Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zawiya and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $647 in Cairo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
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Zawiya Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $441 per month in Zawiya vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

Zawiya $441
Cairo $647

A couple spends around $685 per month in Zawiya vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

Zawiya $685
Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $929 per month in Zawiya vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

Zawiya $929
Cairo $1,423

Zawiya is about 32% cheaper than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Zawiya and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Zawiya 67% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.39 LYD 15.32

$4.64 E£248

-48.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.64 LYD 100

$28.12 E£1,501

-44.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.68 LYD 17.16

$6.03 E£322

-55.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 LYD 3.80

Cappuccino

$0.42 LYD 2.68

$1.72 E£92.1

-75.58%

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

$0.41 LYD 2.63

$0.36 E£19.38

13.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 LYD 0.80

$0.12 E£6.41

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 LYD 5.90

$0.92 E£48.92

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$0.73 E£38.92

-72.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 LYD 6.26

$0.74 E£39.64

32.43%

Eggs

$1.35 LYD 8.65

$1.19 E£63.7

13.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.65 LYD 29.77

$4.33 E£231

7.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 LYD 22.97

$5.03 E£269

-28.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.99 LYD 57.6

$9.28 E£496

-3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 LYD 12.46

$1.77 E£94.4

9.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 LYD 9.21

$0.73 E£39.03

97.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.68 LYD 4.38

$0.55 E£29.51

23.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 LYD 3.18

$0.50 E£26.91

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 LYD 3.96

$0.42 E£22.42

47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.28 LYD 1.80

$0.41 E£21.81

-31.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 LYD 1.92

$0.33 E£17.51

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 LYD 1.18

$0.21 E£11.20

-14.29%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.75 LYD 4.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.72 LYD 11.03

$1.98 E£106

-13.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 LYD 5.13

$0.35 E£18.83

128.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.03 LYD 250

$8.69 E£464

349.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 LYD 4.84

$0.39 E£21.02

94.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 LYD 3.13

$0.22 E£11.57

122.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 LYD 15.25

$1.51 E£80.5

57.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$0.43 E£22.88

-95.35%

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

$15.2K LYD 97.4K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-53.52%

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

$16.5K LYD 105.4K

$27.2K E£1.5M

-39.57%

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

$94.2 LYD 603

$27.27 E£1,456

245.32%

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

$5.59 LYD 35.80

$8.58 E£458

-34.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.12 LYD 77.7

$13.99 E£747

-13.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.94 LYD 109

$29.69 E£1,585

-42.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.84 LYD 24.61

$7.25 E£387

-47.03%

Cinema Ticket

$3.78 LYD 24.25

$4.86 E£260

-22.22%

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

$52.5 LYD 337

$121 E£6,438

-56.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$879 LYD 5,630

$3,560 E£190.1K

-75.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.92 LYD 134

$40.28 E£2,151

-48.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.60 LYD 286

$49.53 E£2,645

-9.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.29 LYD 200

$115 E£6,137

-72.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.69 LYD 197

$60.0 E£3,206

-48.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$89.2 LYD 572

$222 E£11.9K

-59.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$58.3 LYD 373

$195 E£10.4K

-70.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$167 LYD 1,072

$550 E£29.3K

-69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$120 LYD 766

$346 E£18.5K

-65.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$349 LYD 2,238

$800 E£42.7K

-56.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$95.9 LYD 614

$525 E£28.0K

-81.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$244 LYD 1,566

$200 E£10.7K

22.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

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

Last update for Zawiya: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zawiya

$112 25.4%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 55.5% $62

Groceries & Markets

Zawiya

$109 24.7%

Cairo

$142 21.9% 30.4% $33

Accommodation & Living

Zawiya

$58 13.2%

Cairo

$195 30.2% 235% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Zawiya

$57 13%

Cairo

$119 18.4% 108% $62

Getting Around

Zawiya

$45 10.3%

Cairo

$12 1.8% 74.5% $34

Eating Out

Zawiya

$34 7.8%

Cairo

$90 13.9% 162% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Zawiya

$25 5.6%

Cairo

$39 6.1% 60.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $89.2 in Zawiya 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 22% higher in Zawiya, 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 $16.00 in Zawiya versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $109 vs $142 – making Zawiya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

22:26 10:26 PM

1 h ahead of Zawiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,726

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

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 LYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zawiya Cairo 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zawiya
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

Zawiya vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cairo is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $661 per month in Zawiya 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 Zawiya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Cairo, 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 $16.00 in Zawiya and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $441 in Zawiya and $647 in Cairo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Zawiya – 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 Zawiya. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.