Beirut vs Cairo

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Cairo 21% cheaper Cairo +69 Mbps Moderate / N/A
Nomad Cost

$1,125

Beirut

$884

Cairo

Internet

16

Mbps

85

Mbps

Safety

Moderate

Beirut

N/A

Cairo

Air Quality

5/5

Beirut

5/5

Cairo

Healthcare

High

Beirut

N/A

Cairo

Population

474.9k

Beirut

9.5m

Cairo

Beirut (Lebanon) and Cairo (Egypt) are both in Middle East, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

The monthly savings are substantial — Cairo at $884/mo costs 21% less than Beirut at $1125/mo, adding up to $2892 over a year.

Internet & Infrastructure

For bandwidth-intensive work, Cairo has a clear edge at 85 Mbps (#100 globally) compared to Beirut's 16 Mbps (#176).

Quality of Life

Both Beirut and Cairo share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Healthcare quality is rated similarly in both Beirut and Cairo.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Beirut is June (around 31 degrees, 0mm rain, score 431), while Cairo peaks in March (23 degrees, 0mm rain, score 399). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

BeirutCairo
Nomad$1,125/mo$884/mo
Expat$381/mo$466/mo
Local–$202/mo
Family–$707/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

BeirutCairo
City Speed
16 Mbps#176
85 Mbps#100
Country Speed14 Mbps84 Mbps

Environment & Health

BeirutCairo
Air Quality Score5/55/5
PollutionHighN/A
ClimateHighN/A
Humidity5825

Quality of Life

BeirutCairo
SafetyModerateN/A
HealthcareHighN/A

Monthly Weather Comparison

Beirut
Cairo
Jan
16°
4mm196
17°
0mm379
Feb
16°
0mm367
20°
0mm379
Mar
16°
2mm373
23°
0mm399
Apr
22°
0mm411
31°
0mm379
May
24°
0mm411
34°
0mm379
Jun
31°
0mm431
41°
0mm339
Jul
34°
0mm431
41°
0mm339
Aug
33°
0mm431
40°
0mm349
Sep
31°
0mm421
37°
0mm349
Oct
27°
0mm431
32°
0mm399
Nov
22°
0mm399
26°
0mm399
Dec
17°
1mm389
20°
0mm379

Who Should Choose Beirut?

  • Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $1125
  • Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
  • Smaller city feel with 474.9k residents
  • Peak season in June — 31 degrees, score 431

Who Should Choose Cairo?

  • Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $884
  • Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
  • Family-friendly at $707.1513385574226/mo for families
  • Major city energy with 9.5m residents
  • Peak season in March — 23 degrees, score 399

Overall Verdict

The data favors Beirut as the more well-rounded choice. At $1125/mo versus Cairo's $884/mo, that is a 21% saving that adds up significantly on an extended stay.

Granular Price Comparison

Beirut Cairo
ItemBeirutCairoDiff
🍽️Restaurants8 items
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$10$4.07
59%
Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$60$20.35
66%
McMeal or equivalent combo$6.1$4.07
33%
Cappuccino (regular)$3.51$1.75
50%
Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$3$1.63
46%
Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$4.82$2.73
43%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$2.99$0.25
92%
Water (0.33L)$1.07$0.15
86%
🛒Markets19 items
Milk (1L)$6.81$0.82
88%
White bread (500g)$1.51$0.52
66%
White rice (1kg)$2.71$0.73
73%
Eggs (12)$1.88$1.29
31%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$6.71$3.96
41%
Beef round (1kg)$68.01$7.62
89%
Local cheese (1kg)$16.29$3.28
80%
Apples (1kg)$3.42$1.18
65%
Bananas (1kg)$2.68$0.66
75%
Oranges (1kg)$1.47$0.42
71%
Tomatoes (1kg)$1.81$0.31
83%
Potatoes (1kg)$1.53$0.34
78%
Onions (1kg)$1.06$0.27
75%
Lettuce (1 head)$0.88$0.24
73%
Water (1.5L bottle)$0.61$0.22
64%
Wine, mid-range bottle$7$8.14
14%
Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$1.19$1.29
8%
Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$3.33$1.99
40%
Cigarettes (pack of 20)$5.79$2.03
65%
🚌Transport8 items
One-way local transport ticket$1.91$0.28
85%
Monthly transport pass$80$13.23
83%
Taxi start (normal tariff)$5$0.41
92%
Taxi per 1km$1.2$0.14
88%
Taxi 1hr waiting$20$1.02
95%
Gasoline (1L)$1.31$0.4
69%
Volkswagen Golf (new)$22,000$21,061.16
4%
Toyota Corolla (new)$21,328.57$21,147.47
1%
⚡Utilities3 items
Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$278.36$26.53
90%
Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$65.01$16.37
75%
Mobile prepaid per minute$0.41$0.01
98%
🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items
Fitness club, monthly$51.62$23.44
55%
Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$26.4$8.49
68%
Cinema, 1 ticket$10$4.48
55%
👶Childcare2 items
Preschool, full-day private/mo$410.42$146.82
64%
International primary school/yr$5,222.22$2,909.45
44%
👗Clothing4 items
Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$83.4$39.37
53%
Summer dress (chain store)$57.78$37.51
35%
Nike running shoes (mid-range)$136.43$89.61
34%
Men's leather business shoes$121.67$48.65
60%
🏠Rent4 items
1-bedroom apartment, city centre$718.75$196.83
73%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$423.05$117.45
72%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre$1,477.78$400.03
73%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$882.3$233.92
73%
🏗️Buy2 items
Price per m², city centre$3,928.57$549.42
86%
Price per m², outside centre$1,476.22$380.62
74%
💰Finance2 items
Average monthly net salary$370.25$200.4
46%
Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$9.91$10.87
9%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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