Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middelburg and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,089 in Middelburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Middelburg
Learn more

Middelburg Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Middelburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,089

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,089 per month in Middelburg vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Middelburg $1,089
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $1,696 per month in Middelburg vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Middelburg $1,696
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $2,303 per month in Middelburg vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Middelburg $2,303
Cairo $1,423

Middelburg costs about 68% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Middelburg and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Middelburg 19% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.75 R 161

$4.64 E£248

110.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.51 R 585

$28.12 E£1,501

26.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 R 94.3

$6.03 E£322

-5.14%

Cappuccino

$1.35 R 22.19

$1.72 E£92.1

-21.51%

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

$0.85 R 14.06

$0.36 E£19.38

136.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 R 9.95

$0.12 E£6.41

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 R 19.31

$1.51 E£80.4

-22.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.41

$2.32 E£124

-33.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.78

$0.92 E£48.92

23.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.83

$0.73 E£38.92

47.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.91

$0.74 E£39.64

104.05%

Eggs

$1.70 R 28.01

$1.19 E£63.7

42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.93 R 97.7

$4.33 E£231

36.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 R 84.6

$5.03 E£269

1.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.54 R 108

$9.28 E£496

-29.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 R 26.95

$1.77 E£94.4

-7.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.83

$0.73 E£39.03

47.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 R 19.00

$0.55 E£29.51

109.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.30

$0.50 E£26.91

146.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.62

$0.42 E£22.42

300.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.64

$0.41 E£21.81

190.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 R 19.59

$0.33 E£17.51

260.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.71

$0.21 E£11.20

352.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.41 R 39.66

$1.98 E£106

21.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 R 81.5

$7.81 E£417

-36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.47

$1.59 E£84.7

16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R 33.65

$2.09 E£112

-2.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 R 23.77

$0.35 E£18.83

311.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.42 R 699

$8.69 E£464

388.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.66

$0.39 E£21.02

51.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.38

$0.22 E£11.57

295.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.56 R 190

$1.51 E£80.5

665.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.81

$0.43 E£22.88

206.98%

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

$35.1K R 577.9K

$32.7K E£1.7M

7.27%

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

$32.1K R 528.4K

$27.2K E£1.5M

17.78%

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

$145 R 2,382

$27.27 E£1,456

430.11%

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

$34.32 R 565

$8.58 E£458

300.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.05 R 610

$13.99 E£747

164.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.85 R 525

$29.69 E£1,585

7.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 R 178

$7.25 E£387

48.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.19 R 118

$4.86 E£260

47.94%

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

$243 R 4,005

$121 E£6,438

101.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,359 R 88.3K

$3,560 E£190.1K

50.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 R 874

$40.28 E£2,151

31.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 R 541

$49.53 E£2,645

-33.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 R 1,623

$115 E£6,137

-14.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.3 R 1,455

$60.0 E£3,206

47.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 R 6,369

$222 E£11.9K

74.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 R 5,836

$195 E£10.4K

81.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.1K

$550 E£29.3K

33.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 R 12.2K

$346 E£18.5K

114.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

$800 E£42.7K

9.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$665 R 10.9K

$525 E£28.0K

26.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,193 R 19.6K

$200 E£10.7K

497.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

16.21

-32.51%

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

Last update for Middelburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Middelburg

$354 32.5%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 45% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middelburg

$216 19.8%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 76.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

Middelburg

$170 15.7%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 16.8% $29

Eating Out

Middelburg

$126 11.6%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 28.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Middelburg

$123 11.3%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 2.9% $3.6

Getting Around

Middelburg

$53 4.9%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 78.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Middelburg

$46 4.3%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 14.8% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $387 in Middelburg 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 497% higher in Middelburg, 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 $36.00 in Middelburg versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $170 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Middelburg

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

13:38 1:38 PM

1 h ahead of Middelburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,348

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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 ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Middelburg Cairo 6,210 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Middelburg
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

Middelburg vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Middelburg is pricier by about 68%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,633 per month in Middelburg 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 20% more in Middelburg, 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 $36.00 in Middelburg 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 $1,089 in Middelburg and $647 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, Middelburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.