GlobalTrekker

Hi all,
Egypt is not often spoken about on this forum so I am looking for advice.

Out of the blue, an ex-colleague contacted me with a job offer in Cairo. The company is totally legitimate so there are no worries there.

We're still in the early stages of discussions, but it appears they want to pay me partly in EGP and partly in UK £. Salary suggestion certainly aren't brilliant and are much lower than what I would consider a typical Middle East salary.

Can anyone give advice on the cost of living and potential lifestyle for a young single guy in Cairo?

ZeroCool_HTP

I have lived in Egypt for the last 6 years.

Salaries and packages will not be close to KSA/UAE levels, unless you're on a short term contractor fly in/out type deal. There are exceptions but they are very rare.

Depending on where you're working, most expats tend to live in Maadi or Zamalek or New Cairo. Expect to pay around £750 p/m for a decent 1/2 bedroom apartment. I recommend you live close to where you will be working, otherwise youll spend your life in traffic. Cairo traffic can be insane.

Everything has gone up in price, if you're buying local produce its a bit cheaper than the UK, however, imported goods can be 200-300% dearer.

I think you could live a decent life on about £2000 a month, but you wont be living the Dubai lifestyle. The average salary in Cairo is around £300 a month. In the rural communities its even less.

Find out if they're getting you a work visa. These are hard to get but obviously they can be got, there are just certain requirements to be met. Otherwise, you'll be working illegally, and extending your tourist visa every 6 months at Abissaya building which is a 2 day process, and you have to go back to the building to get them to stamp an exit/re-entry so you dont have to reapply again, otherwise its a new visa everytime you leave and start the process again from the beginning. This is what most expats working in Egypt are doing. There are also those who just come in on tourist visa and overstay and then just pay the fine at the airport when they leave which takes 2 mins and usually is the equivalent of the visa fee anyway.

Cairo is great, but it can soon get you down. Life is hard and some of the things you will see will be tough. If you're coming for a couple of years for the experience of different life/culture and have fun then you'll definitely get that, as long as youre earning decent £ and its all legitimate re visa etc. Plenty of bars, good expat communities and unlimited amount of exploring to do!

PM me if you want any specific information.

GlobalTrekker

Thanks for this reply. I was wondering if anyone in Egypt was on here.
You're right that their suggestions are far from Gulf levels

I already know I will be working near the 26th July corridor on the Giza side close to the river. That's very close to Zamalek I guess. Not sure exactly what my housing allowance is going to be. They suggested around 10k Egyptian would get a 'very nice' apartment so I guess they want to land there, but that is several hundred British pounds below what you reckon. Looking around what's available in English, prices do seem to vary a lot.

I have been promised a legal working visa. This is a big multinational so I imagine they won't want their workers there illegally.

I suppose my big worry is crime, safety and cultural differences. I have worked abroad before so it wouldn't be my first time, but nothing as intense as Egypt.
Are you talking about seeing poverty by the way?

ZeroCool_HTP

26th of July corridor is a long road, an exact working location would be good to know. If its Zamalek or Mohandeesin itll be fine, outside this area will be less comfortable.

10k would get you a nice apartment in a less expensive neighbourbood, unless you would be willing to share. Most apartments in Zamalek are filled with other expats looking roommates.

Thats good about the working visa, but be aware that even multi national companies bring people here with the promise of visas and they dont materialise. I guess if your old colleague is working there he would be best placed to advise on this.

Crime is relatively low, foreigners are usually well protected, but it does happen. Like anywhere though, you take the usual precautions and dont go wandering in certain neighbourhoods, especially at night. You will be a target for crime/scams if you stand out as not being local.

Yes, I was referring to levels of poverty, starving animals roaming the streets, trash everywhere, pollution, fights between men, men and women (nobody will intervene in this scenario). Cairo is absolutely crazy, semi-organised chaos. I would suggest a visit first if you"ve never been before.

GlobalTrekker

My office will be in Mohandeesin. I suppose living there or Zamalek would be fine for a relatively short commute.
He has a working visa, but told me they took time to arrange it.

I will obviously stand out as a foreigner with my blonde hair and blue eyes. I must say it is a bit of a worry. My experience abroad is all in Asia where I stuck out like a sore thumb, but you can generally walk around anywhere at night with few issues in Japan/ Korea/ China/ Vietnam/ Thailand/ Singapore and similar. It will be my first time in Egypt.

I am not totally opposed to sharing. Though I would rather not.

I've sent you a PM by the way.

Don63

I spent 3 years in Giza (2018-2021) and had no regrets. Few pointers:
1. Traffic is problematic. The closer you live to your workplace the better.
2. Careem or Uber are safe bets to commute. Affordable and generally reliable. To avoid language issues, i used Careem where you have wallet top up (digital) and get notified of the balance after each trip via the app. I think this option is available after 5 cash paid or authenticated card payment trips. Maybe consider a driver company too.
3. Try and get Employer to provide a SIM with internet coverage. Difficult if using Vodafone/other as they will put you on an expensive tourist plan.
4. Food/shopping is inexpensive and easy. Mall of Arabia/Mall of Egypt etc.
5. Zamalek is good for nightlife/eateries. Egypt is not a dry country and for a beer, try Marriot Hotel or Pub 28 in Zamalek, a snug type of bar with eating.
6. You should obtain a visa in your passport sponsored by your Employer that they should arrange soon after arrival. On arriva,l pay tourist visa fee $25 (or EGP equiavalent) at the airport, cash which allows 30 days, possibly longer. Eventually you would get a permit card (not a visa stamp in passport) that should say (in Arabic) permitted to work.
7. When i arrived in 2018, 1$US = 15 EGP. Now about 18; stronger EGP. Rentals etc usually increase 10% per year.
8. Many good apartments found around Giza Consulate area near Cairo Alex Road - but unsure how far to commute in your situation. See Seasons Compound/Country Park which is c $1,000 Per month, quiet but not central yet good living. For more lively, yes Zamalek/Mohandassin.
9. Trips to/from airport to Giza near the pyramids can be very long - up to 2 hours at peak times. Try night arrivals/departures.
10. Easy to open bank account but i was paid USD so used ATM and didnt bother with EGP account.
Hope its a smooth transition.

Don63

[QUOTE=Don63;13093949]I spent 3 years in Giza (2018-2021) and had no regrets. Few pointers:
1. Traffic is problematic. The closer you live to your workplace the better.
2. Careem or Uber are safe bets to commute. Affordable and generally reliable. To avoid language issues, i used Careem where you have wallet top up (digital) and get notified of the balance after each trip via the app. I think this option is available after 5 cash paid or authenticated card payment trips. Maybe consider a driver company too.
3. Try and get Employer to provide a SIM with internet coverage. Difficult if using Vodafone/other as they will put you on an expensive tourist plan.
4. Food/shopping is inexpensive and easy. Mall of Arabia/Mall of Egypt etc.
5. Zamalek is good for nightlife/eateries. Egypt is not a dry country and for a beer, try Marriot Hotel or Pub 28 in Zamalek, a snug type of bar with eating.
6. You should obtain a visa in your passport sponsored by your Employer that they should arrange soon after arrival. On arriva,l pay tourist visa fee $25 (or EGP equiavalent) at the airport, cash which allows 30 days, possibly longer. Eventually you would get a permit card (not a visa stamp in passport) that should say (in Arabic) permitted to work.
7. When i arrived in 2018, 1$US = 15 EGP. Now about 18; stronger EGP. Rentals etc usually increase 10% per year.
8. Many good apartments found around Giza Consulate area near Cairo Alex Road - but unsure how far to commute in your situation. See Seasons Compound/Country Park which is c $1,000 Per month, quiet but not central yet good living. For more lively, yes Zamalek/Mohandassin.
9. Trips to/from airport to Giza near the pyramids can be very long - up to 2 hours at peak times. Try night arrivals/departures.
10. Easy to open bank account but i was paid USD so used ATM and didnt bother with EGP account.
Hope its a smooth transition.
11. Finally, Tax. Egypt does have a PAYE tax system - last i recall is 22% over 40,000 LE. Need to check who pays this.

GlobalTrekker

Thanks for this good information. I've already been told about the PAYE system.

I think 1,000 USD in going to be a fair bit out of my price range. I'll probably be looking at closer to half that (under 10k EGP). I am single