Cost of Living · EG vs IN
🇪🇬 Cairo vs 🇮🇳 Bengaluru: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $259 in Egypt vs $402 in India — 55% more expensive.
- Essentials, Egypt
- $259/mo
- Essentials, India
- $402/mo
- Difference
- +55%
- 1-bed city rent, India
- $221/mo
Biggest differences
Smallest premium in India
- Jeans (mid-range brand): +16%
- Running shoes (brand): +16%
- Imported beer, 330ml bottle: +16%
Pricier in India
- Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +69%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +69%
- Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +69%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Egypt | India | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $131 | $221 (19,251 INR) | +69% |
| Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $105 | $177 (15,401 INR) | +69% |
| Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $240 | $404 (35,202 INR) | +69% |
| Food out | |||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.35 | $3.54 (309 INR) | +51% |
| Dinner for two, mid-range | $9.78 | $14.75 (1,286 INR) | +51% |
| Fast-food combo meal | $1.73 | $2.51 (219 INR) | +45% |
| Groceries | |||
| Milk, 1L | $0.25 | $0.34 (30 INR) | +36% |
| Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $0.73 | $0.98 (85 INR) | +34% |
| Eggs, dozen | $0.77 | $1.04 (91 INR) | +35% |
| Chicken breast, 1kg | $2.27 | $3.06 (267 INR) | +35% |
| White rice, 1kg | $0.91 | $1.23 (107 INR) | +35% |
| Apples, 1kg | $1.09 | $1.47 (128 INR) | +35% |
| Local cheese, 1kg | $2.73 | $3.68 (321 INR) | +35% |
| Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.45 | $0.61 (53 INR) | +36% |
| Drinks | |||
| Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $0.78 | $1.18 (103 INR) | +51% |
| Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $3.81 | $4.43 (386 INR) | +16% |
| Cappuccino | $0.65 | $0.98 (85 INR) | +51% |
| Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.52 | $0.70 (61 INR) | +35% |
| Transport | |||
| Public transport, monthly pass | $10.21 | $14.82 (1,292 INR) | +45% |
| Public transport, one-way | $0.43 | $0.63 (55 INR) | +47% |
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | $0.52 | $0.79 (69 INR) | +52% |
| Taxi, per km | $0.23 | $0.35 (31 INR) | +52% |
| Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.45 | $0.53 (46 INR) | +18% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $31.40 | $45.60 (3,974 INR) | +45% |
| Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $10.99 | $15.96 (1,391 INR) | +45% |
| Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $7.07 | $10.26 (894 INR) | +45% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| Gym membership, month | $6.52 | $9.83 (857 INR) | +51% |
| Cinema seat | $1.83 | $2.75 (240 INR) | +50% |
| Men's haircut | $3.91 | $5.90 (514 INR) | +51% |
| Jeans (mid-range brand) | $26.23 | $30.45 (2,654 INR) | +16% |
| Running shoes (brand) | $42.91 | $49.82 (4,342 INR) | +16% |
| Coworking hot desk, month | $32.62 | $49.17 (4,286 INR) | +51% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Beyond prices
What each place pays, charges and offers — wages, rent, healthcare, climate, risk and time off. Figures come from the same engines behind the individual tools, so they match what those pages say. They sit about 5,100 km apart as the crow flies.
| Measure | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 🇮🇳 India |
|---|---|---|
| Median local wage Monthly, USD. The local midpoint, not an average. | $291 | $199 |
| Out-of-pocket healthcare Per person per year, USD. | $81.00 | $37.00 |
| Doctors per 1,000 WHO. | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| Comfortable days a year 18-27 °C and dry. Measured at Cairo and Bengaluru. | 117 | 54 |
| Rule of law World Bank WGI. A survey composite, so the band leads, not the decimal. | weak | weak |
| Country risk INFORM, 0-10. Lower is safer. | 5.1 (high) | 5.2 (high) |
| Public holidays Observed nationwide; regional days are counted separately. | 15 | — |
| Air quality Mean annual PM2.5, µg/m³. WHO guideline is 5. Lower is better. | 53.6 | 43.1 |
| Life expectancy Years at birth — the outcome, not the spending. | 71.8 | 72.2 |
| Homicide rate Per 100,000 a year. A count, not a perception score. | 1.3 | 2.8 |
| Population online % using the internet. Reach, not speed — the row below is speed. | 74.6% | 70% |
| Internet download Measured median, Mbps. | 27 | 93.6 |
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Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is India than Egypt?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $402 in India versus $259 in Egypt — 55% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in India?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.18 in India (≈ 102.85 INR), versus about $0.78 in Egypt.
- How much is rent in India compared to Egypt?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $221/month in India versus $131/month in Egypt (+69%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.