Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbabane and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $747 in Mbabane, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Mbabane
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Mbabane Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Mbabane

🇸🇿 Eswatini

$747

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $747 per month in Mbabane vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Mbabane $747
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,223 per month in Mbabane vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Mbabane $1,223
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $1,700 per month in Mbabane vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Mbabane $1,700
Cairo $1,431

Mbabane costs about 16% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mbabane and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Mbabane 44% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.27 SZL 169

$4.69 E£245

118.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.04 SZL 561

$28.49 E£1,491

19.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.74 SZL 94.6

$6.03 E£315

-4.81%

Cappuccino

$2.62 SZL 43.16

$1.81 E£94.7

44.75%

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

$1.12 SZL 18.41

$0.35 E£18.18

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 SZL 10.21

$0.15 E£7.95

313.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SZL 35.58

$1.45 E£76.0

48.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 SZL 40.46

$2.24 E£117

9.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 SZL 25.29

$0.97 E£50.7

57.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 SZL 13.34

$0.73 E£37.96

10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 SZL 28.82

$0.77 E£40.24

127.27%

Eggs

$1.78 SZL 29.32

$1.17 E£61.2

52.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.01 SZL 181

$4.32 E£226

154.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 SZL 92.3

$5.07 E£265

10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.98 SZL 82.0

$8.92 E£467

-44.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 SZL 28.72

$1.83 E£95.8

-4.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 SZL 10.38

$0.75 E£39.07

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 SZL 20.56

$0.57 E£29.78

119.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 SZL 23.18

$0.51 E£26.62

176.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SZL 20.57

$0.38 E£20.05

228.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 SZL 24.48

$0.42 E£21.88

254.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 SZL 11.74

$0.35 E£18.43

102.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 SZL 12.56

$0.24 E£12.57

216.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 SZL 46.91

$1.99 E£104

43.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 SZL 97.8

$7.48 E£391

-20.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SZL 25.10

$1.52 E£79.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 SZL 27.59

$2.13 E£112

-21.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 SZL 12.18

$0.33 E£17.10

124.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 SZL 22.80

$0.20 E£10.65

590.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 SZL 50.0

$1.49 E£77.8

103.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 SZL 20.98

$0.46 E£23.94

176.09%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

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

$64.0 SZL 1,056

$27.54 E£1,441

132.53%

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

$38.40 SZL 633

$8.27 E£432

364.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.97 SZL 445

$14.05 E£735

91.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.61 SZL 373

$28.27 E£1,479

-20.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.04 SZL 50.1

$6.70 E£350

-54.63%

Cinema Ticket

$3.65 SZL 60.1

$4.40 E£230

-17.05%

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

$121 E£6,356

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,330 SZL 104.3K

$3,619 E£189.3K

74.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.21 SZL 580

$40.16 E£2,101

-12.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.80 SZL 244

$49.61 E£2,596

-70.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.1 SZL 1,139

$115 E£6,033

-40.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.2 SZL 877

$60.6 E£3,170

-12.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 SZL 4,406

$220 E£11.5K

21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 SZL 2,950

$194 E£10.2K

-7.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 SZL 7,332

$514 E£26.9K

-13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 SZL 5,720

$334 E£17.5K

4.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$473 SZL 7,794

$806 E£42.2K

-41.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$359 SZL 5,915

$513 E£26.9K

-30.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

16.21

-55.27%

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

Last update for Mbabane: 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

Mbabane

$180 23.7%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 21.3% $38

Accommodation & Living

Mbabane

$179 23.6%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 8.5% $15

Eating Out

Mbabane

$153 20.2%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 40.7% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbabane

$129 17.1%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 61.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Mbabane

$78 10.2%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 54.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Mbabane

$30 3.9%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 24% $7.2

Getting Around

Mbabane

$9.9 * 1.3%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 15% $1.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Mbabane 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Mbabane versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇿 Mbabane

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of Mbabane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,874 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Eswatini Lilangeni SZL L

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 SZL = 6.07 USD

100 SZL = 5.41 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to SZL – Eswatini Lilangeni Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇿 Eswatini Lilangeni (L)

Eswatini Lilangeni exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 SZL (100 SZL = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 SZL (100 SZL = 5.41 EUR).

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

USD to SZL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mbabane Cairo 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbabane
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

Mbabane vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Mbabane is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,121 per month in Mbabane 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 27% more in Mbabane, 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 $34.00 in Mbabane 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 $747 in Mbabane 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.

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