Vol. 04 / 2026Africa · EgyptUpdated May 2026
№ 00, The City Report

Shubra al Khaymah, a city reportEgypt · population 1.18 million · index 4.8 of 10

An independent report on living in Shubra al Khaymah, scored across cost, safety, weather, jobs, healthcare, education, transport, and twelve more axes. No tourism board input. No paid placement.

4.8
Index Score
Shubra al Khaymah, EgyptCover · The City Report
№ 01, The Quick Take

Shubra al Khaymah in 200 words.

Shubra al Khaymah scored 4.8 on the everycity index in 2026, a figure built on a low cost base and held in the midrange by the constraints this report sets out. The headline numbers: a central one bedroom rents at 5,500 pounds a month, the monthly all in cost lands at 420 dollars for a single resident, the income tax position reaches 27.5 percent at the top, and the safety score is 6.6 on the same 10 point scale we apply to London at 9.6, Singapore at 9.5, Dubai at 7.4, Berlin at 8.0, Bangkok at 6.8.

Shubra al Khaymah is the industrial north of greater Cairo, a dense working city that grew on textiles and engineering and now ranks among the most populous places in Egypt. The character is solidly working class Egyptian, a settlement of factory workers and tradespeople, with the Coptic and Muslim communities that have long shared the wider Shubra district. A single resident covers a central one bedroom and a full month for 420 dollars, which sets Shubra al Khaymah against Egypt on the national table and Africa on the regional one.

The data feeding this report comes from our methodology page. For the headline figure with your own weights, the city score generator returns the index number in 30 seconds, and the relocation score tool grades Shubra al Khaymah against your current city out of 100. For the country view, Egypt places Shubra al Khaymah on the national table, and Africa sets it alongside peer cities the atlas tracks.

The index for Shubra al Khaymah blends 12 weighted axes into a single 0 to 10 figure, the same model the atlas runs for every profile, so the 4.8 here is directly comparable to the score on any other city page. The cost, safety, and remote work numbers below carry the most weight for most readers, and the sections that follow break each one down line by line.

№ 02, Cost of Living

The monthly arithmetic.

Fifteen line items priced in May 2026 for a single resident in a central one bedroom. Family of four numbers run 2.4 times the single resident figure.

Line item
Single, 1 bed
Monthly
Rent, central one bedroom5,500 pounds
Rent, suburban two bedroom4,200 pounds
Family three bedroom rent9,000 pounds
Groceries, single95 dollars
Groceries, family280 dollars
Utilities, average22 dollars
Public transport pass6 dollars
Internet, fiber9 dollars
Mobile phone plan4 dollars
Coffee, cafe1.50 dollars
Beer, supermarket2.10 dollars
Beer, bar3.80 dollars
Dinner for two, mid11 dollars
Gym membership16 dollars
Taxi, 5 km1.80 dollars

Total monthly all in for a single resident in a central one bedroom: 420 dollars. That sets Shubra al Khaymah on the global cost table against London, Bangkok, and Singapore on the same May 2026 basis. For the family of four equivalent, multiply by 2.4 to reach a workable monthly budget. The cost of living calculator puts the figure next to a home city salary on a like for like basis, and the value cities ranking seats Shubra al Khaymah among the destinations the atlas tracks for relocating residents.

For the move itself, Wise remains a clean tool for international transfers, and booking the first month through Booking.com while you secure a long term lease is the standard play. The 2026 cost of living report carries the city by city table, and the cheapest cities ranking covers the standard cross checks. Three quiet costs new residents underestimate: the deposit and agent fee on the first lease, the setup of utilities and furniture, and the first round of local transport. Budget the move at 1.5 times the headline rent, and read the relocation checklist for the line by line.

A question we field often: how do Shubra al Khaymah costs read on a purchasing power basis. The cost converter tool takes a salary in your home city and returns the equivalent you would need in Shubra al Khaymah to hold the same standard of living, adjusted for tax and currency.

The 420 dollars a month figure assumes a modest central one bedroom and home cooking with occasional dining out; a sharper budget that leans on the market and public transport runs lower, while a household that imports its tastes and rents in the premium districts runs higher. The single biggest swing is rent, which is why the table prices three rent points rather than one.

Salary equivalent

What does your salary need to look like in Shubra al Khaymah?

Equivalent in Shubra al Khaymah
$16,800

Adjusted for cost of living, tax position, and currency. Recalculated against a 420 dollars a month baseline.

№ 03, Safety

A 10 point read on streets, day and night.

Shubra al Khaymah scored 6.6 overall. The breakdown matters more than the headline.

Overall6.6
Solo female, day5.4
Family with kids6.8
After dark, central6.0

Set against the rest of the index, Shubra al Khaymah reads in its tier measured against Tokyo at 9.6, Singapore at 9.5, London at 7.4, and Berlin at 8.0 on the same scale. The safest cities ranking and the low crime ranking track the same axis and place Shubra al Khaymah in context.

Practical notes for new residents: the four categories behind the overall score are the violent crime rate per 100,000, the property crime rate per 100,000, the traffic fatality rate per 100,000, and emergency response time in minutes, drawn from the EIU Safe Cities framework, the Numbeo crime indices, and WHO traffic data. Carry an international policy from SafetyWing or Cigna Global for the first months while local cover gets sorted. The full safety method sits on our methodology page, the family safety ranking shows how Shubra al Khaymah places for households with children, and the best cities for retirement ranking sets the wider liveability picture for anyone weighing a long stay.

The numbers describe the statistical baseline, not the daily texture. Most residents of Shubra al Khaymah adapt their routine to the read above, weighting the daytime over the late night for solo trips and choosing the better lit central wards after dark. The quality of life ranking folds safety into the wider liveability score for anyone weighing the move on balance.

№ 04, Weather

The climate in plain numbers.

Hot desert, BWh under Koppen, 95F warm season highs, 48F cool season lows, 55 percent average humidity, 3400 hours of sun a year.

The best months to live in Shubra al Khaymah are October, November, and March, the mild windows that bracket the harder season. The worst, in our reader survey, was August. Daytime highs reach 95F in the warm season and the cool season low touches 48F, with average humidity of 55 percent and 3400 hours of sun a year. For a city that matches your home weather, the climate match tool is the cleanest tool we run; for seasonal planning the best month to visit tool and the best weather ranking are the standard cross references.

The Koppen type is BWh, the hot desert class, which places Shubra al Khaymah in a global cluster of cities with a similar feel. Residents moving from a very different climate usually need a season to adjust to the local pattern, and the seasonal swing matters more for daily life than the annual average. The climate match tool identifies the 10 closest weather matches, the quality of life ranking sets the wider picture, and the best month to visit tool flags the months worth timing a scouting visit to.

№ 05, Jobs and Salary

Who pays, and how much the tax takes back.

Salary medians are May 2026, sourced from Glassdoor, the national statistics office, and OECD wage data. Tax figures are from the official revenue authority.

Role, mid level
Median salary
Senior salary
Production supervisor 
180,000 poundsmedian
320,000 poundssenior
Mechanical engineer 
240,000 poundsmedian
480,000 poundssenior
Accountant 
156,000 poundsmedian
300,000 poundssenior

Shubra al Khaymah carries a real industrial base of its own in textiles, food processing, and metal engineering, alongside the wider economy of greater Cairo reached by the metro: the public administration and services of the capital, the wholesale and retail trade of the district, and the construction sector. Many professional residents commute into central Cairo for office work. The tax calculator tool is the cleanest way to run a real offer against the local system.

Note on tax: Egypt runs a progressive personal income tax that reaches 27.5 percent at the top bracket after the recent reforms, with a tax free threshold at the bottom. Read the visa and tax guide 2026 before assuming the headline rate is the take home rate. The tax calculator tool runs a real offer, and for benchmarking the highest paying cities ranking, the cities for tech jobs ranking, and the cities for jobs ranking cover the major destinations against which Shubra al Khaymah is measured.

The salary table prices the local median and a senior figure for three representative roles; a relocating professional should read these against the 420 dollars a month cost base rather than against a home country salary, since the purchasing power gap is what determines whether an offer works. The cost of living calculator runs that comparison directly.

№ 06, Neighborhoods

Where to actually live.

7 areas, each with the rent number and a one line verdict.

Shubra al Khaymah center
the commercial and transit core by the metro terminus, central one bedroom at 5,500 pounds
Mosallas
the dense residential ward to the east, central two bedroom at 6,800 pounds
El Khalafawy
the southern node on the metro line, central one bedroom at 5,200 pounds
Bahteem
the northern industrial fringe, value heavy, central two bedroom at 5,500 pounds
Sandyoun
the western residential belt, central two bedroom at 6,000 pounds
Toson
the eastern edge toward the ring road, central one bedroom at 4,800 pounds
Mounira
the central residential stretch near the market, central two bedroom at 7,200 pounds
Shubra al Khaymah metro terminus crowd
Shubra al Khaymah dense residential streets
Shubra al Khaymah market stalls
Shubra al Khaymah factory district
Shubra al Khaymah rooftop water tanks
Shubra al Khaymah busy main road
Shubra al Khaymah street food vendors

The neighborhood scores feed our neighborhood matcher tool, which takes your lifestyle inputs and returns the right area within Shubra al Khaymah on a 1 to 10 fit. For long term rentals beyond the first month, residents use local agents and listing apps, and the rental portal guide sets the approach, while the standard pattern is a deposit of one to three months plus an agent fee on the first lease. For comparable neighborhood guides elsewhere, see Tokyo neighborhoods, Bangkok neighborhoods, and Mumbai neighborhoods.

№ 07, Healthcare

The system, the cost, the wait.

Healthcare scored 5.4 on a 10 point scale. The method weights access, cost, and outcomes equally.

A mixed system that leans on the deep hospital network of greater Cairo, with public general hospitals and private clinics in Shubra al Khaymah itself and the major teaching hospitals of central Cairo a short metro ride away. Most residents route serious care into the capital. Private care is affordable by global standards but variable in quality.

For new arrivals: pick up an interim international policy from SafetyWing or Cigna Global for the gap between arrival and enrollment in any local scheme. The expat insurance guide covers the trade off in detail, and the family healthcare ranking places Shubra al Khaymah on the global table. Healthcare scored 5.4 on a 10 point scale that weights access, cost, and outcomes equally.

The practical rule for a new arrival in Shubra al Khaymah is to carry international cover from day one and to identify the nearest private clinic and the nearest tertiary hospital before they are needed, not during an emergency. Pharmacies handle a wide range of routine needs without a prescription, which takes pressure off the clinics for minor complaints.

№ 08, Education and Family

Schools, if you have kids.

The international school option, the local school option, and the cost of each.

Schooling spans the local Arabic medium public schools, the language schools that teach in English and French, and the international school market of New Cairo and Heliopolis within reach. There is no major university in Shubra al Khaymah itself, but Ain Shams University and the institutes of central Cairo are a metro ride away.

The family rating for Shubra al Khaymah weights school quality, park access, safety, healthcare, and the cost of a three bedroom home. See the best cities for families ranking for the full table and the cities for students ranking for the university view. The relocating with kids guide covers the school admissions calendar, and Babbel is a starting point for the parent who wants the working local language, though immersion does the heavy lifting.

№ 09, Transport

Walk, ride, or drive.

Walkability and transit scored against the global 1 to 10 scale.

Walk5.8
Transit6.4
Bike3.6
Car neededRecommended

The transport system in Shubra al Khaymah runs on the terminus of Line 2 of the Cairo Metro that runs south into the capital, the dense microbus and minibus network, and shared taxis. Cairo International Airport is 45 minutes by road. For scouting trips a rental from Discover Cars covers the road approach.

The cities for cyclists ranking and the coworking access ranking set Shubra al Khaymah against Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Zurich, and the walkable cities ranking and the best public transit ranking track the wider picture. The two variables most new residents underweight are the door to door commute time in the morning peak and the cost of running a car against the cost of ride hailing, both of which shift the real monthly budget more than the headline rent.

Daily mobility in Shubra al Khaymah comes down to the trade between time and money: the cheapest option is rarely the fastest, and the fastest is rarely the cheapest. New residents who price the morning commute honestly, in minutes and in cost, make better neighborhood choices than those who fix only on rent. The best public transit ranking sets the wider benchmark.

№ 10, Culture and Cuisine

What makes Shubra al Khaymah itself.

The food signatures, the nightlife rating, the cultural calendar.

Shubra al Khaymah is the industrial north of greater Cairo, a dense working city that grew on textiles and engineering and now ranks among the most populous places in Egypt. The character is solidly working class Egyptian, a settlement of factory workers and tradespeople, with the Coptic and Muslim communities that have long shared the wider Shubra district.

The food is Cairene at its base: the koshari and ful medames of the working kitchen, the grilled meats and fiteer of the festival table, and the full range of capital street food a metro stop away. Nightlife scores 3.8 on the 10 point scale, modest and local, with the cafes and clubs of central Cairo a short ride rather than on the doorstep. The best cities for nightlife ranking places Shubra al Khaymah against Bangkok and London.

Tour bookings run cleanest through GetYourGuide, and the cities for history ranking and the cities for foodies ranking cover the heritage and food views for Shubra al Khaymah.

The cultural calendar shapes the year more than the weather does for most residents of Shubra al Khaymah, and timing a first visit to a major local season is the cleanest way to read whether the city fits. The best month to visit tool flags the windows worth planning a scouting trip near the festival calendar.

№ 11, Remote Work

Internet, visas, and where to plug in.

Median fixed line speed is 45 Mbps. Coworking density is 5 spaces. The visa pathway is detailed below.

The remote work rating for Shubra al Khaymah reflects internet speed, coworking density, and the visa pathway. The median fixed line speed is 45 Mbps on the national network, with 5 spaces in the city. Egypt runs no dedicated digital nomad visa, so foreign remote workers operate on a tourist or work visa.

For the location independent worker, the visa story is the variable most underweight when picking a base. The nomad visa guide 2026 tracks eligibility, cost, and renewal terms across the cities that run a dedicated pathway. The digital nomad cities ranking and the fastest internet ranking keep the macro view, and for privacy and access the NordVPN is the tool we have tested.

The remote work pieces connect to the wider rankings through the best cities for remote work ranking, which seats Shubra al Khaymah among the global field, and the best cities for couples ranking for couples weighing a dual move.

№ 12, The Verdict

Who should move to Shubra al Khaymah, and who shouldn't.

Shubra al Khaymah works for the price sensitive worker tied to the Cairo job market who wants the cheapest foothold on the metro, the family that needs space at a fraction of New Cairo rents, and the tradesperson working the northern industrial belt. At 420 dollars a month all in, it offers a cheap foothold with the trade offs this report has priced out. The case against is real: heavy industrial air and noise, dense and worn infrastructure, modest street comfort for women in the daytime, and the absence of green space or a cultural scene of its own. If the trade suits you, it rewards you; if it does not, look elsewhere in Egypt.

For the country level read: Egypt. For the regional read: Africa. For the methodology behind every number in this report: methodology page. To run your own weighting, the relocation score tool grades Shubra al Khaymah against your current city out of 100, the city score generator returns a custom index in 30 seconds, and the best cities of 2026 sets it among the cities readers shortlist for 2026. Whether Shubra al Khaymah earns a place on your list comes down to the single trade off this report has tried to price out.

№ 13, Newsletter

The atlas, in your inbox.

One email a month. The new city reports, the cost of living refresh, and the comparisons that landed. No tourism boards, no paid placement.

Sources, May 2026. Numbeo cost of living index May 2026 · Mercer Cost of Living Survey 2026 · OECD data 2025 · World Bank Open Data 2025 · Speedtest Global Index April 2026 · EIU Safe Cities framework 2024 · national statistics office for population and tax figures · Glassdoor for salary medians · Koppen climate classification. First published May 25, 2026. Last updated May 25, 2026.