Living in Port Said, Egypt

Port Said is a mid-sized coastal city in Egypt (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 22°C over the year with about 75 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €1,880 a month to live centrally, and Egypt sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in Egypt is possible, with conditions.

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Est. cost
€1,880
a month for a couple
Tax tier
Low to medium
personal income tax
Climate
22°C
75 mm rain a year
Size
Mid-sized
250,000 to 1 million people
Safety
58/100
country-level
Internet
~50 Mbps
median fixed broadband
Residency
Possible, with conditions
for most foreigners

What stands out about Port Said

  • More affordable than 92% of the cities we compare
  • Dry: about 75 mm of rain a year
  • On or near the sea

Climate

Port Said averages 22°C across the year with about 75 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 60% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Healthcare

Egypt scores 50 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 7% of the cities we compare.

Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in Egypt.

Cost of living

We estimate a couple needs about €1,880 a month to live centrally in Port Said, 31% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 92% of them.

Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.

Internet and remote work

Median fixed broadband in Egypt runs at about 50 Mbps, faster than 12% of the cities we compare.

Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.

Residency and visas

Possible, with conditions. Egypt's only self-funded long-term path is investor residency via a property purchase or a bank deposit under the 2023 investor-residency decree (renewable temporary residency, not permanent residence or citizenship); there is no passive-income or retirement visa, with other routes being employment, study, or family sponsorship.

The cheapest self-funded routes we track for Egypt:

  • Investment: about $50k (Egypt investor residency, lowest tier: USD 50,000 registered-property purchase or USD 50,000 bank deposit for a 1-year renewable permit under PM Decree 3326/2023 (figures set in USD by the decree); as of June 2026)

For short visits, 9 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 119 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 70 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Language and culture

Main languages: Arabic. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 30 out of 100.

Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.

Taxes

Egypt sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.

Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Port Said in their results.

Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.

Safety and stability

Egypt scores 58 out of 100 on safety, safer than 44% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 2.9 out of 10.

Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in Egypt. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.

Questions couples ask about Port Said

Is Port Said a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Port Said scores well on affordability. It is weaker on healthcare, internet speed, English, political stability and social openness. Expect a warm, very dry climate (22°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Port Said and 914 other cities for both of you at once.

How much does it cost a couple to live in Port Said?

We estimate about €1,880 a month for a couple living centrally, 31% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.

What are taxes like in Port Said?

Egypt is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Port Said in their results.

Can foreigners live in Egypt long term?

Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Egypt's only self-funded long-term path is investor residency via a property purchase or a bank deposit under the 2023 investor-residency decree (renewable temporary residency, not permanent residence or citizenship); there is no passive-income or retirement visa, with other routes being employment, study, or family sponsorship. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $50k (as of 2026-06).

What is the weather like in Port Said?

Port Said averages 22°C across the year with about 75 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 60% of the cities we track.

Cities like Port Said

Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.

Near Port Said

Moving to Egypt as a couple

Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.

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