After our road trip through Jordan, we flew to Alexandria and spent 10 days in Egypt. After a few days on the coast, we took a loooooong train ride down to Luxor (the highlight of Egypt for us!) before taking a train back north to Cairo to see the Pyramids of Giza. Here’s every cent we spent during our 10 days in the country. (All prices in USD as of November 2019.)
Egypt: $1,466.36
Transportation: $202.19
This total includes local taxis and ride-shares, mostly in Cairo; a private driver from our hotel in Luxor for two days; and several first-class train tickets to travel within the country (~$13/ticket for Alexandria to Luxor via Cairo, and ~$17/ticket for Luxor to Cairo; no, that math didn’t make sense to us either). To learn more about traveling by train in Egypt, check out our weekly wrap-up post from RTW Week 32. Average: $20.22/day.
Lodging: $293.65
We began our time in Alexandria at Triomphe Hostel, which was very basic but only $25/night for a private double room. Our hotel in Luxor had a delicious breakfast each morning and helped us arrange many of our tours in Luxor ($22/night), but unfortunately, the owner made us feel so uncomfortable at points that we can’t recommend it. Luckily for you, Luxor is a major destination in Egypt so you have many accommodation choices! Finally, we splurged a bit in Giza for a room with a view of the pyramids ($42.55/night). We loved Pyramids Guest House (super friendly staff, great rooftop where we could watch the light show on the pyramids at night and enjoy our free breakfast with a view each morning), but sadly it doesn’t appear to be in business now. Try one of the many similar accommodations that boast a view of the pyramids. Average: $29.37/night.
Eating out: $169.25
We ate quite well for quite cheap in Egypt. Our most expensive meal (for two) was still under $25, and most meals were more in the $12-$18 range (for both of us). Breakfast was included at our hotels in Luxor and Giza. Average: $16.93/day.
Treats: $28.94
We like treats, so this category includes any coffee, dessert or alcohol that was not purchased as part of a meal (or a grocery run). Alexandria had many cute little cafes where we could grab a coffee and/or slice of dessert, so much of this budget was spent there. Average: $2.89/day.
Groceries/household items: $53.47
This included $37 for Jonathan to buy a new electric shaver (visiting a big-box electronics store in Cairo was a memorable experience!) and less than $4 to do our laundry at our hotel in Alexandria. Average: $1.64/day.
Entertainment (tours, etc.): $603.50
As you can see in our pie chart, a large chunk of our cash in Egypt (nearly half!) was spent on entertainment. During our elementary education, the history of Egypt was practically mythic in its presentation, so of course we wanted to experience many of the sites for ourselves. Because we did so many paid activities, I’m breaking it down by location below:
Alexandria: We visited the Library of Alexandria (highly recommend, ~$4.50/person) and the Citadel of Qaitbay (~$4/person), which is built on the site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World.
Luxor: We visited Karnak Temple (~$12/person), Luxor Temple (~$10/person), Valley of the Kings (~$15/person), the Temple of Hatshepsut (~$8.50/person) and finally—one of my favorite temples in Luxor though I’d never heard of it before—the Temple de Medinet Habu (~$6/person). On our final morning in Luxor, we “splurged” (because actually it was quite inexpensive—maybe worryingly so!) on a hot air balloon ride for ~$80/person. If you are planning a visit to Luxor and don’t want to visit quite so many temples, I would prioritize Karnak Temple, Valley of the Kings and the Temple de Medient Habu.
Giza/Cairo: We arranged for a full-day tour of nearby pyramids through our hotel ($120/person, similar tour here though we skipped the camels) and went on a Nile River dinner cruise (discounted to ~$33/person due to a small scheduling mishap, similar experience here). Average: $60.35/day.
Gifts & souvenirs: $4.40
Our usual postcards and stamps. Average: $0.44/day.
Travel insurance: $60.96.
We had third-party travel insurance through World Nomads. Periodically throughout our trip, we would re-purchase for another few months, so the amount would change slightly. (Tip: Buying insurance for longer periods of time lowers the daily cost.) We re-purchased our insurance while in Egypt for an average of $6.10/day. Travel insurance costs will vary depending on chosen plan, length of travel, location, etc.
Other: $50
We got visas on arrival in Egypt for $25 USD each. We found it was quite easy to get an Egyptian visa ourselves, but if you would prefer to have someone else take care of this necessity and have it done ahead of time, services such as iVisa can process your visa for an additional service fee.
Total: $146.64/day = $73.32/person* per day
*Did you know we have a page on the blog completely dedicated to Money & Budgeting? We also list our country-specific costs on this page, but those numbers might differ a bit from the numbers shown here. The numbers in our detailed budgeting posts (like this one) are a true reflection of what we personally spent on our trip. The numbers on the Money & Budgeting page are meant to reflect what a typical tourist traveling at our comfort level can expect to spend.
Of course, you can always spend far less (or far more) than the numbers listed here or on our Money & Budgeting page. These figures are provided as a loose guide to help you plan travels within your budget range.
Feature image: Hieroglyphs at Valley of the Kings in Luxor
One thought on “How Much Does It Cost to Visit Egypt for 10 Days?”