Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sheikh Zayed and Alexandria

For one person, living costs are similar in Sheikh Zayed and in Alexandria: $469 and $462 a month, rent and utilities included.

23

Cost of Living Index in Sheikh Zayed
Learn more

Sheikh Zayed Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
Learn more

Alexandria Living Index

Jump to prices

Sheikh Zayed

🇪🇬 Egypt

$469

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sheikh Zayed 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 Sheikh Zayed and in Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $469 per month in Sheikh Zayed vs $462 in Alexandria, rent included.

Sheikh Zayed $469
Alexandria $462

A couple spends around $797 per month in Sheikh Zayed vs $766 in Alexandria, rent included.

Sheikh Zayed $797
Alexandria $766

A family of three spends $1,125 per month in Sheikh Zayed vs $1,071 in Alexandria, rent included.

Sheikh Zayed $1,125
Alexandria $1,071

Sheikh Zayed costs about 2% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sheikh Zayed and Alexandria are more affordable than the global median – Sheikh Zayed 65% lower, Alexandria 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.69 E£197

$4.28 E£228

-13.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 E£1,015

$19.29 E£1,030

-1.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.30 E£230

$4.89 E£261

-12.07%

Cappuccino

$1.30 E£69.5

$1.26 E£67.5

3.17%

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

$0.32 E£17.26

$0.33 E£17.37

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.37

$0.13 E£7.07

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.35 E£72.2

$1.31 E£70.1

3.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 E£148

$2.87 E£153

-3.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 E£46.95

$0.83 E£44.32

6.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 E£37.73

$0.72 E£38.67

-1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.59

$0.64 E£34.04

-14.06%

Eggs

$1.15 E£61.4

$1.19 E£63.7

-3.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.97 E£212

$3.79 E£203

4.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 E£232

$4.33 E£231

0.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 E£499

$9.12 E£487

2.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£82.4

$1.50 E£79.9

2.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 E£42.44

$0.75 E£40.12

5.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.52 E£27.95

$0.52 E£27.98

Tomato (1kg)

$0.32 E£17.25

$0.35 E£18.80

-8.57%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 E£12.73

$0.26 E£13.90

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£15.89

$0.32 E£17.32

-6.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.30

$0.25 E£13.28

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.05

$0.21 E£11.37

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.64 E£87.6

$1.85 E£98.6

-11.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 E£304

$5.58 E£298

1.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 E£51.9

$1.20 E£64.3

-19.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 E£123

$2.24 E£120

3.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 E£15.52

$0.17 E£9.02

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.24 E£600

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 E£27.39

$0.59 E£31.72

-13.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.54 E£28.62

$0.50 E£26.63

8.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 E£63.7

$1.15 E£61.1

3.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 E£20.70

$0.43 E£23.17

-9.30%

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

$29.9K E£1.6M

$32.4K E£1.7M

-7.63%

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

$27.3K E£1.5M

-0.22%

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

$14.20 E£758

$14.01 E£748

1.36%

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

$6.68 E£357

$6.87 E£367

-2.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.31 E£711

$13.44 E£718

-0.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.69 E£2,013

$13.05 E£697

188.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.36 E£500

$7.37 E£394

27.00%

Cinema Ticket

$2.83 E£151

$2.84 E£151

-0.35%

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

$85.9 E£4,588

$86.5 E£4,621

-0.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,156 E£115.2K

$2,100 E£112.2K

2.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.62 E£1,795

$33.83 E£1,807

-0.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.13 E£2,410

$44.92 E£2,398

0.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 E£6,520

$129 E£6,881

-5.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.1 E£2,784

$56.0 E£2,993

-6.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 E£10.1K

$136 E£7,240

40.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 E£4,040

$71.5 E£3,816

5.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 E£25.9K

$292 E£15.6K

66.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 E£10.3K

$147 E£7,828

31.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,057 E£56.4K

$695 E£37.1K

52.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$576 E£30.8K

$448 E£23.9K

28.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$131 E£6,988

$141 E£7,546

-7.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

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

Last update for Sheikh Zayed: October 12, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sheikh Zayed

$126 26.8%

Alexandria

$126 27.2% 0.2% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sheikh Zayed

$114 24.3%

Alexandria

$119 25.7% 4.2% $4.8

Accommodation & Living

Sheikh Zayed

$76 16.1%

Alexandria

$71 15.5% 5.5% $4.2

Eating Out

Sheikh Zayed

$72 15.4%

Alexandria

$78 16.9% 8.4% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sheikh Zayed

$43 9.2%

Alexandria

$19 4.1% 56.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sheikh Zayed

$34 7.3%

Alexandria

$34 7.4% 0.4% $0.1

Getting Around

Sheikh Zayed

$4.4 * 0.9%

Alexandria

$15 3.3% 244% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $190 in Sheikh Zayed 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 8% higher in Alexandria, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Sheikh Zayed versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $126 – making Sheikh Zayed the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Sheikh Zayed

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

Same time as Sheikh Zayed

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,000

4,546,231

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sheikh Zayed Alexandria 160 km

From you

Sheikh Zayed
Alexandria

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

Sheikh Zayed vs Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sheikh Zayed costs about 2% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $704 per month in Sheikh Zayed and $693 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Sheikh Zayed and $19.00 in Alexandria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Sheikh Zayed, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $469 in Sheikh Zayed and $462 in Alexandria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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.

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 Alexandria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sheikh Zayed makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.