What is cost optimisation?

What is the Cost of Living in Cairo?

• What are the costs broken down by 1) Apartment Rent - 2 Bedrooms and Fully Furnished in a good Neighbourhood 2) Travel Cost - Approximate Travel Cost if one take a) A Cab to Work b) Uses Public Transport 3) Cost of Food a)If one cooks at Home b) If one Eats out 4)Cost of Electricity 5)Cost of a Telephone 6)Cost of Water and Gas 7) Cost Laundry and other household cleaning Services 8) Cost of Health Club and Gym I would be really glad if someone can help me with this

• Answer:

  1) Depending on Locations: Maadi rents are skyrocking- $3000-3500/month for nice/ modernized place. Most places need lots of updating. $5-6,000 for villas, modernized. A real rip off, but supply and demand provails 2) a) Cheap Cheap b) Cheap Cheaper 3) Cost of food has been rising +/- 15-20% /year. Country professes low inflation rate, that is not true, very high. Basic staples are subsidized so flour, breans, breads very low in price. Fruits & Vegs are reasonable but rising fast. Street venders are the best quality, but everything is seasonal, some importing. When fresh, some of the best tasting in the world. Imported items are outrageous. 4-5 times more expensive as for what one would pay in the US. Only Isolcated Pork sale areas. Meat is terrible unless you like to marinate for days. Bring you own beacon. b) Eating out is getting compreble as to eating out in the USA. It used to be very reasonable, not anymore. Resturants range from pricey Hotels & upscale foods to the best deals in Cairo - La Rosa Italian res. Be careful eating out in Summer, food preperation and storage is not up to par as the rest of Europe or USA. Lots of sickness, But all Rx drugs are over the counter (Cheap subsidised medicine) Plenty of Ameba drugs on hand. 4) Cheap Country subsidized Electricity - contribute to National budget crisis with unreal, under cost rates to population. 5) Normal use, $25/month, fairly cheap cell rates due to mostly poor country. 6) Gasoline is $0.90 - $1.25 / gallon. Country subsidizes due to poor populus base. Causing huge budget crisis in govt. 7) Reasonable and like USA 8) Compreable to USA rates - a little lower. Have a Golds gym and Samie Arrba gym in Maadi. Good values.