Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samarkand and Cairo

For one person, living costs are similar in Samarkand and in Cairo: $636 and $611 a month, rent and utilities included.

Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Cairo, Egypt
Samarkand
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan
$636
/mo nomad
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$611
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $636 per month in Samarkand vs $611 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Samarkand $636
  • Cairo $611

A couple spends around $1,013 per month in Samarkand vs $970 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Samarkand $1,013
  • Cairo $970

A family of three spends $1,391 per month in Samarkand vs $1,329 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Samarkand $1,391
  • Cairo $1,329

Samarkand costs about 4% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Samarkand and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Samarkand 53% lower, Cairo 55% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.82 UZS 81.5K
$4.51 E£252
51.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.65 UZS 235.0K
$27.00 E£1,511
-27.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 UZS 57.2K
$5.34 E£299
-10.49%
Cappuccino
$2.54 UZS 30.4K
$1.72 E£96.0
47.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 UZS 9,039
$0.34 E£19.07
123.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 UZS 2,497
$0.14 E£8.09
50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.64 UZS 19.7K
$1.39 E£77.9
17.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 UZS 27.1K
$2.15 E£120
5.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 UZS 12.8K
$0.87 E£48.58
22.99%
White Bread (500g)
$0.32 UZS 3,790
$0.76 E£42.47
-57.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.59 UZS 19.1K
$0.63 E£35.12
152.38%
Eggs
$1.33 UZS 15.9K
$1.09 E£60.9
22.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.19 UZS 97.9K
$3.74 E£209
118.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.19 UZS 50.1K
$4.61 E£258
-9.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.48 UZS 125.4K
$8.42 E£471
24.47%
Apples (1kg)
$0.86 UZS 10.3K
$1.69 E£94.4
-49.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 UZS 21.0K
$0.68 E£38.20
158.82%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 UZS 20.4K
$0.56 E£31.13
205.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.71 UZS 20.4K
$0.47 E£26.18
263.83%
Potato (1kg)
$0.51 UZS 6,156
$0.38 E£21.53
34.21%
Onion (1kg)
$0.15 UZS 1,820
$0.39 E£21.82
-61.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.26 UZS 3,139
$0.33 E£18.74
-21.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.41 UZS 4,888
$0.22 E£12.33
86.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.65 UZS 19.8K
$1.85 E£104
-10.81%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.44 UZS 41.1K
$7.24 E£405
-52.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 UZS 12.2K
$1.42 E£79.3
-28.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 UZS 24.4K
$1.98 E£111
3.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 UZS 2,859
$0.31 E£17.32
-22.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$3.42 UZS 40.9K
$7.17 E£401
-52.30%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.33 UZS 3,900
$0.35 E£19.47
-5.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.32 UZS 3,887
$0.19 E£10.87
68.42%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.40 UZS 40.6K
$1.46 E£81.5
132.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 UZS 14.2K
$0.40 E£22.36
197.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.3K UZS 207.0M
$32.3K E£1.8M
-46.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1K UZS 252.5M
$24.9K E£1.4M
-15.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$41.16 UZS 492.3K
$26.70 E£1,495
54.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.92 UZS 46.9K
$7.51 E£420
-47.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.63 UZS 163.0K
$14.02 E£785
-2.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.16 UZS 468.4K
$27.01 E£1,512
44.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.56 UZS 78.5K
$7.15 E£400
-8.25%
Cinema Ticket
$3.21 UZS 38.4K
$4.41 E£247
-27.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$380 UZS 4.5M
$117 E£6,527
225.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,387 UZS 88.4M
$3,269 E£182.9K
126.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$20.48 UZS 245.0K
$37.71 E£2,111
-45.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.29 UZS 493.9K
$47.61 E£2,665
-13.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$75.4 UZS 901.5K
$109 E£6,110
-30.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.2 UZS 707.5K
$55.6 E£3,114
6.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$239 UZS 2.9M
$203 E£11.4K
17.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$164 UZS 2.0M
$188 E£10.5K
-12.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$457 UZS 5.5M
$524 E£29.3K
-12.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$319 UZS 3.8M
$318 E£17.8K
0.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,248 UZS 14.9M
$793 E£44.4K
57.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$536 UZS 6.4M
$484 E£27.1K
10.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Samarkand
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$306 UZS 3.7M
$185 E£10.3K
65.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
23.31
16.21
43.80%

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

Last update for Samarkand: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Samarkand
$164
Cairo
$188 14.5% $24
Groceries & Markets
Samarkand
$157
Cairo
$131 16.2% $25
Eating Out
Samarkand
$116
Cairo
$86 26% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Samarkand
$88
Cairo
$113 27.4% $24
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Samarkand
$59
Cairo
$48 17.9% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Samarkand
$46
Cairo
$36 21.4% $9.8
Getting Around
Samarkand
$6.3
Cairo
$9.7 54% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Samarkand versus $203 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 66% higher in Samarkand. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Samarkand versus $27 in Cairo. Groceries tell a different story – $157 in Samarkand vs $131 in Cairo – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇿 Samarkand
🇪🇬 Cairo
🕒 Local time
08:47 8:47 AM
06:47 6:47 AM
2 h behind Samarkand
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
573,200
9,120,350 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to UZS – Uzbekistani Som Converter

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11,960 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.36 USD). 1 EUR = 13,333 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.5 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Samarkand Cairo 3,410 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Samarkand
  • 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
Samarkand vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cairo cheaper than Samarkand?
Yes – Samarkand is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Samarkand and $917 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $239 in Samarkand.
How do food prices compare in Samarkand and in Cairo?
Groceries cost about 19% more in Samarkand, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Samarkand or in Cairo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Samarkand and $27 in Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough for either Samarkand or Cairo?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $636 in Samarkand and $611 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Samarkand or Cairo more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Samarkand makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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