Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,948 per month in San Sebastian vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

San Sebastian $1,948
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $2,889 per month in San Sebastian vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

San Sebastian $2,889
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $3,830 per month in San Sebastian vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

San Sebastian $3,830
Cairo $1,423

San Sebastian costs about 201% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Sebastian sits 44% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.90

$4.64 E£248

261.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €53.9

$28.12 E£1,501

115.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 €9.41

$6.03 E£322

75.46%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$1.72 E£92.1

20.93%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$0.36 E£19.38

697.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.12 E£6.41

1250.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.51 E£80.4

127.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.22

$2.32 E£124

56.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.92 E£48.92

22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.94

$0.73 E£38.92

45.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$0.74 E£39.64

136.49%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.31

$1.19 E£63.7

212.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 €19.87

$4.33 E£231

415.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 €7.27

$5.03 E£269

62.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 €18.77

$9.28 E£496

127.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.77 E£94.4

41.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$0.73 E£39.03

223.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$0.55 E£29.51

507.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$0.50 E£26.91

480.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.42 E£22.42

390.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.41 E£21.81

382.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.33 E£17.51

257.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.54

$0.21 E£11.20

190.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.40

$1.98 E£106

206.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 €6.58

$7.81 E£417

-5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.59 E£84.7

-32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$2.09 E£112

-12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.35 E£18.83

502.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.85 €30.11

$8.69 E£464

289.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 €5.85

$0.39 E£21.02

1584.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.22 E£11.57

313.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.70 €20.19

$1.51 E£80.5

1403.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.43 E£22.88

295.35%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$32.7K E£1.7M

10.67%

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

$28.7K €25.5K

$27.2K E£1.5M

5.43%

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

$136 €121

$27.27 E£1,456

400.11%

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

$20.40 €18.15

$8.58 E£458

137.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.36 €31.45

$13.99 E£747

152.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.41 €37.73

$29.69 E£1,585

42.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 €17.75

$7.25 E£387

175.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.50

$4.86 E£260

73.66%

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

$453 €403

$121 E£6,438

275.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.2K

$3,560 E£190.1K

285.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$40.28 E£2,151

79.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.46 €27.99

$49.53 E£2,645

-36.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 €66.5

$115 E£6,137

-34.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$60.0 E£3,206

122.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$222 E£11.9K

533.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$954 €849

$195 E£10.4K

389.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,239 €1,992

$550 E£29.3K

307.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,354

$346 E£18.5K

339.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,603 €8,541

$800 E£42.7K

1100.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,748 €4,223

$525 E£28.0K

804.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,027 €2,693

$200 E£10.7K

1415.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

16.21

-81.99%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$954 49%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 79.6% $759

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$316 16.2%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 55.1% $174

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$233 12%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 61.4% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$192 9.9%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 74.1% $142

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$141 7.2%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 15.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 3%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 33.5% $20

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$53 2.7%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 78.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,407 in San Sebastian 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 1416% higher in San Sebastian, 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

22:24 10:24 PM

23:24 11:24 PM

1 h ahead of San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 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

San Sebastian Cairo 3,280 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

San Sebastian
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

San Sebastian vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Sebastian is pricier by about 201%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,922 per month in San Sebastian 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 123% more in San Sebastian, 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 $61.0 in San Sebastian 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 San Sebastian at $1,948. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Sebastian 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, San Sebastian makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.