Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $635 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mersa Matruh, Egypt
Cairo, Egypt
Mersa Matruh
🇪🇬 Egypt
$457
/mo nomad
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$635
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $635 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Mersa Matruh $457
  • Cairo $635

A couple spends around $749 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,010 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Mersa Matruh $749
  • Cairo $1,010

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,385 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Mersa Matruh $1,040
  • Cairo $1,385

Mersa Matruh is about 28% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Mersa Matruh and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Mersa Matruh 66% lower, Cairo 53% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.20 E£232
$4.63 E£256
-9.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.05 E£1,052
$27.66 E£1,528
-31.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.72 E£261
$5.83 E£322
-19.04%
Cappuccino
$1.27 E£70.0
$1.69 E£93.2
-24.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 E£17.97
$0.35 E£19.44
-5.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.11 E£5.95
$0.13 E£7.10
-15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.36 E£75.1
$1.47 E£81.0
-7.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 E£154
$2.21 E£122
26.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.87 E£48.19
$0.94 E£52.2
-7.45%
White Bread (500g)
$0.66 E£36.72
$0.79 E£43.41
-16.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.65 E£35.73
$0.70 E£38.71
-7.14%
Eggs
$1.19 E£65.5
$1.12 E£61.6
6.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.80 E£210
$4.08 E£225
-6.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.24 E£234
$4.77 E£263
-11.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.23 E£510
$8.81 E£487
4.77%
Apples (1kg)
$1.54 E£85.3
$1.68 E£92.8
-8.33%
Banana (1kg)
$0.75 E£41.43
$0.71 E£39.39
5.63%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£30.57
$0.59 E£32.40
-6.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.35 E£19.58
$0.51 E£27.99
-31.37%
Potato (1kg)
$0.26 E£14.46
$0.37 E£20.50
-29.73%
Onion (1kg)
$0.30 E£16.54
$0.44 E£24.28
-31.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.27 E£15.05
$0.34 E£19.01
-20.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.22 E£11.88
$0.21 E£11.55
4.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.85 E£102
$1.99 E£110
-7.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.67 E£313
$7.49 E£414
-24.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 E£68.9
$1.51 E£83.2
-17.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 E£126
$2.08 E£115
9.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.21 E£11.61
$0.34 E£18.92
-38.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$8.31 E£459
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.56 E£30.84
$0.40 E£22.23
40.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.17 E£9.15
$0.19 E£10.34
-10.53%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 E£66.4
$1.50 E£82.8
-20.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£23.83
$0.45 E£24.59
-4.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.5K E£1.8M
$33.1K E£1.8M
-1.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K E£1.5M
$26.1K E£1.4M
3.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$14.05 E£776
$27.62 E£1,526
-49.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.68 E£369
$7.83 E£433
-14.69%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.50 E£746
$14.39 E£795
-6.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.88 E£877
$28.62 E£1,581
-44.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$7.47 E£413
-
Cinema Ticket
$2.91 E£161
$4.56 E£252
-36.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$85.0 E£4,696
$120 E£6,639
-29.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,090 E£115.5K
$3,476 E£192.1K
-39.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.72 E£1,863
$39.13 E£2,162
-13.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.91 E£2,537
$49.04 E£2,710
-6.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 E£7,046
$111 E£6,140
14.76%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.4 E£3,172
$57.0 E£3,148
0.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$128 E£7,086
$215 E£11.9K
-40.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$76.7 E£4,238
$196 E£10.8K
-60.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$256 E£14.1K
$542 E£29.9K
-52.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$144 E£7,973
$338 E£18.7K
-57.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$772 E£42.6K
$830 E£45.9K
-7.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$354 E£19.5K
$512 E£28.3K
-30.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mersa Matruh
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$94.2 E£5,204
$195 E£10.8K
-51.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
21.33
16.21
31.59%

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

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mersa Matruh
$126
Cairo
$137 8.5% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Mersa Matruh
$119
Cairo
$115 3.1% $3.7
Eating Out
Mersa Matruh
$77
Cairo
$88 14.7% $11
Accommodation & Living
Mersa Matruh
$77
Cairo
$196 155% $119
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mersa Matruh
$34
Cairo
$50 45.6% $16
Sport & Entertainment
Mersa Matruh
$22
Cairo
$38 74% $16
Getting Around
Mersa Matruh
$2.2 *
Cairo
$11 394% $8.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Mersa Matruh versus $215 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 in Cairo are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh versus $28 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $137 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh
🇪🇬 Cairo
🕒 Local time
07:32 7:32 AM
07:32 7:32 AM
Same time as Mersa Matruh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
140,000
9,120,350 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.25 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.99 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mersa Matruh Cairo 410 km
From you
  • Mersa Matruh
  • 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
Mersa Matruh vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mersa Matruh cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Mersa Matruh and $953 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $215 in Cairo.
What are total monthly expenses in Mersa Matruh and in Cairo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $457 in Mersa Matruh and $635 in Cairo. That’s a gap of about 39%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $85 per month in Mersa Matruh and $120 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $800 enough for either Mersa Matruh or Cairo?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $457 in Mersa Matruh and $635 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Mersa Matruh or Cairo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Mersa Matruh vs other spots: cost of living compared

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