Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostia and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,756 in Ostia, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,756 per month in Ostia vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Ostia $1,756
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $2,594 per month in Ostia vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Ostia $2,594
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $3,432 per month in Ostia vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Ostia $3,432
Cairo $1,423

Ostia costs about 171% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ostia sits 30% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.69

$4.64 E£248

255.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.7

$28.12 E£1,501

134.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.10

$6.03 E£322

88.39%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.00

$1.72 E£92.1

30.81%

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

$2.33 €2.07

$0.36 E£19.38

547.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.06

$0.12 E£6.41

900.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.46 €4.86

$1.51 E£80.4

261.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.27

$2.32 E£124

106.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.48

$0.92 E£48.92

81.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.92

$0.73 E£38.92

195.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$0.74 E£39.64

305.41%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$1.19 E£63.7

281.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 €13.27

$4.33 E£231

244.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.49 €11.11

$5.03 E£269

148.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 €17.44

$9.28 E£496

111.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.77 E£94.4

46.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.73 E£39.03

182.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$0.55 E£29.51

323.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.11

$0.50 E£26.91

376.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.42 E£22.42

242.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.41 E£21.81

290.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.33 E£17.51

300.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$0.21 E£11.20

142.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.90

$1.98 E£106

234.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$7.81 E£417

-30.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.59 E£84.7

-1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.22

$2.09 E£112

19.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.35 E£18.83

371.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.01 €34.70

$8.69 E£464

348.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.42 €3.93

$0.39 E£21.02

1033.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.22 E£11.57

463.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.16 €20.60

$1.51 E£80.5

1433.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.43 E£22.88

400.00%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$32.7K E£1.7M

7.87%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$27.2K E£1.5M

30.06%

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

$197 €175

$27.27 E£1,456

621.05%

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

$9.61 €8.55

$8.58 E£458

12.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.13 €27.69

$13.99 E£747

122.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 €49.93

$29.69 E£1,585

89.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.20 €9.96

$7.25 E£387

54.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.07 €9.85

$4.86 E£260

127.78%

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

$449 €400

$121 E£6,438

272.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,805 €7,832

$3,560 E£190.1K

147.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 €64.2

$40.28 E£2,151

79.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.65 €32.60

$49.53 E£2,645

-26.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.6 €75.2

$115 E£6,137

-26.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$60.0 E£3,206

107.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$222 E£11.9K

284.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €599

$195 E£10.4K

245.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 €1,005

$550 E£29.3K

105.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 €881

$346 E£18.5K

186.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,992 €1,772

$200 E£10.7K

897.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

16.21

-78.41%

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

Last update for Ostia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostia

$673 38.3%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 71% $478

Groceries & Markets

Ostia

$324 18.4%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 56.2% $182

Eating Out

Ostia

$244 13.9%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 63.1% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostia

$237 13.5%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 79% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Ostia

$143 8.2%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 16.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Ostia

$78 4.5%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 49.7% $39

Getting Around

Ostia

$56 3.2%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 79.4% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $853 in Ostia 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 897% higher in Ostia, 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 $66.0 in Ostia versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ostia

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

04:40 4:40 AM

05:40 5:40 AM

1 h ahead of Ostia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,400

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ostia Cairo 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ostia
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

Ostia vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ostia is pricier by about 171%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,634 per month in Ostia 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 128% more in Ostia, 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 $66.0 in Ostia 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 $647, than in Ostia at $1,756. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ostia 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.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ostia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.