Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $611 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $513 per month in Kandy vs $611 in Cairo, rent included.

Kandy $513
Cairo $611

A couple spends around $728 per month in Kandy vs $970 in Cairo, rent included.

Kandy $728
Cairo $970

A family of three spends $943 per month in Kandy vs $1,329 in Cairo, rent included.

Kandy $943
Cairo $1,329

Kandy is about 16% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kandy and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Kandy 62% lower, Cairo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 LKR 885

$4.51 E£253

-41.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.01 LKR 4,324

$27.00 E£1,514

-51.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 LKR 1,996

$5.34 E£300

12.36%

Cappuccino

$1.90 LKR 632

$1.72 E£96.2

10.47%

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

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.34 E£19.10

52.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 LKR 87.1

$0.14 E£8.10

85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 LKR 620

$1.39 E£78.0

33.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 LKR 931

$2.15 E£121

30.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 382

$0.87 E£48.67

32.18%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.76 E£42.55

-31.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$0.63 E£35.18

22.22%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.09 E£61.0

56.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 LKR 1,708

$3.74 E£210

37.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,412

$4.61 E£259

-7.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 LKR 2,285

$8.42 E£472

-18.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LKR 1,043

$1.69 E£94.6

85.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 280

$0.68 E£38.27

23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 LKR 574

$0.56 E£31.19

208.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 429

$0.47 E£26.22

174.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 339

$0.38 E£21.57

168.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$0.39 E£21.86

112.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.33 E£18.77

30.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.22 E£12.35

90.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.02 LKR 2,668

$1.85 E£104

333.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 LKR 3,751

$7.24 E£406

55.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.42 E£79.5

35.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 691

$1.98 E£111

5.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.3

$0.31 E£17.35

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,457

$7.17 E£402

-38.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$0.35 E£19.51

17.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.19 E£10.89

84.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

$1.46 E£81.6

-67.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 383

$0.40 E£22.40

187.50%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

$32.3K E£1.8M

-56.75%

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

$24.9K E£1.4M

47.85%

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

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

$26.70 E£1,497

121.01%

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

$3.86 LKR 1,282

$7.51 E£421

-48.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.72 LKR 4,227

$14.02 E£786

-9.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LKR 3,606

$27.01 E£1,514

-59.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,262

$7.15 E£401

-4.90%

Cinema Ticket

$2.74 LKR 909

$4.41 E£248

-37.87%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,199

$117 E£6,538

-81.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 101.0K

$3,269 E£183.3K

-90.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,078

$37.71 E£2,114

-51.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

$47.61 E£2,670

-78.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

$109 E£6,121

-37.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,831

$55.6 E£3,119

-52.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$203 E£11.4K

-15.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 LKR 37.5K

$188 E£10.5K

-39.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$524 E£29.4K

-67.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

$318 E£17.8K

-70.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

$793 E£44.5K

-49.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

$484 E£27.1K

-17.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 LKR 86.9K

$185 E£10.4K

41.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

-25.97%

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

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Cairo

$131 21.5% 20.9% $35

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$113 22%

Cairo

$188 30.7% 66.4% $75

Eating Out

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Cairo

$86 14.1% 7.1% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Cairo

$48 7.9% 36.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Cairo

$113 18.4% 104% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Cairo

$36 5.9% 120% $20

Getting Around

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Cairo

$9.7 1.6% 35.7% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Kandy versus $203 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 42% higher in Kandy, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Kandy versus $27 in Cairo. Groceries tell a different story – $166 in Kandy vs $131 in Cairo – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

19:39 7:39 PM

2 h 30 min behind Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 EGP = 1.78 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 56.07 EGP (100 EGP = 1.78 USD). 1 EUR = 62.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

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Between locations

Kandy Cairo 5,730 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandy
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

Kandy vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $770 per month in Kandy and $917 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kandy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $203 in Cairo.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Cairo – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Kandy and $27 in Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $513 in Kandy and $611 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kandy – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.