Egypt
How much does a trip to Egypt cost? Daily budget and prices
Budget US$41–72 per person per day backpacking, US$120–235 mid-range, US$340+ for comfort, excluding international flights. Site tickets are the fixed cost that moves the total most: Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and Valley of the Kings together can pass US$100. Carry cash for tips and small services; most gates are card-only.
- Source checked
- A source and a date are on record: we read it from an official or published page. Not yet confirmed on the ground.
- Field checked
- Someone checked it on the ground, with the date shown.
- Plan calculated
- Worked out by Voykit from its own data (times, distances, budgets). A calculation, not a measurement.
Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify
GuideEgypt
Key facts
- Backpacker day
- US$41–72: hostel, koshari and street food, trains and metro, main tickets
- Mid-range day
- US$120–235: 3–4★ hotel, restaurants, driver for Giza and Saqqara, mid-range cruise
- Comfort day
- US$340–790: 5★ hotel or dahabiya, private Egyptologist, private transfers
- Currency
- Egyptian pound (EGP, also LE or £E); hotels and cruises take cards, taxis and markets are cash
- Biggest fixed cost
- Site tickets; Giza about EGP 700, Grand Egyptian Museum about EGP 1,450, Valley of the Kings about EGP 750
- Koshari bowl
- EGP 40–90
- Uber across Cairo
- EGP 100–250
- Domestic flight Cairo–Luxor or Aswan
- About US$90 one way (2026 estimate)
- Nile cruise
- Add US$80–300 per day instead of hotel nights
- Tipping
- Baksheesh expected for almost any small service; keep small notes separate
- Prices movecheck
- Site tickets rise often and the pound has moved sharply; check the current rate before trusting a quoted price
Daily budget by travel style
These are per person per day, sharing a room at mid-range and comfort, with international flights excluded. They are 2026 estimates built from the country cost data on this site, not quotes from any one hotel or operator.
The pattern that surprises people is how flat the food and bed costs are compared with tickets. A cheap bed and cheap meals save maybe US$40 a day; the site tickets cost the same whoever you are. That is why a backpacker and a mid-range traveller on the same Nile Valley route can end up closer than the headline numbers suggest.
| Tier | Bed | Food | Transport | Sights | Extras | Total per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | US$10–20 | US$8–12 | US$5–10 | US$15–25 | US$3–5 | US$41–72 |
| Mid-range | US$40–90 | US$25–40 | US$20–40 | US$25–45 | US$10–20 | US$120–235 |
| Comfort | US$150–400 | US$60–120 | US$60–120 | US$50–100 | US$20–50 | US$340–790 |
2026 estimate, per person per day, sharing a room at mid-range and comfort. International flights not included.
What individual things cost
Use these to sanity-check a quote or build your own total. Site tickets are the line that changes most often, so treat them as a band rather than a fixed price.
Most ticketed sites have moved to card-only payment at the gate, so carry a card even on a cash day. Egyptian and foreign visitor prices differ, and the foreign price is the one that applies to you.
| Item | 2026 estimate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Koshari bowl | EGP 40–90 | Street or small restaurant |
| Giza pyramids plateau ticket | About EGP 700 | Inside the Great Pyramid costs extra |
| Grand Egyptian Museum, foreign adult | About EGP 1,450 | Online only; a rise to about US$35 has been announced |
| Valley of the Kings, 3 tombs | About EGP 750 | Tutankhamun's tomb is a separate ticket |
| Uber across Cairo | EGP 100–250 | Depends on distance and surge |
| Felucca hour in Aswan | EGP 300–600 per boat | Price is for the boat, not per person |
| Domestic flight Cairo–Luxor or Aswan | About US$90 one way | Sleeper train is a cheaper alternative |
| Nile cruise | US$80–300 per day | Replaces hotel nights, not adds to them |
2026 estimate. Site tickets rise often; check the gate price before you budget.
How to build your total
Start with nights, not days. Multiply your tier by the number of nights, then add the fixed items: visa, site tickets, any domestic flight, and a Nile cruise if you are taking one. A Nile cruise replaces hotel nights, so do not count both for the same dates.
A common first-trip shape is three nights in Cairo, then four or five nights in Luxor and Aswan. On mid-range numbers that is roughly US$850–1,650 for the week before flights, plus site tickets of US$100–150 and a domestic flight of about US$90 if you fly one leg. Backpacking the same route on trains and hostels lands nearer US$300–500.
- Nights × your tier = the base
- Add visa, site tickets and any domestic flight
- Add a cruise only for the nights it replaces
- Add a buffer of 10–15% for tips and price rises
- Leave international flights out until the end
Cash, cards and tipping
Hotels, cruise boats and larger restaurants take cards. Taxis, markets, small cafés, tips and toilet attendants are cash. Carry both, and keep small notes separate from larger ones so you are not handing over a large bill for a small service.
Baksheesh is expected for almost any small service, from a toilet attendant to someone who opens a gate for you. Budget a few dollars a day for it rather than treating it as an occasional extra. Use ATMs inside banks or hotels, and check the current exchange rate before you trust any quoted price, because the pound has moved sharply in recent years.
- Cards: hotels, cruises, larger restaurants, most site gates
- Cash: taxis, markets, small cafés, tips, toilets
- Keep small notes separate for baksheesh
- Use bank or hotel ATMs, not street machines
When costs change
Two things move an Egypt budget more than your own choices: the exchange rate and site ticket prices. Both have shifted sharply in recent years, so a figure from an old blog post can be wrong by half.
Season matters less than you would expect for hotels in Cairo, but Nile cruise prices rise around the winter high season and Egyptian school holidays. Ramadan can lower some restaurant prices and change opening hours. Check the current rate and gate prices in the week before you travel rather than months ahead.
- Exchange rate: check the current rate before trusting a quoted price
- Site tickets: check gate prices close to your trip
- Nile cruises: higher in winter high season and school holidays
- Ramadan: some prices lower, hours change
Questions people ask
How much money do you need per day in Egypt?
US$41–72 per person per day backpacking, US$120–235 mid-range, US$340–790 for comfort, excluding international flights. Site tickets are the fixed cost that moves the total most, so add those separately if you are visiting Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Valley of the Kings.
Is Egypt expensive for tourists?
No. Beds, food and local transport are cheap by US or UK standards. The cost that surprises people is site tickets: Giza, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Valley of the Kings together can pass US$100 per person, and a Nile cruise adds US$80–300 per day.
What do meals, hotels and transport cost in Egypt?
A koshari bowl is EGP 40–90. Hostels run US$10–20 a night, 3–4★ hotels US$40–90, 5★ US$150–400. An Uber across Cairo is EGP 100–250, and a domestic flight Cairo–Luxor or Aswan about US$90 one way. 2026 estimates.
How much should I budget for a one-week trip?
Mid-range, about US$850–1,650 for a week before international flights, plus US$100–150 for site tickets and about US$90 if you fly one domestic leg. Backpacking the same route on trains and hostels lands nearer US$300–500.
Do I need cash in Egypt?
Yes, for taxis, markets, small cafés, tips and toilet attendants. Hotels, cruise boats, larger restaurants and most site gates take cards. Carry both, and keep small notes separate for baksheesh, which is expected for almost any small service.
Does a Nile cruise cost extra on top of hotels?
It replaces hotel nights, not adds to them. Budget US$80–300 per day for the cruise and do not count a hotel for the same dates. Cruise prices rise around the winter high season and Egyptian school holidays.
Deep dive
Every source; changeable facts are marked check
Sources
- officialEgyptian Tourism Authority
- officialCentral Bank of Egypt – exchange rates
- officialEgyptian Railways
- secondaryWikivoyage – Egypt