£1,477

-47.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.76 E£201

$5.83 E£311

-35.51%

Cappuccino

$1.04 E£55.5

$1.69 E£90.1

-38.46%

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

$0.30 E£15.91

$0.35 E£18.79

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.85

$0.13 E£6.86

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 E£70.6

$1.47 E£78.3

-10.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 E£96.0

$2.21 E£118

-18.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.79 E£42.30

$0.94 E£50.5

-15.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.36 E£19.07

$0.79 E£41.96

-54.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 E£32.12

$0.70 E£37.41

-14.29%

Eggs

$1.15 E£61.5

$1.12 E£59.5

2.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.49 E£186

$4.08 E£218

-14.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 E£213

$4.77 E£255

-16.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 E£371

$8.81 E£470

-21.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.3

$1.68 E£89.7

-13.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.54 E£29.05

$0.71 E£38.07

-23.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.41 E£22.01

$0.59 E£31.31

-30.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.31 E£16.79

$0.51 E£27.06

-39.22%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£13.89

$0.37 E£19.81

-29.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.32 E£17.12

$0.44 E£23.47

-27.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.23 E£12.31

$0.34 E£18.37

-32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.67

$0.21 E£11.16

-4.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 E£99.5

$1.99 E£106

-6.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.48 E£293

$7.49 E£400

-26.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 E£55.4

$1.51 E£80.4

-31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 E£101

$2.08 E£111

-9.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 E£12.26

$0.34 E£18.29

-32.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.77 E£201

$8.31 E£444

-54.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£20.60

$0.40 E£21.48

-2.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 E£25.72

$0.19 E£9.99

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 E£60.2

$1.50 E£80.0

-24.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 E£22.18

$0.45 E£23.77

-6.67%

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

$27.6K E£1.5M

$33.1K E£1.8M

-16.53%

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

$14.6K E£780.2K

$26.1K E£1.4M

-44.12%

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

$13.94 E£744

$27.62 E£1,475

-49.53%

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

$6.66 E£355

$7.83 E£418

-14.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.33 E£391

$14.39 E£769

-49.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.65 E£515

$28.62 E£1,528

-66.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.42 E£984

$7.47 E£399

146.59%

Cinema Ticket

$1.82 E£97.4

$4.56 E£244

-60.09%

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

$65.6 E£3,502

$120 E£6,417

-45.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,171 E£62.5K

$3,476 E£185.6K

-66.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.92 E£690

$39.13 E£2,090

-66.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.19 E£491

$49.04 E£2,619

-81.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 E£6,764

$111 E£5,934

13.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.53 E£1,470

$57.0 E£3,043

-51.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$78.3 E£4,181

$215 E£11.5K

-63.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$31.44 E£1,679

$196 E£10.5K

-83.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$120 E£6,414

$542 E£28.9K

-77.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.2 E£4,017

$338 E£18.0K

-77.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$458 E£24.5K

$830 E£44.3K

-44.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$131 E£6,984

$512 E£27.3K

-74.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$101 E£5,387

$195 E£10.4K

-48.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

16.21

31.59%

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

Last update for Ismailia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ismailia

$108 32.8%

Cairo

$137 21.6% 26.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ismailia

$79 24.1%

Cairo

$115 18.2% 45.3% $36

Eating Out

Ismailia

$62 18.8%

Cairo

$88 13.9% 42.6% $26

Accommodation & Living

Ismailia

$31 9.5%

Cairo

$196 30.8% 523% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ismailia

$28 8.5%

Cairo

$50 7.8% 78.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ismailia

$13 4%

Cairo

$38 5.9% 184% $24

Getting Around

Ismailia

$7.5 2.3%

Cairo

$11 1.7% 47.3% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $78.3 in Ismailia versus $215 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 93% higher in Cairo, 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 $15.00 in Ismailia versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $137 – making Ismailia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Ismailia

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

Same time as Ismailia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

352,000

9,120,350 Capital

💱 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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Ismailia
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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

Ismailia vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 93%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $494 per month in Ismailia and $953 in Cairo. 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.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Cairo, 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 $15.00 in Ismailia and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $330 in Ismailia and $635 in Cairo, 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, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.