Is Egypt Expensive? Travel Costs & Budget Tips For 2024

IS EGYPT EXPENSIVE? How much does it cost to spend a one-week vacation in Egypt?

The good news is that Egypt is one of the cheapest countries to visit. It is cheaper than visiting Europe. Even though the prices have risen recently due to the economic situation in Egypt, it is still a very cheap country to visit.

Based on my experience traveling, I will give you a rough cost of your trip to Egypt, plus tips on saving some money while in Egypt.

Is Egypt Expensive? (Overview)

As already mentioned, Egypt is one of the cheaper countries to visit. However, the word expensive is relative as everyone perceives it differently. For one person something can be cheap, for another one expensive.

In any case, if you want to travel and enjoy luxury in Egypt, it can be more expensive, however, if you are fine with the mid-range or you are a backpacker, then Egypt will be very cheap for you.

The biggest cost will be the flight ticket, which also depends on where are you flying from and when. During Christmas time and New Year’s Eve, the flight tickets and accommodation will be more expensive.

Flight ticket	$500-$2500
Accommodation/week	$150-$7k
Transportation (Cairo+Luxor)	$40-$400
Food/week	$20-$600
Tours/Sights (per tour)	$10-$40

If you are going to spend one week in an all-inclusive hotel on the Red Sea, and won’t do any other activities, then it is very cheap. However if you want to travel, visit more cities, and admire the ancient sights, it can cost you more.

Is Egypt expensive for tourists?

Egypt is a country full of abundance for tourists. It offers beautiful beaches to relax, amazing clear waters for diving, and exceptional historical sights like pyramids and temples.

If you ask local people who have a minimum wage not changed for years, they will tell you that Egypt is very expensive. The reason is that the prices of food, petrol, and everything have been rising, while their wages stayed the same.

However, for tourists, Egypt is a very cheap country, especially transportation and food are very cheap. Therefore you may experience scams in Egypt, especially with taxi drivers who will try to charge you more as a tourist.

Also, many sightseeing, like temples and museums have different prices for Egyptians and foreigners. It is a big difference, however, this amount is still not expensive for tourists.

It is worth mentioning that tourist cities like Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh will be more expensive than Cairo. Especially the restaurants and shops.

How Much Would A 1-Week Trip To Egypt Cost?

It is hard to say how much it would cost as it depends on so many variables. Here is a general guideline for how much it would probably cost for you to travel to Egypt for one week.

• Budget travelers – price range $150-$300 /week
• Mid-range travelers – price range $600-$900/week
• Luxury travelers – From $1800

So let’s have a look in detail at how cheap and how expensive your week in Egypt can be.

ACCOMMODATION: How much does it cost to stay in Egypt?

Prices of accommodation in Cairo:

Type of Accommodation	Price/night	Best Option
Hostel	$10-$15/person	➡️Madina Hostel
3* hotel	$30-$130/double room	➡️Tahrir Plaza Suites
5* hotel	$150-$500/double room	➡️The St. Regis Cairo

Luxor is very similar, a very basic private room will cost you from $ 120 per week for two people, while 5* hotels can be $2k.

In Hurghada, you can get a nice 5* hotel with all-inclusive for $1-2k per week.

TRANSPORTATION: How much does it cost to get around Egypt?

The cheapest way of transport is public transportation where a ticket can cost you less than a dollar. However, it is not good in all cities. For example in Cairo the traffic is very chaotic and busy, so traveling by bus would take a long time, and the metro is packed. 

The best and cheapest transportation is Uber or Careem. A short distance in the city center will cost you about $1 and from downtown to Giza Pyramids about $8. 

For locals, a taxi is the cheapest but for tourists is not as taxis set up high prices for tourists that you have to negotiate. Read more about Uber in my article here.

Transportation between the cities in Egypt:

• Flight – Return flight from Cairo to Luxor or to Hurghada is around $200
• Train – Sleeping train from Cairo to Luxor $100 one-way. Day train (apparently not for foreigners) is around $10-$15
• Driver (taxi) – From Cairo to Luxor is about $300 per two people. From Hurghada to Cairo about $150

➡️You can book a private transfer from Hurghada to Cairo HERE.

FOOD: How much is a meal in Egypt?

Food in Egypt is delicious and cheap. Especially if you eat in restaurants where locals eat or you buy street food. As of now, you can eat in restaurants in Cairo, Falafel or Foul sandwiches for 8 EGP, which is $0.26. The national food Koshari cost 23-35 EGP, which is $0.74-1.13.

Recommended restaurants by locals are Koshari Abu Tareq, Al Tahrir Koshari, and Tom and Basal where you can eat for these kinds of prices.

If you want to eat in a more luxurious restaurant or famous fast food, the meal will cost you $5-25. Alcohol is more expensive here as Egypt is a Muslim country, and it is not easily available like in the Western world.

TOURS: How much is a trip to the Pyramids?

Are you looking for a couple of tours while in Egypt? It is a safe way to travel. Here are two popular tours for you.

➡️From Cairo-Pyramids of Giza
➡️From Hurghada-Luxor, Valley of the Kings

Using a guided tour is convenient and hassle-free as you will be picked up from your hotel, will receive a detailed explanation about the monuments and places you are visiting, and will be also taken back to the hotel.

Cost of sights and tours:

• Entrance ticket to the Giza Plateau – 360 EGP, around $11. To enter the Great Pyramid of Giza- 600 EGp, around $19.
• The guided tour to the Giza Plateau – from $30 to $80
• Entrance to Luxor Temple – 260 EGP, around $8
• Shared tour in Luxor with a few temples – around $20. Private tours start at $40

OVERALL: How much spending money do you need for a week in Egypt?

So let’s say you are someone who is on a budget, stays in the cheapest hotels or hostels, eats in the local restaurant, comes to Cairo to see the pyramids, and the Grand Museum, and goes to Luxor to see a few more temples all by yourself without a tour.

One week would cost you around $200. Flight ticket from and to your home destination is not included.

The same week for someone who stays in luxury hotels, eats in nicer restaurants, uses private transfers, and takes tours would cost around $3000. This is with the expensive luxury hotels.

You can also choose the middle way, stay in mid-range hotels, and sometimes eat in local restaurants and your spending will be like $1000.

Tipping Etiquette In Egypt

Egypt is about tipping and tipping is actually essential. Everybody in Egypt is expecting tips as most people live from the tips. Salaries in Egypt are not very high.

Let’s see some exact cases of tipping.

• Bill in a restaurant or cafe – 10-15%, when buying food on the street, leave small change
• Uber or a taxi that is not ripping you off – 50 EGP
• Tour guides – for the whole day minimum of 100 EGP
• Cleaners and porters – give some small bakshish
• If some people are nice to you and help you with something, you can tip them with small bakshish. Some can take it, and some refuse it.

Egypt is a very cheap country for foreigners, while expensive for many locals. By tipping the hard-working people you help them to survive another day.

Tips For Egypt On A Budget

If you want to go to Egypt on a budget, check out these tips.

1. Eat like a local

As I mentioned before, food in Egypt is very cheap even after the prices increased. When you eat in local restaurants and street food like the locals, you will save a good amount of money.

2. Use public transportation

If you can, use public transportation, it is the cheapest way of transport in Egypt. If it is not possible, use Uber or Careem.

3. Stay in the budget accommodation

The type of accommodation you choose will determine most of your cost in Egypt. You can choose budget hotels or hostels for $10 per night instead of mid-range hotels for $70 or $300+ for luxury hotels per night.

4. Make friends with locals

Having local friends is always a good thing as they will show you around, give you tips on where to eat for less, where to go, what is free, etc. Also if they go with you, no one will try to scam you and you will be charged for souvenirs and taxis like a local.

5. Travel during the off-season

Traveling during the off-season is cheaper than traveling during the peak season. Prices of flight tickets and accommodations are cheaper.

6. Haggle the price

When shopping on the markets or taking taxis or anything else where there is no fixed price, always haggle the price. Almost everything in Egypt is negotiable.

Visiting Egypt: FAQs

So now you know how cheap Egypt is and how much money you will approximately need for a one-week stay. For more questions, check the FAQs below.

Is $100 a lot in Egypt?

In the past $100 was quite a lot of money, however, these days it is not so much. The average salary in Egypt is now $145. With the increasing prices of living, it is not much money to live for one month.

Is Egypt cheaper than Turkey?

Egypt is cheaper than Turkey. Egypt is one of the cheapest countries to visit.

How safe is Egypt for tourists?

Egypt is very safe for tourists. As anywhere else, you should avoid walking on empty streets at night, don’t be naive, and don’t trust easily. Do your research and use common sense. For women, it is advised to dress modestly while visiting Egypt. 

There is a part of the Sinai Peninsula where tourists are not advised to go as it is flagged as a red zone due to the possibility of the presence of terrorists. Other than that, the rest of Egypt is a safe country.

Conclusion: Is Egypt Expensive?

As you can see Egypt is not expensive. The holiday here is very affordable for Westerners and is up to you whether you choose the budget, average, or luxury holiday in Egypt. 

Many people return to Egypt every year, just because it is a cheap country that they can afford. They do enjoy a week of all-inclusive holiday on beautiful beaches and do some other activities.