Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jena and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,786 in Jena, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Jena
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Jena Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Jena

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,786

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,786 per month in Jena vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Jena $1,786
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $2,668 per month in Jena vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Jena $2,668
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $3,550 per month in Jena vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Jena $3,550
Cairo $1,423

Jena costs about 176% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Jena sits 32% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.92 €11.49

$4.64 E£248

178.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.9 €58.7

$28.12 E£1,501

134.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$6.03 E£322

87.06%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.58

$1.72 E£92.1

133.72%

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

$3.04 €2.71

$0.36 E£19.38

744.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.66

$0.12 E£6.41

2391.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.61 €4.99

$1.51 E£80.4

271.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.04

$2.32 E£124

96.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.92 E£48.92

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.73 E£38.92

195.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$0.74 E£39.64

294.59%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.25

$1.19 E£63.7

206.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 €12.95

$4.33 E£231

236.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 €10.35

$5.03 E£269

131.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.23 €17.11

$9.28 E£496

107.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 €2.76

$1.77 E£94.4

75.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$0.73 E£39.03

153.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$0.55 E£29.51

272.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.50 E£26.91

696.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.42 E£22.42

223.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.41 E£21.81

175.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.33 E£17.51

339.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.21 E£11.20

423.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.80 €8.72

$1.98 E£106

394.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 €4.93

$7.81 E£417

-29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.59 E£84.7

-37.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$2.09 E£112

-31.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 €2.54

$0.35 E£18.83

717.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.1 €61.4

$8.69 E£464

694.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.53 €4.03

$0.39 E£21.02

1061.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.71 €2.41

$0.22 E£11.57

1131.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.59 €29.88

$1.51 E£80.5

2124.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.43 E£22.88

409.30%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-7.85%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$27.2K E£1.5M

41.29%

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

$380 €338

$27.27 E£1,456

1294.46%

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

$20.18 €17.95

$8.58 E£458

135.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.58 €37.87

$13.99 E£747

204.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.48 €32.45

$29.69 E£1,585

22.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$10.06 €8.95

$4.86 E£260

107.00%

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

$874 €778

$121 E£6,438

624.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$3,560 E£190.1K

325.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$86.4 €76.8

$40.28 E£2,151

114.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.90 €36.38

$49.53 E£2,645

-17.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$115 E£6,137

-5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$60.0 E£3,206

102.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 €639

$222 E£11.9K

223.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 €411

$195 E£10.4K

137.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,212 €1,078

$550 E£29.3K

120.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$845 €752

$346 E£18.5K

144.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,753 €2,449

$525 E£28.0K

424.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,204 €2,850

$200 E£10.7K

1504.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

16.21

-75.57%

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

Last update for Jena: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jena

$462 25.9%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 57.8% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jena

$443 24.8%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 88.7% $393

Groceries & Markets

Jena

$318 17.8%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 55.4% $176

Eating Out

Jena

$247 13.8%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 63.5% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Jena

$161 9%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 25.8% $41

Getting Around

Jena

$99 5.5%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 88.3% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Jena

$57 3.2%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 30.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Jena 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 1504% higher in Jena, 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 $66.0 in Jena versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $318 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Jena

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

11:16 11:16 AM

1 h ahead of Jena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,343

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jena Cairo 2,840 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Jena
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

Jena vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Jena is pricier by about 176%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,679 per month in Jena 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 124% more in Jena, 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 $66.0 in Jena 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 Jena at $1,786. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jena 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, Jena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.