Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,531 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $22,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
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Milan Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,531

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,531 per month in Milan vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Milan $2,531
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $3,874 per month in Milan vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Milan $3,874
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $5,216 per month in Milan vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Milan $5,216
Cairo $1,431

Milan costs about 293% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Milan sits 89% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.17

$4.69 E£245

382.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.6

$28.49 E£1,491

209.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.90

$6.03 E£316

121.23%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$1.81 E£94.8

19.34%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$0.35 E£18.18

948.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.15 E£7.95

1113.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.11

$1.45 E£76.0

372.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$2.24 E£117

201.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.97 E£50.7

76.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 €2.92

$0.73 E£37.97

349.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 €3.27

$0.77 E£40.25

376.62%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.40

$1.17 E£61.2

321.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.72 €20.26

$4.32 E£226

425.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.25 €12.70

$5.07 E£265

181.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.58 €20.13

$8.92 E£467

153.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.83 E£95.8

62.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$0.75 E£39.08

225.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$0.57 E£29.78

491.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.75

$0.51 E£26.63

723.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.38 E£20.06

507.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.42 E£21.89

395.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.35 E£18.43

391.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.24 E£12.57

137.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.51

$1.99 E£104

267.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.79 €8.73

$7.48 E£391

30.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.52 E£79.4

33.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.13 E£112

15.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 €2.19

$0.33 E£17.10

645.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.94 €39.18

$8.66 E£453

407.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.96

$0.37 E£19.27

2008.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.20 E£10.65

1035.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.7 €57.7

$1.49 E£77.8

4244.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.46 E£23.95

373.91%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$32.6K E£1.7M

10.24%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$28.4K E£1.5M

26.11%

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

$252 €225

$27.54 E£1,441

815.54%

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

$10.22 €9.11

$8.27 E£433

23.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.41 €26.22

$14.05 E£735

109.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.6 €76.3

$28.27 E£1,480

202.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.45 €30.72

$6.70 E£350

414.18%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 €10.83

$4.40 E£230

175.91%

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

$837 €747

$121 E£6,357

589.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K €17.1K

$3,619 E£189.4K

428.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.5

$40.16 E£2,102

152.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.73 €44.34

$49.61 E£2,596

0.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €105

$115 E£6,034

1.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$60.6 E£3,170

173.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 €1,529

$220 E£11.5K

679.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,033

$194 E£10.2K

496.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 €3,043

$514 E£26.9K

563.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 €1,842

$334 E£17.5K

519.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,470

$806 E£42.2K

1217.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,004 €4,462

$513 E£26.9K

875.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,952

$200 E£10.5K

993.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

16.21

-80.38%

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

Last update for Milan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Milan

$1.2K 45.3%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 83.2% $964

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$415 16.2%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 65.9% $274

Eating Out

Milan

$317 12.4%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 71.2% $226

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$292 11.4%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 82.9% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$195 7.6%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 38.8% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$110 4.3%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 66.3% $73

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.9%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 84.4% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Milan 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 994% higher in Milan, 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 $88.0 in Milan versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h ahead of Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Cairo 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Milan
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

Milan vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Milan is pricier by about 293%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,797 per month in Milan 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 194% more in Milan, 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 $88.0 in Milan and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Milan at $2,531. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Milan 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.

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