Egypt
TunisiaCairo makes sense if
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
Cairo vs Tunis
Cairo's broad boulevards, crowded markets and Nile corniche give it a large, intense urban rhythm. Tunis shifts between the historic medina and the colonial-era avenues of Ville Nouvelle, with Habib Bourguiba Avenue shaping its everyday public life.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Tunis makes sense if
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You value stronger public spaces and everyday city life.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Tunis54
Leads on nature & outdoors, city life and safety & health; stands out for neighbourhoods and outdoor childhood.
- 2Cairo46
Tied best on money with Tunis, both 74; stands out for professional network and public transport.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Cairo74Tunis74
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $244/mo
- $269/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- >100%
- ~87%, leads
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 18, leads
- 37
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 11–28%, leads
- 14–40%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 353 days, leads
- 288 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 103 days, leads
- 141 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 44.5 µg/m³
- 16.4 µg/m³, leads
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Tunis48Cairo28
Beach & sea
110
- 4/10
- 7/10, leads
Mountains
110
- 3/10
- 5/10, leads
City parks
110
- 4/10
- 5/10, leads
Weekend escapes
110
- 5/10
- 7/10, leads
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Tunis59Cairo43
Walkability
110
- 4/10
- 6/10, leads
Public transport
110
- 7/10, leads
- 5/10
Restaurants
110
- 9/10, leads
- 7/10
Public spaces
110
- 3/10
- 7/10, leads
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Tunis51Cairo42
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 1.3, leads
- 4.7
Feels safe day to day
110
- 4/10
- 6/10, leads
Healthcare quality
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
English-speaking care
110
- 5/10, leads
- 4/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Tunis48Cairo45
Job market
110
- 5/10, leads
- 4/10
Jobs in English
110
- 4/10
- 4/10
Work–life balance
110
- 3/10
- 6/10, leads
Schools
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Tunis45Cairo43
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 7/10
- 5/10, leads
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 7/10
- 7/10
Flight connections
110
- 8/10, leads
- 6/10
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 2/10
- 3/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 2/10
- 3/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 5/10
- 4/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 2/10
- 4/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Cairo
Walkability is patchy and most neighbourhoods are built around driving or grabbing a taxi, and the sheer scale can overwhelm newcomers. The energy and pace draw some people in, but anyone wanting a calm, human-scaled urban fabric will find Cairo a stretch.
Tunis
A compact, human-scaled capital rather than a sprawling metro. Getting around the central districts on foot is workable, mixed-use streets keep shops and homes tangled together, and the overall tempo is unhurried.
Safety
Cairo
On serious violent crime Cairo scores well, with homicide rates low and the streets generally safe to move through, and road safety holds up better than much of the region. Petty crime and the everyday sense of order are more mixed.
Tunis
Daily life in Tunis is manageable, with violent crime not especially prominent and daytime movement generally comfortable. Petty theft and road traffic call for care, while political stability is a more serious long-term concern.
Work and healthcare
Cairo
Cairo's local market is shallow for many newcomers. Healthcare is a genuine weak spot.
Tunis
English-language roles are scarce, professional networks are light, and local pay is very low. A two-tier picture.
Culture and public life
Cairo
Few cities in the region match its depth of history, museums, and living local culture, and its arts and music scene outpaces most North African neighbours including Marrakech. Cairo is dusty, congested and grubby, litter constant and cared-for public space scarce beyond a few historic squares and the Nile corniche.
Tunis
Where the city shines. Tunis splits between a worn medina and the colonial Ville Nouvelle, upkeep modest across both, with the historic squares and Avenue Habib Bourguiba giving it real public space to stroll.
Summary
Tunis fits someone who wants a smaller city with a walkable historic centre and outdoor cafe culture. Cairo offers a larger employment landscape and a deeper historical and cultural calendar.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.