Egypt
Alexandria: how much to budget
In Alexandria, plan around €26/day on the ground travelling cheap, or €532 for 7 nights per person mid-range, excluding flights.
- From
- €26/day
- vs Paris
- 50%
- Best month
- May
At a glance
Wikidata, Wikipedia and Open-Meteo data
- Population
- 5.4M
- Area
- 2,523 km²
- Elevation
- -1 m
- Language
- Arabic
- Currency
- EGYPTIAN POUND
- Founded
- -330
- Avg. July temp.
- 26°
- Avg. Jan. temp.
- 14°
- Rainy days / year
- 22
inhabitants
EGYPTIAN POUND
23° - 31°
11° - 18°
About
Alexandria in brief
Alexandria is a major city in Egypt. Lying at the western edge of the Nile River Delta, it extends about 40 km (25 mi) along the country's northern coast. It is Egypt's principal seaport, the second largest city after Cairo, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in 331 BC by Alexander the Great, Alexandria is one of the largest and most important cities of antiquity and a leading hub for science, culture, and scholarship.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
InstantTripCost estimate
Full 7-night budget breakdown
Per-person estimate including flights from Paris, split across the six expense categories.
per person · Comfort
| Category | Budget | Comfort | Luxury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | €187 | €220 | €330 |
| Hotel | €60 | €240 | €486 |
| Food | €168 | €378 | €945 |
| Transport | €56 | €126 | €315 |
| Activities | €21 | €98 | €378 |
| Misc | €14 | €70 | €266 |
| 7-night total | €506 | €1132 | €2720 |
Flight from Paris (annual median).
Daily detail
Price overview for Alexandria
Three tiers to anchor you: what a budget traveler, a comfort traveler, and a premium traveler typically spend.
Budget
€42
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €10
- Meal
- €8
- Transit / day
- €8
Comfort
€112
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €40
- Meal
- €18
- Transit / day
- €18
Luxury
€261
per day, approx
- Hotel / night
- €81
- Meal
- €45
- Transit / day
- €45
Why visit
Why visit Alexandria
Alexandria is the cheapest Mediterranean city in this comparator, and the gap with the northern shore is stark: a mid-range room here runs around €40, against €116 in Athens for the same tier. Same sea, same October light, at roughly a third of the lodging price.
Yet the city looks like no other seaside stop. Founded in 331 BC, it stretches some forty kilometres along the coast at one metre below sea level, and most of its antiquity is either buried under the modern city or underwater. The Pharos, one of the seven wonders, lies in blocks off Pharos point: the only way to see it is wreck diving, which also drops onto the presumed palace of Cleopatra off the islet of Antirhodos. On land, the catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa, the Serapeum, the Kom El-Dikka site and the Graeco-Roman Museum all sit within two kilometres of the railway station.
Lodging is the real lever. The spread between tiers is one of the widest on record here: a well-rated hostel downtown goes for €7 a night, a five-star facing the royal gardens of Montazah for €78. In between, supply is overwhelmingly mid-range, 240 properties recorded against 74 at the budget end.
For two people at mid-range comfort, plan roughly €70 to €100 a day excluding flights. One thing to anticipate: you pay in Egyptian pounds, and plenty of things are settled in cash.
When to go
Weather & best time to visit
Average temperatures and conditions by month in Alexandria.
Best month to visitMay
Where to sleep
Where to stay in Alexandria
Alexandria has no compact centre: the city is a 40 km coastal strip, and the district you pick mostly determines how long your trips take. Sleeping near Raml Station, where the two tram networks meet, saves paying for a taxi every day. Watch one Egypt-specific catch: some of the cheapest hostels only accept Egyptians and residents, which narrows what is actually bookable under €10.
Raml Station - Downtown
The city's hinge: both tram networks meet here, the Corniche is a fifteen-minute walk from Misr station, and Nabi Daniel street lines up its booksellers at negotiable prices. The poet Cavafy's house is in the district.
Anfushi - Bahary
The peninsula born of the Heptastadion, the kilometre-long causeway that linked Pharos to the mainland before silting up. Qaitbey fort sits on the lighthouse foundations, and this is the district of fish joints and Alexandrian ice cream shops.
Sporting - San Stefano
The residential east, served by the Ramleh tram lines that run along the coast on dedicated track. Studios and flats with sea-view balconies, often €20 to €24, ten tram minutes from the centre.
Montazah - Maamoura
The far east end, some fifteen kilometres from the ancient sites: royal gardens, the Royal Jewelry Museum and beaches that turn paid and crowded in summer. This is where the grand hotels cluster, including a five-star in the Montazah gardens at €78.
Hand-picked hotels
Where to stay in Alexandria
Accommodation picks by price range.
شقق وهوستل قصر الشباب للمصريين و المقيمين فقط Youth Palace Hostel & Apartments for Egyptians & Residents Only
Hostel, decent (7.8/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
A ROOM in mandara
guesthouse, rated excellent (9.3/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Egyptian House Hostel & Apartments For Egyptians & Residents Only شقق و هوستل "البيت المصري" للمصريين و المقيمين فقط
Hostel, rated excellent (9/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
برج بيلو بيتش
Hotel, standard (6.8/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Private Room in shared apartment with Sea View Balcony
Hotel, very well rated (8.6/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
الاسكندريه المندره خطوات من الشاطئ ثاني نمره من الشاطيء تري البحر بوضوح من الجانب
Hotel, rated excellent (9.1/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Hayah Waterfalls Hotels
Hotel, decent (7.1/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
The Grand Plaza Hotel Smouha
Hotel, well rated (8.1/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
Plaza Hotel Alexandria
Hotel, decent (7.1/10), central neighborhood, well connected.
All observed hotels in Alexandria
24 properties, nightly rate for a 2-night stay arriving 15 October 2026.
| Hotel | Category | Rating | From / night |
|---|---|---|---|
| شقق وهوستل قصر الشباب للمصريين و المقيمين فقط Youth Palace Hostel & Apartments for Egyptians & Residents Only | Budget | ★ 7.8 | €6 |
| A ROOM in mandara | Budget | ★ 9.3 | €6 |
| برج بيلو بيتش | Mid-range | ★ 6.8 | €6 |
| Egyptian House Hostel & Apartments For Egyptians & Residents Only شقق و هوستل "البيت المصري" للمصريين و المقيمين فقط | Budget | ★ 9 | €7 |
| Ithaka Mansheya Hostel Alexandria | Budget | ★ 8.6 | €7 |
| العجمي الهانوڤيل اسكندريه مطروح الرئيسي | Budget | ★ 5.5 | €8 |
| Private Room In Apartment with Sea & Hilton View | Budget | ★ 4.4 | €8 |
| one room | Budget | ★ 0 | €9 |
| Nabi Daniel Residence بيت البنات | Budget | ★ 4 | €9 |
| Hayah Waterfalls Hotels | Luxury | ★ 7.1 | €12 |
| Private Room in shared apartment with Sea View Balcony | Mid-range | ★ 8.6 | €20 |
| الاسكندريه المندره خطوات من الشاطئ ثاني نمره من الشاطيء تري البحر بوضوح من الجانب | Mid-range | ★ 9.1 | €20 |
| grey l studio apartments Corniche Alexandria | Mid-range | ★ 8.6 | €24 |
| Sporting star | Mid-range | ★ 7.3 | €24 |
| Alexander The Great Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 7.6 | €26 |
| Amoun Hotel Alexandria | Mid-range | ★ 7.2 | €28 |
| New Hyde Park House Hotel | Mid-range | ★ 6.9 | €32 |
| The Grand Plaza Hotel Smouha | Luxury | ★ 8.1 | €46 |
| Plaza Hotel Alexandria | Luxury | ★ 7.1 | €49 |
| Sea View Paradise | Luxury | ★ 9 | €50 |
| Downtown Sea View Suites | Luxury | ★ 8.9 | €50 |
| Arabian Nights in the heart of historic Alexandria | Luxury | ★ 8.1 | €56 |
| Ma Maison Cleopatra, PREMIUM | Luxury | ★ 9.6 | €72 |
| Helnan Palace Hotel - Montaza Royal Gardens Alexandria , Adults Only | Luxury | ★ 8.5 | €78 |
Eating
Eating in Alexandria
Concrete benchmarks to set your meal budget, from the morning coffee to dinner.
Two specialities carry the city's name and cost almost nothing. Koshary, the national dish of pasta, rice and lentils in tomato sauce, is served here crowned with kibda Iskandarani, Alexandria-style fried liver with cumin, onion and chilli: the street meal par excellence, comfortably under €5. The other is Alexandrian ice cream, with a stretchy texture locals say exists only here and in Greece; taste it in Bahary near Qaitbey, where the historic parlours cluster, names like Makram, El-Sheikh Wafik, Azza and El Se'eedy. Fish is the other reflex: seafood restaurants line the entire waterfront, and the drill is to pick your piece off the ice then have it grilled. A fish dinner for two stays well under one mid-range hotel night, so below €40. Grilled corn on the cob sold along the Corniche covers snacks for a few dozen cents.
Getting around
Moving around Alexandria
Transit, distances and the smart moves so you don't pay the tourist tax.
Alexandria runs on the oldest tram network still operating in Africa, opened in 1860. It is slow and creaky but very cheap, and splits in two: the Ramleh lines, in blue and cream, head for the eastern suburbs along the sea, while the bright yellow City Lines serve the west and south. The two meet at Raml Station, dead centre. It is the mode to favour, all the more since the yellow-and-black taxis uniformly refuse the meter: agree the fare before getting in. Careem and Uber operate, but Careem requires an Egyptian phone number. The real spending line is getting here: the train from Cairo, the best access with 30 departures a day and 2 hr 40 min on the non-stop service, is priced in dollars for foreigners, USD 35 in air-conditioned second class and USD 40 in first, plus USD 1 by card. A one-way ticket therefore costs more than four hostel nights on arrival.
To see, to do
Things to do in Alexandria
Recommended activities and tours.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina
Notable place
Serapeum of Alexandria
Notable place
Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa
Archaeological site
Pharos
Archaeological site
Alexandria National Museum
Notable place
Graeco-Roman Museum
Notable place
Caesareum of Alexandria
Archaeological site
Heptastadion
Archaeological site
Kom El-Dikka
Archaeological site
Palais d’Antoniadis
Park
Places referenced on Wikidata. Admission prices vary by season - check each venue's official site.
Travel tips
6 ways to save
- A well-rated hostel downtown goes for €7 a night against €40 for a mid-range room: the spread between tiers is among the widest in the comparator.
- Check before booking that the property accepts non-residents: several of the cheapest addresses are restricted to Egyptians and residents.
- The tram, opened in 1860, costs a fraction of a taxi ride, and the Ramleh lines follow the coast on dedicated track out to the eastern districts.
- Taxis never use the meter: agree the fare before getting in, and hire a car by the day outside the railway station for a grouped run of the sites.
- The Corniche, several kilometres long, is free to walk, whereas the Montazah and Maamoura beaches charge admission in summer.
- A koshary topped with kibda Iskandarani stays well under €5, ten times less than a seafront fish dinner.
FAQ
FAQ - Alexandria
- How much does a week in Alexandria cost?
- For seven nights, plan roughly €180 to €300 per person on a budget (a €7 hostel, koshary and market fish, the tram), and around €450 to €700 at mid-range comfort with a room near €40 a night, excluding flights and the train ticket from Cairo.
- Is Alexandria an expensive destination?
- No. It is the cheapest Mediterranean city tracked in this comparator, very close to Marrakech and well under the northern-shore capitals. Cairo remains cheaper still, though: a mid-range room there drops to €19, against €40 in Alexandria.
- What's the best month to visit Alexandria?
- May and October. The climate is Mediterranean rather than desert: August tops out at a 31°C high and January at 17.5°C, which keeps the city workable year-round. Rain concentrates from November to January, with 23.9 mm in January, while June to September are almost dry. Summer also draws Egyptian holidaymakers to the beaches, which turn paid and crowded.
- Can Alexandria be done as a day trip from Cairo?
- It is feasible, 2 hr 40 min by non-stop train each way, but the budget maths leans toward staying over: the round trip runs USD 70 for a foreigner in air-conditioned second class, while an Alexandria hostel costs €7 and a decent room €40. Sleeping there costs less than the time lost, especially as the ancient sites and the beaches sit some fifteen kilometres apart.
Similar budget
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Cost index close to Alexandria.
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