Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiruna and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $1,747 in Kiruna, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Kiruna
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,747
/mo nomad
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$635
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,747 per month in Kiruna vs $635 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Kiruna $1,747
  • Cairo $635

A couple spends around $2,915 per month in Kiruna vs $1,010 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Kiruna $2,915
  • Cairo $1,010

A family of three spends $4,082 per month in Kiruna vs $1,385 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Kiruna $4,082
  • Cairo $1,385

Kiruna costs about 175% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kiruna sits 29% above the global median, while Cairo is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.82 SEK 137
$4.63 E£247
198.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$128 SEK 1,270
$27.66 E£1,477
363.38%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.40 SEK 103
$5.83 E£311
78.39%
Cappuccino
$4.33 SEK 42.90
$1.69 E£90.1
156.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.69 SEK 26.70
$0.35 E£18.79
668.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 SEK 22.37
$0.13 E£6.86
1638.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.54 SEK 94.5
$1.47 E£78.3
548.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.59 SEK 65.3
$2.21 E£118
198.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 SEK 14.34
$0.94 E£50.5
54.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.80 SEK 27.79
$0.79 E£41.96
254.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.72 SEK 36.83
$0.70 E£37.41
431.43%
Eggs
$3.55 SEK 35.18
$1.12 E£59.5
216.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.29 SEK 122
$4.08 E£218
201.23%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.80 SEK 137
$4.77 E£255
189.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.62 SEK 194
$8.81 E£470
122.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 SEK 27.66
$1.68 E£89.7
66.07%
Banana (1kg)
$2.53 SEK 25.12
$0.71 E£38.07
256.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.61 SEK 25.90
$0.59 E£31.31
342.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.40 SEK 43.63
$0.51 E£27.06
762.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 SEK 14.58
$0.37 E£19.81
297.30%
Onion (1kg)
$1.59 SEK 15.77
$0.44 E£23.47
261.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.01 SEK 19.93
$0.34 E£18.37
491.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 SEK 15.46
$0.21 E£11.16
642.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.46 SEK 64.0
$1.99 E£106
224.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.69 SEK 96.1
$7.49 E£400
29.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 SEK 19.65
$1.51 E£80.4
31.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.99 SEK 19.75
$2.08 E£111
-4.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.22 SEK 31.95
$0.34 E£18.29
847.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$79.4 SEK 787
$8.31 E£444
855.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.85 SEK 57.9
$0.40 E£21.48
1362.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.68 SEK 16.68
$0.19 E£9.99
784.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.9 SEK 563
$1.50 E£80.0
3690.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 SEK 20.90
$0.45 E£23.77
368.89%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.3K SEK 310.1K
$33.1K E£1.8M
-5.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.3K SEK 329.6K
$26.1K E£1.4M
27.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$95.9 SEK 951
$27.62 E£1,475
247.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.86 SEK 246
$7.83 E£418
217.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.94 SEK 356
$14.39 E£769
149.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.74 SEK 374
$28.62 E£1,528
31.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$25.04 SEK 248
$7.47 E£399
235.21%
Cinema Ticket
$15.92 SEK 158
$4.56 E£244
249.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$152 SEK 1,506
$120 E£6,417
26.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,610 SEK 55.6K
$3,476 E£185.6K
61.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$100 SEK 993
$39.13 E£2,090
156.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.87 SEK 445
$49.04 E£2,619
-8.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.8 SEK 810
$111 E£5,934
-26.42%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$139 SEK 1,378
$57.0 E£3,043
144.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$812 SEK 8,047
$215 E£11.5K
277.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$610 SEK 6,043
$196 E£10.5K
211.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,363 SEK 13.5K
$542 E£28.9K
151.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,123 SEK 11.1K
$338 E£18.0K
232.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,456 SEK 34.2K
$830 E£44.3K
316.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,527 SEK 25.0K
$512 E£27.3K
393.69%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kiruna
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,257 SEK 32.3K
$195 E£10.4K
1571.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
16.21
-75.32%

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

Last update for Kiruna: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kiruna
$610
Cairo
$196 67.9% $414
Groceries & Markets
Kiruna
$366
Cairo
$137 62.5% $228
Eating Out
Kiruna
$274
Cairo
$88 67.8% $186
Clothing & Footwear
Kiruna
$165
Cairo
$115 30% $49
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kiruna
$157
Cairo
$50 68.2% $107
Getting Around
Kiruna
$107
Cairo
$11 89.7% $96
Sport & Entertainment
Kiruna
$70
Cairo
$38 45.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $812 in Kiruna 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 1571% higher in Kiruna, 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 $128 in Kiruna versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $137 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Kiruna
🇪🇬 Cairo
🕒 Local time
18:51 6:51 PM
19:51 7:51 PM
1 h ahead of Kiruna
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
22,454
9,120,350 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kiruna Cairo 4,310 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kiruna
  • 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
Kiruna vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cairo cheaper than Kiruna?
Yes – Kiruna is pricier by about 175%, 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 $2,621 per month in Kiruna and $953 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 Kiruna and in Cairo?
Groceries cost about 167% more in Kiruna, 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 Kiruna or in Cairo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $128 in Kiruna 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 Kiruna or in Cairo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Kiruna at $1,747. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kiruna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Kiruna 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 safer, Kiruna or Cairo?
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.
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, Kiruna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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