Cost of Living in Cairo, Cairo
Cairo, Cairo, Egypt: CPI 16.5, rent index 9.4, purchasing power 22.4. 1BR centre rent ~E£15,792 EGP. Net salary ~E£66,662 EGP. Data: Regional.
Author: CityCost Global · Methodology · Data Sources · Last updated: 2026-08-21
Key metrics
- Country: Egypt
- Currency: EGP
- Avg 1BR rent (centre): E£15,792
- Avg net salary: E£66,662
- Cost of living index (CPI): 16.5
- Rent index: 9.4
- Purchasing power index: 22.4
- Groceries sample (milk 1L): E£16
- Transport ticket: E£12
- Utilities (85m²): E£902
- Restaurant meal: E£205
Cairo overview
Cairo, Cairo, Egypt is indexed for cost-of-living analysis using Regional with confidence label "★★★☆☆ Regional estimation". This page is a structured knowledge document: every number below comes from the CityCost engine or the eligible-city registry — not from generative guesswork. Primary timezone reference on record: Africa/Cairo. Local currency for published prices: EGP (E£). Coordinates on record: 30.06, 31.25. Cairo is flagged as a national capital in eligibility signals. Cairo is flagged as a tourism or business hub in index signals. Internal tier signal on record: 5. Readers should treat city-centre references as anchors, then validate neighbourhood leases, taxes, and visas independently before relocating. Verified information is currently unavailable for: nearby airports, climate, major industries, education, healthcare, safety. Those topics are omitted rather than estimated.
Metro definitions vary across Egypt; treat city-wide averages as planning anchors and validate neighbourhood rents independently.
Average monthly net salary (after tax) on record is about E£66,662 EGP. Purchasing power index 22.4 describes how far a typical local salary stretches against local prices. Stress-test affordability by comparing the E£15,792 EGP 1BR centre reference against E£66,662 EGP net pay, then adjusting for your actual housing target. Offers denominated in foreign currency should be converted carefully; published figures on this page stay in EGP. Industry wage premiums are not asserted without verified payroll datasets. Students and new graduates may earn below the average net salary figure — treat E£66,662 EGP as a market midpoint signal, not a personal guarantee.
These values are estimated using state/regional baselines and city-tier adjustments.
Housing costs
A reference 1-bedroom apartment in the city centre averages about E£15,792 EGP per month in the published basket. The rent index (9.4) situates that housing pressure relative to the global baseline used by CityCost. On published figures, the centre 1BR reference is about 24% of the average net monthly salary — a stress-test ratio, not a household budget. Neighbourhood choice, building age, and furnishings can move actual leases well above or below the city-centre reference. Outer districts often price differently from the CBD sample. When comparing Cairo to peers, prefer paired rent indices on comparison pages rather than converting foreign rents with informal FX guesses.
Suburban or older stock can undercut CBD averages substantially. Families should model 2–3BR premiums and deposits; students should price shared flats near transit. Cross-check Cairo against nearby peers on this site before locking a budget.
Food & groceries
Lifestyle costs in Cairo track the local CPI, grocery, and restaurant indices more closely than tourist menus or hotel rates. With CPI at 16.5, everyday services and goods sit below the NYC baseline on this methodology. Fixed monthly anchors on record include transport tickets (~E£12 EGP one-way) and utilities (~E£902 EGP for the 85m² sample). Lifestyle fit also depends on education, healthcare, and safety — verified overviews for those domains are unavailable on this page and are therefore omitted.
Tourist corridors often inflate dining samples. Build a personal basket (home cooking vs eating out) and compare with similar-cost cities linked below. Groceries usually move with CPI more tightly than luxury dining.
Transport
A one-way local transport ticket averages about E£12 EGP in the reference basket for Cairo. That single-ticket proxy does not equal a monthly commute budget: passes, ride-hail, fuel, parking, and last-mile costs can dominate for some households. Remote-first workers may underweight transport relative to rent; on-site workers should model peak-hour routes before treating E£12 EGP as representative.
Commuters should price monthly passes and last-mile gaps; car ownership adds insurance, parking, and fuel outside this basket. Pair transport with housing: a cheaper suburb can erase savings if every commute is long.
Typical monthly budget
Illustrative single-adult monthly sketch for Cairo using on-page samples (not a quote): rent ~E£15,792, utilities ~E£902, transit scaled from ticket samples, and a mixed grocery/dining allowance. Core essentials land near E£19,314 EGP; a modest lifestyle buffer ~E£22,211; a more comfortable buffer ~E£28,005.
Compare essentials with net salary E£66,662. If rent alone exceeds ~35–40% of net pay, look at outer districts or similar-cost cities linked below. Utilities notes: Basic utilities for an 85m² apartment average about E£902 EGP in the reference basket (electricity, heating/cooling, water, garbage — before internet and mobile). Seasonal heating or cooling can change monthly totals. Verified climate time series are not attached on this page, so weather-driven utility swings are not estimated here. Add broadband and mobile plans separately when building a relocation spreadsheet for Cairo, Cairo, Egypt..
- CPI 16.5 · Rent index 9.4 · PP 22.4
- Currency: EGP
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆ Regional estimation
FAQ
Is Cairo cheaper than Alexandria?
Open the side-by-side comparison for Cairo and Alexandria for CPI, rent, and purchasing power. A single city page cannot settle pairwise rankings without the paired indices.
Which cities near Cairo should I compare?
Indexed nearby options include Alexandria, Aswan, Asyūţ. Open each city page or a compare URL to inspect CPI and rent together.
Is Cairo expensive?
Cairo, Cairo, Egypt has a CPI of 16.5 (NYC=100). Whether that feels expensive depends on your income (reference net salary ~E£66,662 EGP) and whether housing tracks the rent index or a premium micro-market.
How much rent should I expect in Cairo?
A reference 1-bedroom city-centre apartment averages about E£15,792 EGP per month. Outer districts and shared flats can price lower; tourist cores can price higher.
What salary is needed to live in Cairo?
Reference net salary is about E£66,662 EGP. Stress-test against the E£15,792 EGP 1BR centre benchmark plus utilities and transport before treating the average as “enough.”
Is Cairo good for students?
Students should prioritize housing: the 1BR centre reference is E£15,792 EGP. Shared housing and campus location can change budgets substantially versus that headline.
Is Cairo good for families?
Families should model 2–3BR rents, schooling, and healthcare separately — those verified datasets are not attached on this page. Use CPI 16.5 and salary/rent as starting anchors only.
Can a remote worker live affordably in Cairo?
Remote workers often optimize for CPI (16.5) and rent while earning elsewhere, but visas, tax residency, and connectivity are not verified facts on this page.
What is a realistic monthly budget in Cairo?
Start with centre 1BR rent (E£15,792), add utilities (E£902), transit, and groceries/dining. Compare the total with net salary E£66,662 and purchasing power 22.4.
How does Cairo compare on groceries and dining?
Groceries index 24.2, restaurant index 17.1. Sample milk E£16; inexpensive meal E£205 EGP.
Where can I compare Cairo with other cities?
Try Abu Dhabi vs Cairo; Ahmedabad vs Cairo; Bangalore vs Cairo, or use the homepage calculator with any pair.
Planning a move to Cairo
Cairo, Cairo is best evaluated as rent-to-wage fit first, CPI second. With CPI 16.5, rent index 9.4, and purchasing power 22.4, decide which constraint binds your household—shelter, everyday prices, or local wages.
Next steps: open Alexandria, Aswan, Asyūţ for nearby alternatives, run a side-by-side in the calculator, and read Methodology if confidence is ★★★☆☆ Regional estimation. Country context: cost of living in Egypt.
Cairo, Cairo, Egypt: CPI 16.5, rent index 9.4, purchasing power 22.4. 1BR centre rent ~E£15,792 EGP. Net salary ~E£66,662 EGP. Data: Regional.
Trust & data transparency
Last updated: 2026-08-21
Data Sources
This page uses CityCost index inputs. Platform sources (see also Data sources):
- Regional
- ★★★☆☆ Regional estimation
On-page labels for this view: Regional · ★★★☆☆ Regional estimation.
Methodology
Each indexed city is associated with a reference basket of common living costs (for example rent, groceries samples, transport tickets, utilities, restaurant meals, and net salary where available). From those items, the platform derives relative indices such as CPI, rent, groceries, restaurants, and local purchasing power, using New York City = 100 as the familiar baseline convention for relative comparison.