Cairo Rent Price Index

Cairo Rent Price Index – 2026 Q3 (July to September)

In the Cairo Rent Price Index, we track unfurnished residential apartments across the city of Cairo. Rent indices are a key tool for bringing transparency to the market, identifying areas facing affordability pressures, and measuring the impact of housing policies. The Cairo Rent Price Index provides an analysis of median prices across the city, their year-on-year developments, median prices by neighbourhood, and rent prices per square meter.

It is worth noting that the index has been updated for the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, as gated communities (compounds) have been removed from this analysis and included in a separate graph. For more details on the calculation method, see the methodology.

The median rent in Cairo was LE 10,000 per month during the second quarter (July to September) of 2026, while on the basis of property area, the monthly rent was LE 80 LE/Sq M. While the median rental price decreased by 9% during the third quarter compared to the second quarter, the median rental price per square meter increased by 5% during the same period.

Rents rose by 25% year-on-year during the first nine months of 2026. This is about 11% higher than the annual inflation rate for consumer prices. However, this significant increase in the median monthly rent was not matched by a similar increase in the median rent per square meter, which rose by only 13% during the same period compared to the previous year.

At the neighbourhood level, rental prices varied widely, ranging from LE 3,500 per month in Al-Marg neighbourhood to 21 times that amount in Zamalek neighbourhood. Four of the 25 neighbourhoods for which rental price data was available fell within the range of median rents: Rod Al-Farag, Hadayek Al-Kobba, Al-Sahel, and Sayeda Zaynab. It is must be pointed out that gated communities (compounds) were excluded from this analysis and included in a separate graph.

Median rents in all the neighbourhoods which have gated communities within exceed the overall Cairo median, Knowing that these communities are excluded from the calculation. Comparing median rents within these communities to the median rent for the entire neighborhood reveals no consistent pattern. While median rents in Uptown Cairo compound are roughly five times the median rent in Mokattam, there is no significant difference between median rents within and outside gated communities in Sherouk City. And median rents in New Cairo are higher than those in Madinaty but still lower than Rehab and other gated communities.

Rents vary widely within the same neighborhood. For example, in Down Town, rents start at 4,000 Egyptian pounds and can reach 50,000 pounds per month. In Maadi, rents start at 3,000 pounds in Al-Khabiri and reach 70,000 pounds per month in Al-Sarayat. Therefore, rental prices overlap between neighborhoods, with properties available for rent in all neighborhoods except Zamalek at prices within the median Cairo rent range of 10,000 pounds per month. Furthermore, the asking rents in 14 out of 25 neighborhoods are double the median (20,000 pounds per month).

Compared to the previous year, rent price developments for 2026 fluctuated significantly across Cairo, rising in 13 neighbourhoods, with increases peaking at 67% and 60% in Sayeda Zaynab and Rod Al-Farag neighbourhoods, respectively. Meanwhile, prices remained stable in nine neighbourhoods, including Matariya, Al-Zaytoun, and Ain Shams, while they fell in three neighbourhoods: Al-Amiriya, Al-Salam and New Cairo by 27%, 18%, and 12%, respectively.

Looking at rental prices from another perspective—by calculating the rent per square meter— monthly rents ranged from 36 LE/Sq M. in Al-Marg neighbourhood to 426 LE/Sq M. in Zamalek neighbourhood, a difference of 12-fold. Six neighbourhoods fell within the median of 80 LE/Sq M.: Hadayek Al-Kobba, Al-Sahel, and Shoubra.

Monthly rents per square meter saw a less pronounced annual increase compared to overall rent increases, reaching a still high 28% in Down Town, and 22% in Al-Marg, and Sayeda Zaynab, respectively. This suggests that the supply of larger residential units influenced the price changes rather than merely an increase in their value. In contrast, rents declined in four neighbourhoods, led by New Al-Manial And Maadi, with 12% for each. This indicates a real decline in rental values.

Methodology

The index is based on an analysis of about 5,000 listings for rental properties on online real estate marketing platforms from July through September 2026, covering 26 residential neighbourhoods in Cairo Governorate.

The analysis focuses on residential units with New Rent (market rent) leases; all listings for non-residential units (commercial, administrative, or land) were excluded, as were furnished residential units.

The index measures the median price for each neighbourhood, which indicates that half of the apartments listed for rent in each neighbourhood are more expensive than the median, while the other half are lower than the median.

Our first goal is to ensure that all residential areas administratively affiliated to each neighbourhood are represented in the database. However, there are exceptions related to the nature of real estate marketing sites users, which affects the number of available residential units and their locations.

Residential areas with an exceptional character within neighborhoods, namely gated communities (compounds), were excluded from the overall price analysis so as not to give a misleading picture of the final median value for the entire neighborhood. These communities were listed separately to illustrate the difference between their median rent and the median rent in other areas of the neighborhood.

It is also worth noting that the prices listed here do not necessarily reflect the rents paid by current tenants; rather, they indicate the rents requested by landlords wishing to rent out their units for today.

Team

Data Analysis and Visualisation: Sahar Nasser