Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between New Cairo and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $462 a month against $728 in New Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

New Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$728
/mo nomad
Alexandria
🇪🇬 Egypt
$462
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in New Cairo and in Alexandria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in New Cairo and in Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $728 per month in New Cairo vs $462 in Alexandria, rent included.

  • New Cairo $728
  • Alexandria $462

A couple spends around $1,097 per month in New Cairo vs $766 in Alexandria, rent included.

  • New Cairo $1,097
  • Alexandria $766

A family of three spends $1,467 per month in New Cairo vs $1,071 in Alexandria, rent included.

  • New Cairo $1,467
  • Alexandria $1,071

New Cairo costs about 58% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both New Cairo and Alexandria are more affordable than the global median – New Cairo 46% lower, Alexandria 66% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.74 E£307
$4.28 E£228
34.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.75 E£1,375
$19.29 E£1,030
33.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.60 E£299
$4.89 E£261
14.52%
Cappuccino
$2.00 E£107
$1.26 E£67.5
58.73%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 E£20.30
$0.33 E£17.37
15.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 E£7.89
$0.13 E£7.07
15.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.93 E£156
$1.31 E£70.1
123.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 E£180
$2.87 E£153
17.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.96 E£51.4
$0.83 E£44.32
15.66%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 E£54.1
$0.72 E£38.67
40.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.77 E£41.36
$0.64 E£34.04
20.31%
Eggs
$1.51 E£80.5
$1.19 E£63.7
26.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.25 E£227
$3.79 E£203
12.14%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.53 E£295
$4.33 E£231
27.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.34 E£445
$9.12 E£487
-8.55%
Apples (1kg)
$1.71 E£91.6
$1.50 E£79.9
14.00%
Banana (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.29
$0.75 E£40.12
-1.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.49 E£25.94
$0.52 E£27.98
-5.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.40 E£21.56
$0.35 E£18.80
14.29%
Potato (1kg)
$0.32 E£17.29
$0.26 E£13.90
23.08%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 E£24.94
$0.32 E£17.32
46.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.20 E£10.67
$0.25 E£13.28
-20.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.24 E£12.82
$0.21 E£11.37
14.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.90 E£101
$1.85 E£98.6
2.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.75 E£521
$5.58 E£298
74.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 E£75.0
$1.20 E£64.3
16.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.00 E£107
$2.24 E£120
-10.71%
🚌 Getting Around
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.17 E£8.91
$0.17 E£9.02
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$11.24 E£600
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.55 E£29.35
$0.59 E£31.72
-6.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.16 E£8.60
$0.50 E£26.63
-68.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.83 E£205
$1.15 E£61.1
233.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.42 E£22.42
$0.43 E£23.17
-2.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.4K E£1.7M
$32.4K E£1.7M
0.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K E£1.4M
$27.3K E£1.5M
-2.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.44 E£2,159
$14.01 E£748
188.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.41 E£503
$6.87 E£367
36.97%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.06 E£751
$13.44 E£718
4.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.14 E£1,556
$13.05 E£697
123.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.16 E£329
$7.37 E£394
-16.42%
Cinema Ticket
$3.24 E£173
$2.84 E£151
14.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$180 E£9,611
$86.5 E£4,621
107.98%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,744 E£253.3K
$2,100 E£112.2K
125.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$46.25 E£2,470
$33.83 E£1,807
36.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.5 E£2,908
$44.92 E£2,398
21.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,151
$129 E£6,881
-10.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$56.5 E£3,016
$56.0 E£2,993
0.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$300 E£16.0K
$136 E£7,240
121.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$246 E£13.1K
$71.5 E£3,816
244.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$548 E£29.3K
$292 E£15.6K
87.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$357 E£19.1K
$147 E£7,828
143.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,204 E£64.3K
$695 E£37.1K
73.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$647 E£34.5K
$448 E£23.9K
44.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
New Cairo
Alexandria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$187 E£10.0K
$141 E£7,546
32.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.4
21.33
-46.55%

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

Last update for New Cairo: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
New Cairo
$246
Alexandria
$71 71% $175
Groceries & Markets
New Cairo
$147
Alexandria
$126 14.7% $22
Clothing & Footwear
New Cairo
$123
Alexandria
$119 3.2% $3.9
Eating Out
New Cairo
$110
Alexandria
$78 29.1% $32
Monthly Utilities & Internet
New Cairo
$64
Alexandria
$34 46.3% $30
Sport & Entertainment
New Cairo
$36
Alexandria
$19 47.4% $17
Getting Around
New Cairo
$2 *
Alexandria
$15 643% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $300 in New Cairo versus $136 in Alexandria. 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 33% higher in New Cairo, 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 $26.00 in New Cairo versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $126 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 New Cairo
🇪🇬 Alexandria
🕒 Local time
00:00 12:00 AM
00:00 12:00 AM
Same time as New Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
298,343
4,546,231
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
New Cairo vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, New Cairo or Alexandria?
New Cairo costs about 58% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in New Cairo and in Alexandria?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,092 per month in New Cairo and $693 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, New Cairo or Alexandria?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in New Cairo and in Alexandria?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in New Cairo and $19.00 in Alexandria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in New Cairo or in Alexandria?
Groceries cost about 17% more in New Cairo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $800/month in New Cairo or in Alexandria?
$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $728 in New Cairo and $462 in Alexandria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Alexandria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is New Cairo compared to Alexandria?
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.
Should I move to New Cairo or to Alexandria?
If budget matters most, go with Alexandria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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