Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lubumbashi and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,228 in Lubumbashi, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Lubumbashi
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Lubumbashi Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Lubumbashi

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,228

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Lubumbashi vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Lubumbashi $1,228
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $2,727 per month in Lubumbashi vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Lubumbashi $2,727
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $4,226 per month in Lubumbashi vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Lubumbashi $4,226
Cairo $1,423

Lubumbashi costs about 90% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lubumbashi and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Lubumbashi 9% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 CDF 22.5K

$4.64 E£248

113.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.1 CDF 224.6K

$28.12 E£1,501

252.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.92 CDF 22.5K

$6.03 E£322

64.51%

Cappuccino

$4.03 CDF 9,131

$1.72 E£92.1

134.30%

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

$1.08 CDF 2,458

$0.36 E£19.38

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.99 CDF 4,508

$1.51 E£80.4

31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 CDF 5,756

$2.32 E£124

9.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 CDF 4,446

$0.92 E£48.92

113.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CDF 2,764

$0.73 E£38.92

67.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CDF 7,204

$0.74 E£39.64

329.73%

Eggs

$2.10 CDF 4,761

$1.19 E£63.7

76.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.77 CDF 33.5K

$4.33 E£231

241.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 CDF 17.4K

$5.03 E£269

53.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.52 CDF 35.2K

$9.28 E£496

67.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 CDF 11.2K

$1.77 E£94.4

180.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 CDF 6,960

$0.73 E£39.03

320.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.88 CDF 11.1K

$0.55 E£29.51

787.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 CDF 6,745

$0.50 E£26.91

496.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 CDF 5,810

$0.42 E£22.42

509.52%

Onion (1kg)

$2.66 CDF 6,020

$0.41 E£21.81

548.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 CDF 2,220

$0.33 E£17.51

196.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CDF 2,774

$0.21 E£11.20

480.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.07 CDF 9,227

$1.98 E£106

105.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CDF 28.8K

$7.81 E£417

63.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 CDF 2,600

$1.59 E£84.7

-27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CDF 4,719

$2.09 E£112

-0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 CDF 2,289

$0.35 E£18.83

188.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 CDF 10.1K

$0.39 E£21.02

1046.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.87 CDF 22.4K

$1.51 E£80.5

553.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 CDF 3,361

$0.43 E£22.88

244.19%

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

$25.1K CDF 56.8M

$32.7K E£1.7M

-23.38%

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

$30.6K CDF 69.3M

$27.2K E£1.5M

12.30%

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

$99.9 CDF 226.3K

$27.27 E£1,456

266.26%

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

$20.13 CDF 45.6K

$8.58 E£458

134.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.3 CDF 136.6K

$13.99 E£747

331.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.6 CDF 166.8K

$29.69 E£1,585

147.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

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

$132 CDF 297.9K

$121 E£6,438

9.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,456 CDF 10.1M

$3,560 E£190.1K

25.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.35 CDF 50.6K

$40.28 E£2,151

-44.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.55 CDF 51.1K

$49.53 E£2,645

-54.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.1 CDF 133.9K

$115 E£6,137

-48.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.5 CDF 196.0K

$60.0 E£3,206

44.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 CDF 2.0M

$222 E£11.9K

288.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 CDF 851.7K

$195 E£10.4K

92.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,522 CDF 5.7M

$550 E£29.3K

358.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 CDF 4.6M

$346 E£18.5K

492.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,012 CDF 2.3M

$800 E£42.7K

26.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$499 CDF 1.1M

$525 E£28.0K

-4.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,064 CDF 2.4M

$200 E£10.7K

432.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Lubumbashi: 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

Lubumbashi

$376 30.6%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 48.1% $181

Groceries & Markets

Lubumbashi

$327 26.6%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 56.6% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lubumbashi

$180 14.7%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 72.4% $130

Eating Out

Lubumbashi

$177 * 14.4%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 49.1% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Lubumbashi

$86 7%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 39% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Lubumbashi

$74 * 6%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 46.5% $34

Getting Around

Lubumbashi

$8.5 * 0.7%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 36.1% $3.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $862 in Lubumbashi 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 433% higher in Lubumbashi, 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 $99.0 in Lubumbashi versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇩 Lubumbashi

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

09:56 9:56 AM

10:56 10:56 AM

1 h ahead of Lubumbashi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,139,064

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Congolese Franc CDF Fr

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD

10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to CDF – Congolese Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇩 Congolese Franc (Fr)

Congolese Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2,265 CDF (10,000 CDF = 4.41 USD). 1 EUR = 2,547 CDF (10,000 CDF = 3.93 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to CDF in detail →

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Between locations

Lubumbashi Cairo 4,660 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lubumbashi
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

Lubumbashi vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lubumbashi is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,842 per month in Lubumbashi 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 $1,228 in Lubumbashi and $647 in Cairo. That's a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in Lubumbashi 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 Lubumbashi at $1,228. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lubumbashi 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.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lubumbashi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.