Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tirana and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,372 in Tirana, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Tirana
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Tirana Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Tirana

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,372

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,372 per month in Tirana vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Tirana $1,372
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $2,167 per month in Tirana vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Tirana $2,167
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $2,961 per month in Tirana vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Tirana $2,961
Cairo $1,431

Tirana costs about 113% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Tirana sits 2% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.80 ALL 797

$4.69 E£245

108.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 ALL 4,525

$28.49 E£1,491

95.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 ALL 896

$6.03 E£315

82.59%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ALL 184

$1.81 E£94.7

24.86%

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

$2.42 ALL 197

$0.35 E£18.18

591.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ALL 104

$0.15 E£7.95

753.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.56 ALL 290

$1.45 E£76.0

145.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 ALL 334

$2.24 E£117

83.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ALL 177

$0.97 E£50.7

124.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ALL 93.7

$0.73 E£37.96

57.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 ALL 191

$0.77 E£40.24

205.19%

Eggs

$3.84 ALL 313

$1.17 E£61.2

228.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.66 ALL 1,030

$4.32 E£226

193.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.92 ALL 725

$5.07 E£265

75.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.17 ALL 1,397

$8.92 E£467

92.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 ALL 156

$1.83 E£95.8

4.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 ALL 203

$0.75 E£39.07

232.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 ALL 181

$0.57 E£29.78

289.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ALL 146

$0.51 E£26.62

252.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 ALL 85.6

$0.38 E£20.05

176.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ALL 106

$0.42 E£21.88

209.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 ALL 118

$0.35 E£18.43

314.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ALL 59.5

$0.24 E£12.57

204.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.88 ALL 397

$1.99 E£104

145.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.45 ALL 851

$7.48 E£391

39.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ALL 128

$1.52 E£79.4

3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ALL 167

$2.13 E£112

-3.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ALL 41.53

$0.33 E£17.10

54.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.78 ALL 1,609

$8.66 E£453

128.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 ALL 291

$0.37 E£19.27

867.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.75 ALL 305

$0.20 E£10.65

1775.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.40 ALL 1,497

$1.49 E£77.8

1134.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 ALL 184

$0.46 E£23.94

391.30%

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

$33.8K ALL 2.7M

$32.6K E£1.7M

3.48%

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

$34.9K ALL 2.8M

$28.4K E£1.5M

23.03%

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

$96.8 ALL 7,877

$27.54 E£1,441

251.56%

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

$17.91 ALL 1,457

$8.27 E£432

116.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.96 ALL 1,624

$14.05 E£735

42.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.3 ALL 4,580

$28.27 E£1,479

99.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.34 ALL 1,573

$6.70 E£350

188.66%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 ALL 805

$4.40 E£230

125.00%

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

$340 ALL 27.6K

$121 E£6,356

179.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,356 ALL 679.8K

$3,619 E£189.3K

130.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 ALL 5,676

$40.16 E£2,101

73.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.16 ALL 3,837

$49.61 E£2,596

-4.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ALL 10.1K

$115 E£6,033

7.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ALL 9,530

$60.6 E£3,170

93.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 ALL 66.6K

$220 E£11.5K

272.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$473 ALL 38.4K

$194 E£10.2K

143.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,585 ALL 129.0K

$514 E£26.9K

208.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$891 ALL 72.5K

$334 E£17.5K

167.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,310 ALL 350.7K

$806 E£42.2K

434.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,090 ALL 170.0K

$513 E£26.9K

307.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$895 ALL 72.8K

$200 E£10.5K

347.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

16.21

-66.75%

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

Last update for Tirana: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tirana

$473 34.9%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 58.9% $278

Groceries & Markets

Tirana

$288 21.2%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 50.9% $146

Eating Out

Tirana

$179 13.2%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 49.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Tirana

$161 11.9%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 25.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tirana

$135 9.9%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 63% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Tirana

$76 5.6%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 51.3% $39

Getting Around

Tirana

$44 3.3%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 74.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $819 in Tirana 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 347% higher in Tirana, 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 $56.0 in Tirana versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Tirana

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

11:19 11:19 AM

1 h ahead of Tirana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,495 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.36 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.25 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

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 ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tirana Cairo 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tirana
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

Tirana vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tirana is pricier by about 113%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,058 per month in Tirana 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 104% more in Tirana, 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 $56.0 in Tirana 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 Tirana at $1,372. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tirana 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, Tirana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.