Popular cities
Aswan vs Cairo cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇪🇬 Aswan
🇪🇬 Cairo
At a glance
- Where Cairo is clearly cheaper: Half-day tour (66%↓)
- Where Aswan is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (75%↓), Coffee (50%↓), Studio rent (month) (50%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Aswan 4 vs Cairo 5. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Aswan | Cairo | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | E£ 150$3.06 | E£ 220$4.49 | Aswan −32% |
| Street food1 item | E£ 50$1.02 | E£ 60$1.22 | Aswan −17% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | E£ 400$8.16 | E£ 450$9.18 | Aswan −11% |
| Coffeeone cup | E£ 60$1.22 | E£ 120$2.45 | Aswan −50% |
| Beerone bottle | E£ 120$2.45 | E£ 130$2.65 | Aswan −8% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | E£ 250$5.1 | E£ 350$7.14 | Aswan −29% |
| Bottled water | E£ 10$0.2 | E£ 12$0.24 | Aswan −17% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | E£ 20$0.41 | E£ 20$0.41 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | E£ 80$1.63 | E£ 80$1.63 | similar |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | E£ 40$0.82 | E£ 50$1.02 | Aswan −20% |
| Transitone ride | E£ 10$0.2 | E£ 15$0.31 | Aswan −33% |
| Scooter rentalper day | E£ 150$3.06 | E£ 600$12.2 | Aswan −75% |
| Hotel night3-star | E£ 2,000$40.8 | E£ 3,000$61.2 | Aswan −33% |
| Studio rent (month) | E£ 6,000$122 | E£ 12,000$245 | Aswan −50% |
| Laundry | E£ 50$1.02 | E£ 50$1.02 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | E£ 300$6.12 | E£ 350$7.14 | Aswan −14% |
| Haircutcut | E£ 100$2.04 | E£ 150$3.06 | Aswan −33% |
| Massage1 hour | E£ 800$16.3 | E£ 800$16.3 | similar |
| Half-day tourper person | E£ 4,400$89.8 | E£ 1,500$30.6 | Cairo −66% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | E£ 550$11.2 | E£ 700$14.3 | Aswan −21% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Aswan or Cairo?
Aswan is 32% cheaper than Cairo. Daily budget $66.2 vs $93.8; a month $742 vs $1,117.
Which is easier to travel, Aswan or Cairo?
About the same: Aswan 3.2/5, Cairo 3.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Aswan and Cairo?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Aswan is about $742 and Cairo about $1,117 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.