Cairo rents rose 25% in nine months, urban research group says
The average rent for unfurnished apartments in Greater Cairo rose 25% in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, outpacing annual inflation by about 11 percentage points, according to an index published by the Built Environment Observatory (BEO).
The index tracks average rents across Cairo’s neighborhoods and year-over-year changes. The BEO, a research and rights-focused initiative promoting equitable urban development, excluded gated residential compounds from its main index and reported their data separately to avoid distorting neighborhood-level figures.
Yehia Shawkat, the observatory’s director, said in a statement reviewed by Al Manassa that rents varied widely across Cairo, from 3,500 Egyptian pounds ($62) a month in El-Marg, the lowest recorded, to 75,000 pounds in Zamalek (about $1,300), over 20 times as much.
Four neighborhoods had average monthly rents matching the city-wide average of 10,000 pounds ($180): Rod El Farag, El Sahel, Hadayek El Qobba and Sayeda Zeinab.
The annual increase in total rents exceeded the overall consumer price inflation rate reported by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, which recorded 12.8% in September.
According to the index, the average monthly rent per square meter in the capital reached 80 pounds ($1.40) from July through Sept. 2026, up 5% from the second quarter.
The report highlighted a statistical discrepancy: while total monthly rents rose 25% year on year, rent per square meter increased by just 13%.
The observatory attributed the gap to larger apartments entering the rental market, rather than simply higher prices for the same amount of space.
Geographically, rent per square meter jumped 28% in Downtown Cairo, 22% in both Sayeda Zeinab and El-Marg, and 19% in Zamalek. Other neighborhoods recorded declines, led by Manial and Maadi, where rents fell 12%. New Cairo saw a 7% drop, while Salam recorded a decline of about 4%.
The third-quarter 2026 index was based on an analysis of nearly 5,000 residential rental listings on online real estate platforms, covering 26 residential neighborhoods and new cities in Cairo.
The analysis was limited to unfurnished apartments offered for new rental contracts. Commercial and administrative properties, land and furnished apartments were excluded, while gated residential compounds were tracked separately.
The observatory noted that the figures do not necessarily reflect the rents paid by existing tenants under current contracts. Instead, they measure the prices landlords are asking for vacant apartments or for apartments being rented out again after previous contracts expire.