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Cairo vs Dahab cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇪🇬 Dahab
At a glance
- Where Dahab is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (67%↓), Local meal (45%↓), Coffee (42%↓)
- Where Cairo is clearly cheaper: Transit (25%↓), Convenience store (20%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Dahab is easier to travel (2.8 vs 3.4). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Cairo 5 vs Dahab 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Cairo | Dahab | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | E£ 220$4.49 | E£ 120$2.45 | Dahab −45% |
| Street food1 item | E£ 60$1.22 | E£ 50$1.02 | Dahab −17% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | E£ 450$9.18 | E£ 350$7.14 | Dahab −22% |
| Coffeeone cup | E£ 120$2.45 | E£ 70$1.43 | Dahab −42% |
| Beerone bottle | E£ 130$2.65 | E£ 80$1.63 | Dahab −38% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | E£ 350$7.14 | E£ 240$4.9 | Dahab −31% |
| Bottled water | E£ 12$0.24 | E£ 10$0.2 | Dahab −17% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | E£ 20$0.41 | E£ 25$0.51 | Cairo −20% |
| Taxi5 km in town | E£ 80$1.63 | E£ 80$1.63 | similar |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | E£ 50$1.02 | E£ 50$1.02 | similar |
| Transitone ride | E£ 15$0.31 | E£ 20$0.41 | Cairo −25% |
| Scooter rentalper day | E£ 600$12.2 | E£ 200$4.08 | Dahab −67% |
| Hotel night3-star | E£ 3,000$61.2 | E£ 1,800$36.7 | Dahab −40% |
| Studio rent (month) | E£ 12,000$245 | E£ 8,000$163 | Dahab −33% |
| Laundry | E£ 50$1.02 | E£ 50$1.02 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | E£ 350$7.14 | E£ 300$6.12 | Dahab −14% |
| Haircutcut | E£ 150$3.06 | E£ 100$2.04 | Dahab −33% |
| Massage1 hour | E£ 800$16.3 | E£ 700$14.3 | Dahab −12% |
| Half-day tourper person | E£ 1,500$30.6 | E£ 1,400$28.6 | Dahab −7% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | E£ 700$14.3 | E£ 500$10.2 | Dahab −29% |
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, Cairo or Dahab?
Dahab is 32% cheaper than Cairo. Daily budget $93.8 vs $59.4; a month $1,117 vs $802.
Which is easier to travel, Cairo or Dahab?
Dahab is easier: Dahab 2.8/5 vs Cairo 3.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cairo and Dahab?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cairo is about $1,117 and Dahab about $802 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.