Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leiden and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,824 in Leiden, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Leiden
Learn more

Leiden Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Leiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,824

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,824 per month in Leiden vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Leiden $2,824
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $3,929 per month in Leiden vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Leiden $3,929
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $5,034 per month in Leiden vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Leiden $5,034
Cairo $1,431

Leiden costs about 339% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Leiden sits 111% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.79 €17.66

$4.69 E£245

321.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €80.8

$28.49 E£1,491

217.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.71 €12.23

$6.03 E£315

127.36%

Cappuccino

$3.92 €3.50

$1.81 E£94.7

116.57%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$0.35 E£18.18

920.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 €2.67

$0.15 E£7.95

1893.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.88 €7.04

$1.45 E£76.0

443.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 €4.47

$2.24 E£117

123.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$0.97 E£50.7

28.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.73 E£37.96

208.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 €2.20

$0.77 E£40.24

219.48%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.17

$1.17 E£61.2

299.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.32

$4.32 E£226

245.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.67 €13.09

$5.07 E£265

189.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.86 €14.15

$8.92 E£467

77.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.83 E£95.8

56.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$0.75 E£39.07

210.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$0.57 E£29.78

247.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 €4.45

$0.51 E£26.62

876.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$0.38 E£20.05

360.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.42 E£21.88

357.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.35 E£18.43

285.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.24 E£12.57

212.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 €12.05

$1.99 E£104

578.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.20 €6.42

$7.48 E£391

-3.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.52 E£79.4

-0.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.13 E£112

27.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.58

$0.33 E£17.10

775.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 €114

$8.66 E£453

1377.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.40 €3.03

$0.37 E£19.27

818.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 €2.93

$0.20 E£10.65

1540.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.71 €20.26

$1.49 E£77.8

1424.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.46 E£23.94

436.96%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$32.6K E£1.7M

27.67%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$28.4K E£1.5M

37.49%

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

$276 €246

$27.54 E£1,441

902.07%

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

$15.21 €13.57

$8.27 E£432

83.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.1 €44.75

$14.05 E£735

256.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.75 €40.83

$28.27 E£1,479

61.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.86 €10.59

$6.70 E£350

77.01%

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.07

$4.40 E£230

232.73%

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

$1,749 €1,561

$121 E£6,356

1339.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K €11.8K

$3,619 E£189.3K

265.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 €105

$40.16 E£2,101

192.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 €42.60

$49.61 E£2,596

-3.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €104

$115 E£6,033

1.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$60.6 E£3,170

130.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 €1,513

$220 E£11.5K

671.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,409 €1,257

$194 E£10.2K

625.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,511 €2,240

$514 E£26.9K

388.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,974 €1,762

$334 E£17.5K

491.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,402 €6,605

$806 E£42.2K

818.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,788 €5,165

$513 E£26.9K

1027.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,100 €3,659

$200 E£10.5K

1948.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

16.21

-82.73%

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

Last update for Leiden: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leiden

$1.4K 49.7%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 86.2% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leiden

$341 12%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 85.4% $291

Groceries & Markets

Leiden

$341 12%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 58.6% $200

Eating Out

Leiden

$322 11.4%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 71.7% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Leiden

$190 6.7%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 37% $70

Getting Around

Leiden

$159 5.6%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 92.9% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Leiden

$75 2.6%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 50.6% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,696 in Leiden versus $220 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 1948% higher in Leiden, 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 $91.0 in Leiden versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leiden

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

08:00 8:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h ahead of Leiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,089

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Leiden Cairo 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Leiden
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

Leiden vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Leiden is pricier by about 339%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,235 per month in Leiden and $965 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 141% more in Leiden, 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 $91.0 in Leiden 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 $643, than in Leiden at $2,824. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leiden 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, Leiden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.