The big threeالتكاليف الثلاثة الكبرى
- International flights. The largest single item for most visitors, and the one that varies most by origin and season. From Europe, charter routes to Hurghada and Sharm are markedly cheaper than scheduled flights to Cairo.
- The Nile cruise. Per-night cost ranges enormously between a standard boat and a dahabiya — a factor of several, not a percentage.
- Guiding and private transport. Cheap by international standards but adds up across a two-week trip, and is priced per vehicle rather than per head.
Everything elseبقية التكاليف
| Visa | US$25–36 depending on type and route; see the visa page for current figures. |
|---|---|
| Internal flights | Cheap. Cairo–Luxor, Cairo–Aswan and Cairo–Red Sea hops are a small fraction of the trip cost. |
| Entrance tickets | Individually modest, collectively significant on a full itinerary. The extra-fee items — Khufu's interior, Seti I's tomb, Nefertari, Abu Simbel — are where it accumulates. |
| Food | Street food and local restaurants are very cheap; hotel restaurants are priced internationally. Eating out is one of the great bargains of travel in Egypt. |
| Transport | Ride-hailing and taxis are inexpensive. The Cairo metro costs almost nothing. |
| Tipping | Budget a genuine daily allowance rather than treating it as incidental. Guides, drivers, cruise crew, hotel staff and site attendants all expect it. |
| SIM/data | Tourist data packages are cheap and worth buying on arrival. |
Three budget levelsثلاثة مستويات
Budget — three-star hotels or guesthouses, trains and public transport, standard cruise boat or land-based travel between Luxor and Aswan, guides hired by the day at major sites only, eating locally.
Mid-range — four-star hotels, internal flights, a well-rated cruise boat, private car and guide for key days. Where most first-time visitors sit.
Premium — five-star with location, dahabiya or top-tier boat, private Egyptologist throughout, flights to Abu Simbel. Two to three times mid-range.
Season swings all three: Christmas, New Year and Easter carry the steepest premiums, and May to September discounts hard.
Common questionsأسئلة شائعة
How much does a trip to Egypt cost?
It depends most on where you fly from, whether you take a Nile cruise, and whether guiding is private. Flights, cruise and guiding dominate; on the ground, food, transport and tickets are inexpensive by European or North American standards.
Is Egypt cheap to travel in?
Once you have arrived, yes. Meals, taxis, domestic flights and most entry tickets cost a fraction of European equivalents. Getting there and the cruise are the expensive parts.
How much should I budget for tipping in Egypt?
Set a real daily figure rather than treating tips as incidental — guides, drivers, cruise crew, hotel staff and site attendants all expect them. Your operator will suggest rates; carry small notes.
What is the cheapest way to see Egypt?
Travel May to September, use trains and internal budget flights, stay in guesthouses, skip the cruise in favour of land travel between Luxor and Aswan, and hire guides by the day only where they add most.