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Egypt Cost of Living 2026
🇪🇬 6 cities in Egypt, sorted by daily travel budget. Not the exchange rate — how cheap it feels on your own income, and where a price becomes a rip-off. Updated October 2026
Cities in Egypt compared
| City | Per day | Per month | Local meal | Coffee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇬 DahabResort · small town | $59.4 | $802 | E£120 | E£70 |
| 🇪🇬 AswanTourist · mid-size | $66.2 | $742 | E£150 | E£60 |
| 🇪🇬 HurghadaResort · mid-size | $71.7 | $911 | E£150 | E£60 |
| 🇪🇬 LuxorTourist · mid-size | $79.2 | $769 | E£150 | E£65 |
| 🇪🇬 Sharm El SheikhResort | $91.4 | $1,540 | E£300 | E£100 |
| 🇪🇬 CairoBig city | $93.8 | $1,117 | E£220 | E£120 |
Per day = one mid-range night + three meals, a coffee and two taxi rides. Open a city for item-by-item prices, rip-off thresholds and live traveler reports.
Everyday prices in Egypt
| City | Beer | 5 km taxi | Hotel night | Massage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇬 Dahab | E£80 | E£80 | E£1,800 | E£700 |
| 🇪🇬 Aswan | E£120 | E£80 | E£2,000 | E£800 |
| 🇪🇬 Hurghada | E£100 | E£80 | E£2,200 | E£800 |
| 🇪🇬 Luxor | E£130 | E£100 | E£2,500 | E£800 |
| 🇪🇬 Sharm El Sheikh | E£150 | E£120 | E£2,300 | E£1,000 |
| 🇪🇬 Cairo | E£130 | E£80 | E£3,000 | E£800 |
Egypt vs nearby countries
| Country | Per day | Per month | vs Egypt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | $77 | $980 | this country |
| 🇳🇬 Nigeria | $83.1 | $1,207 | +8% |
| 🇺🇬 Uganda | $90.1 | $1,181 | +17% |
| 🇷🇼 Rwanda | $94.2 | $1,307 | +22% |
| 🇹🇿 Tanzania | $99.2 | $1,191 | +29% |
| 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | $99.3 | $1,042 | +29% |
| 🇹🇳 Tunisia | $100 | $1,330 | +30% |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | $109 | $1,300 | +42% |
Countries in the same region with a similar daily travel budget. Tap a country for its city-by-city prices.
Sharm El Sheikh vs New York: item by item
| Item | Sharm El Sheikh | New York | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local meal | E£300≈ $6.12 | $20 | -69% |
| Coffee | E£100≈ $2.04 | $6 | -66% |
| Beer | E£150≈ $3.06 | $9 | -66% |
| 5 km taxi | E£120≈ $2.45 | $23 | -89% |
| Hotel night | E£2,300≈ $46.9 | $270 | -83% |
| 1-bed rent | E£15,000≈ $306 | $3,300 | -91% |
Same purchase in both cities, converted to US dollars. Daily travel budget: Sharm El Sheikh $91.4 vs New York $467 — about 80% cheaper.
Compare Egypt with other cities
Money tips for Egypt
Paying
Mostly cash; carry plenty of small notes. Hotels and bigger restaurants take cards.
Tipping
Baksheesh is expected widely: toilets, luggage, even photos.
Menu prices
Restaurants often add 12% service plus 14% VAT.
Getting around
Uber and Careem avoid haggling.
Haggling
Always haggle at markets, souvenir stalls and for camels or carriages; fix the total and currency first.
Water
Don't drink tap water.
Common rip-offs
Camel and horse rides at the Pyramids that cost more to get off than to get on; "free" photos followed by a demand for money.
Egypt travel difficulty
| City | Overall | Rip-offs | Language | Transport | Payments | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dahab | Moderate 2.8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Hurghada | Moderate 2.8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Sharm El Sheikh | Moderate 2.8 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Aswan | Hard 3.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Cairo | Hard 3.4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Luxor | Hard 3.4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
Rip-offs, language, getting around, payments and safety, 1–5 (closer to 1 is easier). Tap a city for reasons and tips. Full difficulty ranking ›
City guides
FAQ
How much is a daily travel budget in Egypt?
With a mid-range room, between $59.4 and $93.8 a day depending on the city — about $77 on average. Hostels and local eateries cut that by 30% or more.
How much does a month in Egypt cost?
Short-term rental plus living costs runs $802–$1,540 by city, about $980 on average.
Which city in Egypt is cheapest?
By daily budget, Dahab ($59.4/day) is the cheapest and Cairo ($93.8/day) the most expensive.
Is Egypt cheaper than New York?
In Sharm El Sheikh, a traveler's day runs about $91.4 versus $467 in New York — roughly 80% cheaper. The gap differs by item, so meals, coffee, taxis and hotels are listed separately above.