Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lija and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,972 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,972 per month in Lija vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Lija $1,972
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $3,209 per month in Lija vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Lija $3,209
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $4,446 per month in Lija vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Lija $4,446
Cairo $1,423

Lija costs about 205% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lija sits 46% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €19.81

$4.64 E£248

379.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.0

$28.12 E£1,501

223.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.14 €11.69

$6.03 E£322

117.91%

Cappuccino

$3.13 €2.79

$1.72 E£92.1

81.98%

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

$2.42 €2.15

$0.36 E£19.38

572.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.75

$0.12 E£6.41

1541.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.51 E£80.4

260.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.71 €5.97

$2.32 E£124

189.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 €1.18

$0.92 E£48.92

44.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.73 E£38.92

93.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 €3.08

$0.74 E£39.64

367.57%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.76

$1.19 E£63.7

254.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.49 €9.33

$4.33 E£231

142.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.84

$5.03 E£269

142.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.21 €16.20

$9.28 E£496

96.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$1.77 E£94.4

118.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$0.73 E£39.03

275.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 €3.40

$0.55 E£29.51

596.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$0.50 E£26.91

638.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.42 E£22.42

357.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.41 E£21.81

734.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.33 E£17.51

563.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.21 E£11.20

633.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.36 €5.66

$1.98 E£106

221.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 €5.44

$7.81 E£417

-21.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.59 E£84.7

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.09 E£112

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 €2.11

$0.35 E£18.83

577.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.52

$0.39 E£21.02

912.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.22 E£11.57

709.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.04 €28.50

$1.51 E£80.5

2021.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.35

$0.43 E£22.88

253.49%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-14.93%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$27.2K E£1.5M

43.60%

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

$156 €138

$27.27 E£1,456

470.63%

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

$31.66 €28.16

$8.58 E£458

269.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.94 €25.75

$13.99 E£747

106.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.5 €62.7

$29.69 E£1,585

137.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$11.36 €10.11

$4.86 E£260

133.74%

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

$279 €248

$121 E£6,438

131.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.9K

$3,560 E£190.1K

243.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.8 €51.4

$40.28 E£2,151

43.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.0 €60.5

$49.53 E£2,645

37.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.8

$115 E£6,137

-3.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$60.0 E£3,206

116.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,106 €984

$222 E£11.9K

397.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €728

$195 E£10.4K

319.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 €1,595

$550 E£29.3K

226.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,693 €1,506

$346 E£18.5K

388.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,111 €3,657

$800 E£42.7K

414.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,697 €2,399

$525 E£28.0K

413.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

16.21

-75.02%

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

Last update for Lija: 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

Lija

$819 41.5%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 76.2% $624

Groceries & Markets

Lija

$343 17.4%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 58.7% $201

Eating Out

Lija

$313 15.9%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 71.3% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lija

$216 11%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 76.9% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Lija

$165 8.4%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 27.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Lija

$93 4.7%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 57.7% $54

Getting Around

Lija

$22 * 1.1%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 48.1% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,106 in Lija 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Lija versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Lija

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

23:48 11:48 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

1 h ahead of Lija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lija Cairo 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lija
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

Lija vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lija is pricier by about 205%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,958 per month in Lija 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,972 in Lija and $647 in Cairo. That's a gap of about 205%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Lija and $121 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Lija at $1,972. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lija 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, Lija makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.