Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Longyearbyen and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $2,733 in Longyearbyen, rent and utilities included – about $25,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Longyearbyen
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Longyearbyen Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

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Longyearbyen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,733

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,733 per month in Longyearbyen vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Longyearbyen $2,733
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $4,180 per month in Longyearbyen vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Longyearbyen $4,180
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $5,627 per month in Longyearbyen vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Longyearbyen $5,627
Cairo $1,423

Longyearbyen costs about 323% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Longyearbyen sits 102% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.05 NOK 189

$4.64 E£248

332.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$106 NOK 996

$28.12 E£1,501

276.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.00 NOK 169

$6.03 E£322

198.51%

Cappuccino

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$1.72 E£92.1

298.26%

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

$6.11 NOK 57.5

$0.36 E£19.38

1597.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 NOK 52.5

$0.12 E£6.41

4550.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.43 NOK 70.0

$1.51 E£80.4

392.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 NOK 84.3

$2.32 E£124

286.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.40 NOK 22.57

$0.92 E£48.92

160.87%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 NOK 34.95

$0.73 E£38.92

408.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.33 NOK 40.78

$0.74 E£39.64

485.14%

Eggs

$4.97 NOK 46.82

$1.19 E£63.7

317.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.26 NOK 134

$4.33 E£231

229.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.30 NOK 191

$5.03 E£269

303.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.52 NOK 297

$9.28 E£496

239.66%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 NOK 60.5

$1.77 E£94.4

262.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.03

$0.73 E£39.03

249.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.85 NOK 64.5

$0.55 E£29.51

1145.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.66 NOK 62.7

$0.50 E£26.91

1232.00%

Potato (1kg)

$5.49 NOK 51.7

$0.42 E£22.42

1207.14%

Onion (1kg)

$4.53 NOK 42.66

$0.41 E£21.81

1004.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.51 NOK 42.50

$0.33 E£17.51

1266.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 NOK 33.23

$0.21 E£11.20

1580.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.34 NOK 163

$1.98 E£106

775.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.45 NOK 136

$7.81 E£417

85.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 NOK 33.31

$1.59 E£84.7

122.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 NOK 39.93

$2.09 E£112

102.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 NOK 49.65

$0.35 E£18.83

1405.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 NOK 811

$8.69 E£464

891.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 NOK 85.3

$0.39 E£21.02

2223.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 NOK 16.93

$0.22 E£11.57

718.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$73.7 NOK 694

$1.51 E£80.5

4780.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 NOK 20.05

$0.43 E£22.88

395.35%

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

$50.3K NOK 473.1K

$32.7K E£1.7M

53.69%

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

$41.3K NOK 388.9K

$27.2K E£1.5M

51.73%

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

$242 NOK 2,274

$27.27 E£1,456

785.77%

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

$32.99 NOK 311

$8.58 E£458

284.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$13.99 E£747

286.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.5 NOK 475

$29.69 E£1,585

70.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.19 NOK 341

$7.25 E£387

399.17%

Cinema Ticket

$14.85 NOK 140

$4.86 E£260

205.56%

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

$200 NOK 1,887

$121 E£6,438

66.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K NOK 133.8K

$3,560 E£190.1K

299.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 NOK 981

$40.28 E£2,151

158.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 NOK 530

$49.53 E£2,645

13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 NOK 1,179

$115 E£6,137

9.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 NOK 1,447

$60.0 E£3,206

156.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,104 NOK 10.4K

$222 E£11.9K

396.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 NOK 9,569

$195 E£10.4K

421.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,983 NOK 18.7K

$550 E£29.3K

260.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 NOK 16.0K

$346 E£18.5K

390.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,197 NOK 58.3K

$800 E£42.7K

675.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,017 NOK 37.8K

$525 E£28.0K

665.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,931 NOK 27.6K

$200 E£10.7K

1367.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

16.21

-69.52%

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

Last update for Longyearbyen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Longyearbyen

$1K 37.2%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 80.8% $822

Groceries & Markets

Longyearbyen

$586 21.5%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 75.8% $445

Eating Out

Longyearbyen

$398 14.6%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 77.4% $308

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Longyearbyen

$329 12%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 84.8% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Longyearbyen

$198 7.2%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 39.8% $79

Getting Around

Longyearbyen

$125 4.6%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 90.8% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Longyearbyen

$80 2.9%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 50.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,104 in Longyearbyen 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 1368% higher in Longyearbyen, 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 $106 in Longyearbyen versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $586 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Longyearbyen

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

14:40 2:40 PM

1 h ahead of Longyearbyen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,400

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Longyearbyen Cairo 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Longyearbyen
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

Longyearbyen vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Longyearbyen is pricier by about 323%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,100 per month in Longyearbyen 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 314% more in Longyearbyen, 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 $106 in Longyearbyen 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 Longyearbyen at $2,733. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Longyearbyen 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, Longyearbyen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.