Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palermo and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,578 in Palermo, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Palermo
Learn more

Palermo Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Palermo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,578

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,578 per month in Palermo vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Palermo $1,578
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $2,300 per month in Palermo vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Palermo $2,300
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Palermo vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Palermo $3,023
Cairo $1,431

Palermo costs about 145% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Palermo sits 18% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.14 €13.51

$4.69 E£245

222.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 €51.0

$28.49 E£1,491

100.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.04 €9.85

$6.03 E£315

83.08%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.82

$1.81 E£94.7

12.15%

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

$2.33 €2.08

$0.35 E£18.18

565.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.15 E£7.95

740.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 €4.98

$1.45 E£76.0

284.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.45

$2.24 E£117

72.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.97 E£50.7

28.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.73 E£37.96

152.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$0.77 E£40.24

254.55%

Eggs

$2.88 €2.57

$1.17 E£61.2

146.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.95 €13.34

$4.32 E£226

246.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 €10.53

$5.07 E£265

132.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.33 €15.46

$8.92 E£467

94.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$1.83 E£95.8

57.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.75 E£39.07

182.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$0.57 E£29.78

403.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$0.51 E£26.62

482.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$0.38 E£20.05

355.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.42 E£21.88

247.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.79 €1.60

$0.35 E£18.43

411.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 €0.39

$0.24 E£12.57

79.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 €6.14

$1.99 E£104

245.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.51 €6.70

$7.48 E£391

0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.52 E£79.4

43.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.70

$2.13 E£112

41.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.33 E£17.10

366.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.26 €31.46

$8.66 E£453

307.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 €3.09

$0.37 E£19.27

835.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.20 E£10.65

475.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.50 €33.46

$1.49 E£77.8

2416.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.46 E£23.94

341.30%

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

$36.9K €32.9K

$32.6K E£1.7M

12.95%

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

$35.8K €32.0K

$28.4K E£1.5M

26.12%

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

$225 €201

$27.54 E£1,441

715.87%

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

$10.21 €9.11

$8.27 E£432

23.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.52 €23.67

$14.05 E£735

88.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.74 €40.81

$28.27 E£1,479

61.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$31.52 €28.13

$6.70 E£350

370.45%

Cinema Ticket

$9.07 €8.09

$4.40 E£230

106.14%

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

$453 €404

$121 E£6,356

272.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,713 €5,098

$3,619 E£189.3K

57.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.7

$40.16 E£2,101

80.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.45 €28.07

$49.61 E£2,596

-36.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 €75.4

$115 E£6,033

-26.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$60.6 E£3,170

108.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 €663

$220 E£11.5K

237.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 €446

$194 E£10.2K

157.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,090 €973

$514 E£26.9K

112.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €639

$334 E£17.5K

114.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,595 €2,315

$806 E£42.2K

221.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,296 €1,156

$513 E£26.9K

152.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,634 €1,458

$200 E£10.5K

716.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.39

16.21

-79.09%

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

Last update for Palermo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Palermo

$499 32%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 61.1% $305

Groceries & Markets

Palermo

$315 20.2%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 55.2% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palermo

$261 16.8%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 80.9% $212

Eating Out

Palermo

$229 14.7%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 60.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Palermo

$142 9.1%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 15.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Palermo

$64 4.1%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 42% $27

Getting Around

Palermo

$51 3.2%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 77.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $743 in Palermo 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 716% higher in Palermo, 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 $57.0 in Palermo versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Palermo

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

1 h ahead of Palermo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,165

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 = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Palermo Cairo 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Palermo
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

Palermo vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Palermo is pricier by about 145%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,367 per month in Palermo 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 123% more in Palermo, 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 $57.0 in Palermo 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 Palermo at $1,578. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Palermo 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, Palermo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.