Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maseru and Cairo

For one person, living costs are similar in Maseru and in Cairo: $658 and $643 a month, rent and utilities included.

32

Cost of Living Index in Maseru
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Maseru Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Maseru

🇱🇸 Lesotho

$658

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $658 per month in Maseru vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Maseru $658
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,123 per month in Maseru vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Maseru $1,123
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $1,588 per month in Maseru vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Maseru $1,588
Cairo $1,431

Maseru costs about 2% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Maseru and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Maseru 51% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.06 LSL 149

$4.69 E£245

93.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.68 LSL 391

$28.49 E£1,491

-16.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 LSL 138

$6.03 E£315

38.47%

Cappuccino

$2.01 LSL 33.20

$1.81 E£94.7

11.05%

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

$1.05 LSL 17.27

$0.35 E£18.18

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 LSL 13.18

$0.15 E£7.95

433.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 LSL 28.89

$1.45 E£76.0

20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 LSL 40.61

$2.24 E£117

9.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 LSL 19.47

$0.97 E£50.7

21.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 LSL 13.14

$0.73 E£37.96

9.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 LSL 29.34

$0.77 E£40.24

131.17%

Eggs

$1.53 LSL 25.23

$1.17 E£61.2

30.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.71 LSL 111

$4.32 E£226

55.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 LSL 104

$5.07 E£265

24.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.20 LSL 102

$8.92 E£467

-30.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 LSL 31.60

$1.83 E£95.8

4.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.30 LSL 37.95

$0.75 E£39.07

206.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.64 LSL 43.54

$0.57 E£29.78

363.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 LSL 39.02

$0.51 E£26.62

362.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 LSL 26.25

$0.38 E£20.05

318.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 LSL 26.75

$0.42 E£21.88

285.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 LSL 25.10

$0.35 E£18.43

334.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 LSL 12.88

$0.24 E£12.57

225.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.03 LSL 83.0

$1.99 E£104

152.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.31 LSL 121

$7.48 E£391

-2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 LSL 16.99

$1.52 E£79.4

-32.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 LSL 25.15

$2.13 E£112

-28.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 LSL 12.68

$0.33 E£17.10

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.06 LSL 496

$8.66 E£453

247.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 LSL 12.05

$0.37 E£19.27

97.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 LSL 10.36

$0.20 E£10.65

215.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 LSL 60.3

$1.49 E£77.8

144.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LSL 22.02

$0.46 E£23.94

189.13%

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

$20.9K LSL 344.3K

$32.6K E£1.7M

-36.04%

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

$16.4K LSL 270.6K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-42.25%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

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

$14.63 LSL 241

$8.27 E£432

76.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.63 LSL 621

$14.05 E£735

167.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.17 LSL 382

$28.27 E£1,479

-18.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

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

$51.2 LSL 845

$121 E£6,356

-57.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,181 LSL 19.5K

$3,619 E£189.3K

-67.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.25 LSL 763

$40.16 E£2,101

15.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.2 LSL 911

$49.61 E£2,596

11.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 LSL 1,736

$115 E£6,033

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 LSL 2,493

$60.6 E£3,170

149.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$92.4 LSL 1,525

$220 E£11.5K

-57.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.8 LSL 920

$194 E£10.2K

-71.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 LSL 7,025

$514 E£26.9K

-17.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 LSL 2,851

$334 E£17.5K

-48.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$377 LSL 6,219

$806 E£42.2K

-53.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$514 LSL 8,481

$513 E£26.9K

0.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$631 LSL 10.4K

$200 E£10.5K

215.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.5

16.21

-47.56%

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

Last update for Maseru: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Maseru

$195 29.3%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 27.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Maseru

$161 24.1%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 25.7% $41

Eating Out

Maseru

$143 21.4%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 36.2% $52

Accommodation & Living

Maseru

$56 8.4%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 248% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maseru

$52 * 7.8%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 4.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Maseru

$37 5.6%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 69.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Maseru

$23 * 3.5%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 60% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $92.4 in Maseru 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 215% higher in Maseru, 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 $24.00 in Maseru versus $28.00 in Cairo. Groceries tell a different story – $195 in Maseru vs $141 in Cairo – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇸 Maseru

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

14:14 2:14 PM

1 h ahead of Maseru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

227,880 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Lesotho Loti LSL L

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 LSL = 6.06 USD

100 LSL = 5.41 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to LSL – Lesotho Loti Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇸 Lesotho Loti (L)

Lesotho Loti exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 LSL (100 LSL = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 LSL (100 LSL = 5.41 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

USD to LSL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maseru Cairo 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Maseru
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

Maseru vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Maseru is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $987 per month in Maseru 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 38% more in Maseru, 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 $24.00 in Maseru and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $658 in Maseru and $643 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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, Maseru makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.