Popular cities
Cairo vs Lagos cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ช๐ฌ Cairo
๐ณ๐ฌ Lagos
At a glance
- Where Lagos is clearly cheaper: SIM card (68%โ), Beer (64%โ), Local meal (35%โ)
- Where Cairo is clearly cheaper: Laundry (52%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (50%โ), Haircut (47%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: language โ Cairo 3 vs Lagos 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cairo | Lagos | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | Eยฃ 220$4.49 | โฆ 4,500$2.9 | Lagos โ35% |
| Street food1 item | Eยฃ 60$1.22 | โฆ 1,500$0.97 | Lagos โ21% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | Eยฃ 450$9.18 | โฆ 18,000$11.6 | Cairo โ21% |
| Coffeeone cup | Eยฃ 120$2.45 | โฆ 6,000$3.87 | Cairo โ37% |
| Beerone bottle | Eยฃ 130$2.65 | โฆ 1,500$0.97 | Lagos โ64% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | Eยฃ 350$7.14 | โฆ 10,000$6.45 | Lagos โ10% |
| Bottled water | Eยฃ 12$0.24 | โฆ 400$0.26 | Cairo โ5% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | Eยฃ 20$0.41 | โฆ 1,200$0.77 | Cairo โ47% |
| Taxi5 km in town | Eยฃ 80$1.63 | โฆ 3,500$2.26 | Cairo โ28% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | Eยฃ 50$1.02 | โฆ 3,150$2.03 | Cairo โ50% |
| Transitone ride | Eยฃ 15$0.31 | โฆ 500$0.32 | Cairo โ5% |
| Scooter rentalper day | Eยฃ 600$12.2 | โฆ 27,000$17.4 | Cairo โ30% |
| Hotel night3-star | Eยฃ 3,000$61.2 | โฆ 75,000$48.4 | Lagos โ21% |
| Studio rent (month) | Eยฃ 12,000$245 | โฆ 470,000$303 | Cairo โ19% |
| Laundry | Eยฃ 50$1.02 | โฆ 3,300$2.13 | Cairo โ52% |
| SIM card1 week data | Eยฃ 350$7.14 | โฆ 3,500$2.26 | Lagos โ68% |
| Haircutcut | Eยฃ 150$3.06 | โฆ 9,000$5.81 | Cairo โ47% |
| Massage1 hour | Eยฃ 800$16.3 | โฆ 30,000$19.4 | Cairo โ16% |
| Half-day tourper person | Eยฃ 1,500$30.6 | โฆ 50,000$32.3 | Cairo โ5% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | Eยฃ 700$14.3 | โฆ 15,000$9.68 | Lagos โ32% |
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 Lagos?
Cairo and Lagos cost about the same. Daily budget $93.8 vs $83.1; a month $1,117 vs $1,207.
Which is easier to travel, Cairo or Lagos?
About the same: Cairo 3.4/5, Lagos 3.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cairo and Lagos?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cairo is about $1,117 and Lagos about $1,207 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.