Alexandria

Cost of Living inAlexandria, Egypt

Alexandria, Egypt5.3MLower middle incomeRemote-work friendly

Image credit: RaNo

Purchasing Power vs. United States

Your money goes 11x further

Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Egypt: $16,798/capita.

How Far Your Money Goes

Prices are 80% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).

Overall
5.1x further
Prices are 80% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
36x further
Prices are 97% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
4.9x further
Prices are 79% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
5.8x further
Prices are 83% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).

Income Category

Lower Middle
World Bank GNI

Happiness

4.0 / 10

#125 globally

GDP per Capita

$16,798
PPP, International $

City Population

5.3M

Monthly Costs

Rent

1BR City Center$130/mo
1BR Outside Center$71/mo
3BR City Center$273/mo
3BR Outside Center$139/mo

Food

Cheap Meal$3.83
Mid-Range (2 people)$15
Milk (1L)$0.83
Eggs (12)$1.23

Transport

Monthly Pass$13
Gasoline (1L)$0.33

Utilities

Basic (85m² apt)$13/mo
Internet (60+ Mbps)$10/mo

Education

Preschool$80/mo
Intl Primary School$2,192/yr

Child Education

Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.

Public schools

Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Egypt; Alexandria-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.

Limited public-school fit

Quality

Limited public-school fit

Expat access

Possible, rarely the expat path

hard

Instruction

Arabic

Language fit is more manageable.

PISA / outcomes

Qualitative only

Using curated quality notes for now.

Why this quality rating

Egypt's public-school system is not the route most internationally mobile families choose when they have private or international alternatives.

Why the expat-access rating looks like this

Resident access can exist, but Arabic-medium instruction, crowding, and uneven quality make the public route a hard sell for most expat families.

📋 Homeschooling

Legal with MOE supervision

Egypt allows homeschooling under certain conditions with Ministry of Education oversight. Students must be enrolled in a school for official exams. The process is bureaucratic. Many expat families in Cairo use international schools instead. American and British school options are extensive.

Homeschool legality in Egypt — check current regulations before committing.

Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)

International & private schools

Median tuition
3 schools listed
$923/yr
IB3

Childcare & Domestic Help

Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Egypt.

Full-time nanny (5 days)

$145-$210

Estimate-only country fallback

Live-in / 24-7 nanny

$190-$260

Estimate-only country fallback

Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)

Getting Around

Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Alexandria is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.

Healthcare

System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Egypt.

Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.

220 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 2 months ago

Healthcare system

Limited

Maternal mortality is low help, but doctor staffing is lighter and hospital capacity looks tighter.

Public care

Limited

Public funding looks lighter, patients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs, and country-level outcomes are weaker weigh on this rating.

Private care

Mixed

A meaningful tracked hospital and clinic network help, but self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse.

UHC coverage

71/100

2023

Physicians

0.67/1k

2020

Hospital beds

1.06/1k

2021

Out of pocket

57%

2023

Outcome signals

Life expectancy

71.8 yrs

2024

Maternal mortality

17/100k

2023

Neonatal mortality

13.9/1k

2024

International patient readiness

Limited

There is visible specialty depth help, but price transparency is still sparse and headline outcomes are less reassuring.

Pricing transparency

Limited

Published self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.

Facility coverage

Pharmacy: 131Hospital: 53Clinic: 24Doctor: 5Dentist: 5Laboratory: 2

Self-pay pricing visibility

No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Egypt yet.

This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.

Notable facilities

مستشفى ماري مرقص
Hospital · Emergency
Mostafa Kamel Hospital
Hospital · Emergency
معهد البحوث الطبيه
Hospital · Emergency
مستشفي المواساه
Hospital · Emergency
مستشفى شرق المدينة
Hospital · Emergency
مستشفى إبراهيم عبيد التخصصي
Hospital · Emergency

System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-06-01

Safety & Governance

Street Safety

Safety Index55/100
Crime Index45/100

Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.

Political Stability

Political Stability-1.19

World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.

Wages by Sector

SectorMedian
Administrative & Support Services
Agriculture & Farming
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
Construction
Education
Finance & Insurance
Healthcare & Social Work
Hospitality & Food Service
Information & Technology
Manufacturing
Mining & Quarrying
Other Services
Professional & Scientific Services
Public Administration & Defence
Real Estate
Retail & Wholesale Trade
Transport & Logistics
Utilities

2024 annual wages in Alexandria, Egypt · Source: CAPMAS (region-adjusted)

Price Comparison vs. US

beer
$2.00Estimated74% cheaper
big mac
$2.40Estimated61% cheaper
bread 500g
$0.37Estimated89% cheaper
budget hotel
$48.07Survey-verified32% more
childcare preschool
$79.55Estimated95% cheaper
cinema
$4.00Estimated76% cheaper
coca cola
$0.30Estimated86% cheaper
eggs dozen
$1.23Estimated74% cheaper
gasoline liter
$11.93Survey-verified1058% more
inexpensive meal
$3.83Estimated82% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$10.35Estimated85% cheaper
International School (Annual)
$923.08Estimated97% cheaper
iphone
$1199.00Estimated20% more
jeans
$25.00Estimated51% cheaper
latte
$2.00Estimated62% cheaper
luxury hotel
$48.07Survey-verified90% cheaper
mcmeal
$4.00Estimated61% cheaper
milk liter
$0.83Estimated32% cheaper
monthly pass
$11.93Survey-verified83% cheaper
nike shoes
$55.00Estimated40% cheaper
rent 1br
$86.74Survey-verified95% cheaper
rent 2br
$86.74Survey-verified98% cheaper
rent 3br
$273.22Estimated91% cheaper
subway fare
$11.93Survey-verified395% more
taxi km
$0.32Estimated83% cheaper
utilities basic
$12.82Estimated94% cheaper

Visa Information (US passport)

Short-stay entry

visa on arrival

US passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival.

Quick comparison FAQ

Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.

How far does your money go in Alexandria compared with the US?

Your money goes about 10.7x further in Alexandria than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate.

Is Alexandria cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?

Alexandria is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 80% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Alexandria.

How does rent in Alexandria compare with New York City?

Rent in Alexandria is about 97% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City).

How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Alexandria?

Groceries in Alexandria are about 79% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 83% cheaper than the same benchmark.

About Alexandria

Alexandria is Egypt's second city and its principal Mediterranean port, stretched along a thin coastal strip about 220 kilometers northwest of Cairo. It is functionally cooler and less polluted than the capital, with sea breezes moderating the summer, and historically has been the country's window to Europe. For relocators the practical draw is cost of living that runs well below most Mediterranean cities while still offering coastal access, alongside a working knowledge of English and French among the educated class. The constraints are real: aging infrastructure, traffic that worsens every year, and a job market for foreigners that is thin outside oil and gas, shipping, or teaching roles.

Mediterranean climate: mild winters (50-60°F), hot humid summers (80-95°F)Internet quality: 4G/mobile faster than fixed-line, intermittent but improvingExpat community: small but growing, less English than Cairo, strong French/Italian presenceWalkability: moderate in downtown/Corniche, coastal promenades are pleasantFood scene: fresh seafood, Mediterranean cuisine, excellent street food and cafesNightlife: laid-back beach bars and cafes, fewer clubs than CairoCoworking: limited options, most work from cafes or apartmentsSafety: generally safe, petty theft and crowded areas require standard precautions