Cairo
Egypt · Africa · 21M people
Nile megacity, extremely affordable with significant congestion and dust.
Ranked #266 of 303 overall · 30.04, 31.24
Overview
With a population of around 21 million, Cairo is one of Egypt's notable cities, part of the wider Africa region. Part of its draw is that it's genuinely affordable to live in. It's a city that tends to fly under the radar compared to its country's biggest names, without being any less livable for it. People who choose to settle in Cairo tend to point to a genuinely affordable cost of living, a climate most people find easy to live with, and solid infrastructure for remote work as the deciding factors. Within the 33 cities we track in Africa, the regional average sits at 6.0/10, which puts Cairo's 5.7/10 a little behind the regional norm. On CityMatch, Cairo scores 5.7/10 overall across cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet, ranking #266 of 303 cities in our database. Its strongest single criterion is cost of living at 8/10, while environment & air quality is its softest spot at 3/10 — the full breakdown, honest trade-offs, and who this city actually suits are below.
Full scorecard
Budget goes a long way here.
Varies a lot by neighborhood.
Pollution is a real day-to-day factor.
A car helps for anything off the main routes.
A normal seasonal mix, nothing extreme.
Worth checking specifics if care needs are ongoing.
Solid enough for day-to-day remote work.
Is Cairo right for you?
Set your own priorities and see where it ranks against every city in the dataset.
Run the recommender →How are these scores calculated?
Every city on CityMatch is scored 1-10 on seven criteria — cost of living, safety, environment, transport, climate, healthcare and internet — and those seven numbers are combined into the overall score shown throughout the site using a consistent, automated formula (an equal-weighted average by default, or your own weighting via the recommender tool). The same method is applied identically to every city, so scores are comparable across the full database.
Sources & data provenance
The current dataset is an internally curated starter dataset built for this version of the site, reflecting each city's general reputation on each criterion rather than a live feed from a single external provider. It is not yet sourced from a specific third-party API. If that changes, this section will be updated to name the exact sources in use.
Last updated: 17 July 2026
Strengths & trade-offs
Strengths
At 8/10, Cairo is genuinely easy on the budget — one of the more affordable options for the lifestyle it offers.
Climate scores 7/10 — genuinely pleasant weather is one of the clearer reasons people choose Cairo.
Internet and connectivity score 7/10, making remote work a non-issue rather than a workaround.
Trade-offs
Environment and air quality score just 3/10 — a real consideration if pollution affects you personally.
Safety scores 5/10, the weakest link on Cairo's scorecard and worth researching by neighborhood before moving.
Is Cairo safe?
Safety is inconsistent in Cairo (5/10) — some areas are genuinely fine, others warrant more caution. It's worth checking which part of the city you'll actually be in.
At night
We'd lean toward rideshares or taxis after dark rather than walking unfamiliar routes, particularly outside the main tourist and business districts.
For tourists
Tourists should do a bit more homework here than usual — checking which districts are considered fine for visitors and which are best avoided, especially after dark.
For families
Families would want to weigh the 4.3/10 average of safety, healthcare and environment carefully against what specifically matters most to your household.
For solo travelers
Solo travelers, and particularly those less familiar with the region, may want to research specific neighborhoods and current local advice more closely before finalizing plans.
On public transport
We'd be more selective about late-night public transport here — daytime use is generally fine, but off-peak service and platforms are worth a second thought.
Practical tips
- →Research specific neighborhoods before booking accommodation.
- →Arrange transport in advance for anything after dark rather than walking unfamiliar routes.
What's the climate like in Cairo?
Cairo scores 7/10 on climate — pleasant enough for most of the year, without being a specific draw on its own.
Seasonal character
Expect a normal four-season rhythm (or a wet/dry split closer to the equator), without extremes dominating the calendar.
Comfort level
Comfort is generally good, with the odd day or short stretch that calls for planning ahead rather than year-round ease.
Best time to live here
Shoulder-season months (spring and autumn, broadly) tend to be the safest bet if you can choose when to visit or move.
Note: this reflects our single aggregate 1-10 climate score rather than month-by-month temperature, humidity or rainfall data, which we don't currently track — treat it as a general read rather than a forecast.
Quality of life in Cairo
Put together, quality of life in Cairo is shaped less by any single number and more by the combination: at over 3 million people, cairo moves at a genuine big-city pace — more anonymous, more options, but also more competition for space and time, paired with an outdoor/environment picture that's more mixed and transport that's worth planning around.
Pace & lifestyle
At over 3 million people, Cairo moves at a genuine big-city pace — more anonymous, more options, but also more competition for space and time.
Nature & outdoors
Outdoor and green-space time comes with more caveats here — environment (3/10) and climate (7/10) scores suggest it's more weather- and air-quality-dependent than in higher-scoring cities.
Getting around
Transport (5/10) has real gaps — plan on a mix of public options, walking and rideshares depending on where you end up living.
Culture & leisure
Cairo isn't specifically marketed on culture or nightlife in our data, which usually means a more everyday, less tourist-oriented pace of life — good for routine, less exciting for a short visit.
Based on its actual score profile, Cairo tends to suit people who prioritize cost of living and climate over environment & air quality — see "Who Cairo suits" above for the specific profiles that fit best.
How clean is Cairo?
Environment is a genuine weak point in Cairo, scoring just 3/10 — air quality and general environmental upkeep are a real day-to-day factor here.
Public spaces
We don't track litter or waste management directly, but a low environment score like this one is often accompanied by visible upkeep issues in practice — worth confirming with recent visitor reports if it matters to you.
Infrastructure maintenance
General infrastructure maintenance isn't a criterion we score independently, so treat any specific claims about road quality, public bins, or graffiti with caution unless they come from a recent, first-hand source.
The "environment" score behind all of this is CityMatch's single combined measure of air quality and general environmental conditions — 10 meaning consistently clean air, 1 meaning significant pollution. It doesn't separately break out waste management, noise, or visual upkeep, which aren't part of our current dataset.
Who Cairo suits
Budget-conscious mover
Budget-conscious movers — movers for whom affordability outweighs every other factor (fit score 6.1/10 here).
Freelancer
Freelancers — independent workers balancing cost of living against healthcare access (fit score 6.0/10 here).
Digital nomad
Digital nomads — remote workers who need fast internet and an affordable, pleasant base (fit score 6.3/10 here).
Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs — founders and small business owners who need reliable connectivity and a livable base without big-city costs (fit score 6.1/10 here).
In depth
Cost of living
Cairo is genuinely affordable: at 8/10 on our cost-of-living score, day-to-day expenses — rent, groceries, going out — go noticeably further here than in most cities on this list.
Safety
Safety is a mixed picture in Cairo, scoring 5/10 — some neighborhoods are clearly safer than others, so location within the city matters more than usual.
Climate
Cairo's climate scores 7/10 — a decent mix of seasons without extremes in either direction.
Quality of life
Cairo scores 5.7/10 overall, but that average hides a real spread: cost of living (8/10) is genuinely strong, while environment & air quality (3/10) pulls the picture down considerably. The average across all seven criteria is 5.7/10.
Transport
Getting around Cairo takes some planning: transport scores 5/10, and a car or rideshare budget is worth factoring in for anything off the main routes.
Internet & remote work
Connectivity in Cairo scores 7/10 — solid enough for remote work day-to-day, without being a headline reason to move here.
Why choose Cairo?
Cairo isn't the right fit for everyone, but for the right profile — someone who values cost of living and can live with environment & air quality — it scores well at 5.7/10 overall. Use the comparisons and rankings below to see how it stacks up against the alternatives.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cairo safe?
Cairo scores 5/10 on safety, a mixed picture. Safety varies noticeably by neighborhood here, so it's worth researching specific areas before you commit to one.
What budget do I need to live in Cairo?
Cairo scores 8/10 on affordability — one of the cheaper cities in our database. A modest budget covers a comfortable lifestyle here compared to most of the 303 cities we track.
Is Cairo good for families?
Cairo isn't a natural fit for families on paper: the average of safety, healthcare and environment scores (4.3/10) is below what most family-focused cities on our site score.
Is Cairo a good city for students?
Cairo isn't specifically known as a student hub, but its affordability (8/10) and transport (5/10) scores make it a workable option.
Is Cairo suitable for digital nomads?
Cairo isn't specifically marketed to remote workers, but the fundamentals are there: internet scores 7/10 and cost of living 8/10.
What's the climate like in Cairo?
Cairo scores 7/10 on climate — a normal seasonal mix without real extremes.
Is Cairo pleasant to live in year-round?
Reasonably — Cairo scores 7/10 on climate and 3/10 on environment, a fair rather than exceptional combination across the year.
Is Cairo a good choice for a first move abroad?
A first move abroad is more demanding in Cairo: safety, healthcare, transport and environment average out to just 4.5/10, so more preparation and local research is worth doing before committing.
Is the internet good enough for remote work in Cairo?
Cairo scores 7/10 on internet — generally fine for remote work, without being a standout choice for it.
Is Cairo a good place to retire?
It has real appeal for retirees: healthcare, climate and safety average out to 5.7/10 here — the three criteria that tend to matter most for that stage of life.
What are good alternatives to Cairo?
Based on continent, tags and overall score, Nairobi and Mumbai are the closest matches to Cairo in our database — worth comparing directly if you're still deciding.
Is Cairo worth living in?
Reasonably — Cairo scores 5.7/10 overall, a solid if unremarkable all-round profile. Whether it's "worth it" depends more on which specific criteria matter most to you than on the average alone.
Who should move to Cairo?
Based on its score profile, Cairo suits people who value cost of living and climate more than the average mover — see the "Who Cairo suits" section above for the specific profiles (families, digital nomads, students, etc.) that fit best.
Is Cairo walkable, and is public transport good?
Not especially — Cairo scores just 5/10 on transport, so expect to lean on a car, bike or rideshares more than public transit alone.
What's the biggest advantage of living in Cairo?
Cost of living is Cairo's standout strength, scoring 8/10 — the highest of its seven criteria on CityMatch.
What's the biggest downside of living in Cairo?
Environment & air quality is the clearest trade-off, scoring just 3/10 — the lowest of Cairo's seven criteria, and worth weighing against its strengths.