How much does it cost to live in Dahab?
Typical Month (Mid Range)
$616 (EGP 32,092)
Housing, food, transport, mobile, coworking and gym.
Updated September 2026 · Sources cited: airbnb.com, curlsenroute.com
- Typical Month (Lower End)
- $237 (EGP 12,332)
- Typical Month (Premium)
- $1,032 (EGP 53,715)
Good to know
Good to Know
- Furnished short-stay rentals for visitors cluster in Assalah and Mashraba, both walkable to the beach promenade, dive centers, and the main Asala Market.
- It's common for tenants to sublet rooms within their own apartment informally rather than rent directly from a landlord or agency, and dealing with the landlord directly is generally the safer route.
- Grocery prices can feel surprisingly high for imported or Western-brand items relative to Dahab's overall low cost of living, since much is trucked in from Cairo or Sharm El Sheikh.
- Hard, verified monthly EGP rent figures for Dahab are scarce online compared to bigger nomad hubs — treat the housing numbers here as a realistic ballpark rather than a precise quote, and always confirm current pricing directly with a landlord or current listing before booking.
- Formal coworking spaces are limited in Dahab (a handful, mostly around the Lighthouse promenade area) — many nomads instead work from beachfront cafes with WiFi rather than a dedicated coworking membership.
- There's no city bus or metro system in Dahab — getting around town is on foot, by bicycle, or by flagging an informal tuk-tuk or pickup-truck taxi; agree the fare before you get in since there's no meter.
- The Egypt e-Visa/visa-on-arrival fee rose to $30 in March 2026 and only covers a 30-day stay, so anyone planning 3+ months in Dahab should plan for a visa run or an in-country extension rather than assume a single visa covers a long stay.
- Mobile data is genuinely cheap in Egypt, but buying and activating a SIM requires passport registration and can be smoother done through an official carrier shop rather than a street vendor.
Monthly Totals
- Mid-range month
- EGP 32,092
Includes 6 estimated components
- Lean month
- EGP 12,332
Includes 4 estimated components
- Comfortable month
- EGP 53,715
Includes 7 estimated components
Living Costs
- Where nomads live
- There is no single dominant 'nomad district' with published rent benchmarks, but short-term furnished rentals for long-stay visitors cluster heavily in Assalah (also spelled Asala/Asalah) and neighboring Mashraba, with the Lighthouse dive-site area and Eel Garden also popular among longer-stay travelers. Figures below are priced against these areas as the closest reasonable proxy.
Housing (per month)
- Mid-range 1-bed
- EGP 15,000
Estimated
Estimated for a mid-range furnished 1-2BR apartment with AC and possibly pool access in a compound (e.g. Blue Hole Plaza-type compounds in Mashraba referenced in current Airbnb listings), based on general market impression rather than a single stated monthly price.
- Budget studio / 1-bed
- EGP 7,500
Estimated
Estimated midpoint for a basic furnished studio/1BR in Assalah or Mashraba; no single listing page in the sources we checked stated an exact monthly figure, so this is a judgment estimate, not a quoted price.
- Premium apartment
- EGP 32,000
Estimated
Estimated for a premium furnished seafront/villa-style 2BR with pool in Assalah, based on the type of high-end villa and beachfront penthouse listings currently advertised on Airbnb for Dahab, though no exact monthly rate was captured from those listings.
- Private room in a shared home
- EGP 5,000
Estimated
No live listing quoted a single private-room-in-shared-home price; estimated from general knowledge of Dahab's furnished short-stay market and relative pricing versus full-apartment listings seen in Assalah/Mashraba.
Groceries
- What the basket assumes
- One person cooking most meals at home, shopping at a mid-range local supermarket (not a Western-import specialty store).
- Groceries for one (month)
- EGP 3,800
Estimated
Estimated for one person cooking most meals at home shopping at a mid-range Dahab supermarket; imported/Western items push costs above what the low overall cost-of-living reputation of Dahab might suggest.
Sample prices
1L Milk
- 1L Milk
- EGP 40
Estimated
Estimated typical Egyptian supermarket price; not sourced from a specific price-tracking page.
Loaf of White Bread
- Loaf Of White Bread
- EGP 15
Estimated
Estimated typical local bakery/supermarket price.
Dozen Eggs
- Dozen Eggs
- EGP 100
Estimated
Estimated typical Egyptian supermarket price.
1kg Chicken Breast
- 1kg Chicken Breast
- EGP 200
Estimated
Estimated typical Egyptian supermarket/butcher price.
1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- 1.5L Bottled Water (Store)
- EGP 15
Estimated
Estimated store price, distinct from the higher price charged at restaurants/cafes.
Eating out
- Cheap meal
- EGP 90
Estimated
Estimated for a simple local meal such as koshari, falafel/shawarma sandwich, or a backpacker-cafe breakfast in Assalah. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 120 EGP reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
- High-end meal
- EGP 750
Estimated
Estimated for one person at Dahab's nicer sit-down restaurants with imported ingredients or wine; no specific menu pricing page was retrieved.
- Mid-range meal
- EGP 225
Estimated
Estimated for one person at a promenade restaurant serving pizza, pasta, or grilled seafood, the kind referenced near Assalah's touristic promenade in current listings. [Adjusted 2026-09-18: the source's 300 EGP reduced by 25%; see "adjusted".]
Work, Transport & Essentials
Coworking
- Venue
- El Co-Working Space Dahab (Lighthouse area)
- Day pass
- EGP 521
Survey / cost-of-living site
Curls en Route nomad guide to Dahab coworking spots lists a Lighthouse-area coworking space's own posted price list: 'Day pass for USD 10 (including coffee, tea, or orange juice + unlimited water)'.
Published in USD
- Monthly hot desk
- EGP 7,810
Survey / cost-of-living site
Same Lighthouse-area coworking space's price list per Curls en Route: 'Monthly pass for USD 150 (including coffee, tea, or orange juice + unlimited water)'.
Published in USD
Transport
- How to get there
- tuk-tuk / shared pickup truck
- About monthly passes
- Dahab has no metro/bus network and no formal transit monthly pass — the town is small enough to walk, and locals/nomads otherwise use bicycles or flag down informal tuk-tuks and pickup-truck taxis.
- Single ride
- EGP 25
Estimated
Estimated typical short tuk-tuk/pickup-truck fare for a within-town ride in Dahab; no single live fare-listing source found at the time of research, figure is a judgment call based on general Red Sea town informal-taxi pricing.
Mobile & data
- Carrier
- Vodafone Egypt
- Monthly plan
- EGP 250
Survey / cost-of-living site
Vodafone Egypt 'Air internet' data-SIM package listed by mobilemasr.com: 250 EGP for 40GB/month.
- Data allowance
- 40GB/month
Short Stays (per night)
- Seasonal pricing
- Yes
- Why
- Dahab experiences pronounced seasonal tourism demand: cooler spring (March-May) and autumn (September-November) attract visitors to avoid extreme summer heat, driving hotel prices from $38/night in January to $207/night in July—a 445% swing.
Low season
- Budget
- EGP 1,280
Budget hotel/guesthouse rates in January–February and June, documented via KAYAK data ($38–40/night base)
- Luxury
- EGP 3,200
5-star resort low-season rates; Budget Your Trip reports luxury hotels average $105 yearly with high-season peaks to $195
- Premium
- EGP 2,560
4-star resort off-peak rates (January–February, June); significantly discounted from high season
- Standard
- EGP 1,600
3-star hotels and shared/private room Airbnbs in Assalah/Mashraba during low-demand periods
High season
- Budget
- EGP 3,200
Charlie House El Mashraba (2-star budget hotel, Mashraba area) — typical high season rate for basic accommodation
- Luxury
- EGP 9,600
5-star properties (Safir Dahab Resort, Hilton Dahab Resort/Dahab Resort) beachfront premium positioning
- Premium
- EGP 8,000
4-star resorts (JAZ Dahabeya, Swiss Inn Resort Dahab) during March–May and September–October peak
- Standard
- EGP 4,480
3-star hotels (Dahab Hotel, Blue Hole Hotel) and comparable 1BR Airbnb listings in Assalah, Mashraba neighborhoods
Low-season months
- January
- February
- June
- July
High-season months
- March
- April
- May
- August
- September
- October
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this cost of living research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
More About Dahab
Data last updated September 2026 · Verify anything important.