Where to Live in Cairo as a Student or Expat, District Guide

How to choose a district in Cairo

Cairo is huge, and crossing the city at rush hour can easily take more than an hour. So first decide where you will travel every day, and only then look for a flat.

Al-Azhar students should keep in mind that the main campus of the university is in Nasr City, while the historic Al-Azhar Mosque stands in old Cairo. Check where your own classes take place before you sign a contract.

• Commute. How many changes to your studies or work, and whether there is a metro or monorail nearby.
• Type of housing. An ordinary residential street or a gated compound with security, parks and its own shops.
• Surroundings. Whether there are fellow countrymen, a mosque, a market, a pharmacy and a clinic nearby.

Nasr City and the 10th district

Nasr City is the most popular district among Al-Azhar students. It has the main campus and dormitories, plenty of shops, cafés and transport. Many people from Central Asia and Russia live in the 10th district, so it is easy to find flatmates, familiar groceries and help in your own language.

Since summer 2026 a monorail runs through Nasr City, with stations including Cairo Stadium, Hisham Barakat, Al-Azhar University and Seventh District. At Cairo Stadium you can change to Metro Line 3. The downsides of the district are noise, dense housing and traffic jams. Many buildings are old, so inspect a flat especially carefully.

Rehab and Madinaty

Rehab is a gated town in New Cairo by the Ring Road and the Suez road. It has everything for daily life inside: markets, malls, schools, mosques and parks, and it is quiet and green. Without traffic Nasr City is not far, but at rush hour the trip gets much longer. Buses run from Rehab towards Heliopolis and Nasr City, and many people use ride-hailing apps.

Madinaty is even bigger and more spacious. It is a modern compound city by Talaat Moustafa, the same company that built Rehab. It has its own internal buses and buses to Cairo, but it is far from Al-Azhar, so it is mostly chosen by families and people with a car. In both towns the buildings are newer and better kept than in the old neighbourhoods, and the price depends heavily on the phase, finishing and furniture.

Shorouk and New Cairo

Shorouk is a separate new town in the northeast, not far from Madinaty. It is calmer and more spacious than old Cairo. The LRT light rail passes nearby with an El-Shorouk station, from which you can ride to Adly Mansour on Metro Line 3. The trip to Nasr City is long and involves changes.

New Cairo, also called the Fifth Settlement, is an area of modern compounds, universities and malls. Housing here is considered among the most expensive in the city. On the plus side, the monorail now runs through New Cairo, so you can ride to Al-Azhar University station without changing.

Maadi and Mokattam

Maadi, a green district in the south by the Nile, has long been popular with foreigners: quiet streets, cafés, international schools. Rent here is usually above average. Metro Line 1 runs through Maadi, but Nasr City is far away and the trip with changes takes a lot of time.

Mokattam sits on a plateau east of the historic centre. From here both old Cairo and Nasr City, via the Autostrad, are relatively close, so the district suits those who want to live nearer to the Al-Azhar Mosque. The metro does not reach it, so people use microbuses and taxis.

6th of October City

6th of October City lies in the west, about 32 kilometres from central Cairo. Formally it belongs to Giza Governorate, but it is part of Greater Cairo. It has several private universities, large residential areas and compounds.

For Al-Azhar students it is an inconvenient choice, since Nasr City is at the other end of the metropolis. The West Nile monorail line meant to link 6th of October with Giza is still under construction, and no opening date has been announced. The area suits those who study or work in the west of the city.

How to get to Al-Azhar

The best option depends on your district. Fares change, so check current prices on the website of the Ministry of Transport of Egypt or at the station ticket office.

• Monorail. Al-Azhar University station serves the main campus and dormitories. The line runs from Cairo Stadium in Nasr City through New Cairo to the New Administrative Capital. In May 2026 a trip of up to 5 stations cost about 20 pounds.
• Metro. The nearest station to the historic quarter with the Al-Azhar Mosque and Khan el-Khalili is Bab El Shaaria on Line 3. Since 27 March 2026 a trip of up to 9 stations costs 10 pounds, and up to 16 stations 12 pounds.
• Microbuses and buses. Cheap and almost everywhere, but ask your neighbours about the routes.
• Ride-hailing apps. A lifesaver in Rehab, Madinaty and Mokattam, especially in the evening.

How much housing costs

Rents in Cairo in 2026 vary a lot even within one district. Floor, renovation, furniture, air conditioning and whether it is a compound or an ordinary building all matter. Average figures from different reviews contradict each other, so it is more reliable to compare several fresh listings in the district you want.

To save money, students often share a flat with one or two others or take a room in a shared flat. How to check the flat, the contract and the deposit is explained in detail in our article how to rent a flat in Cairo.

Finding a home on Tullab

Fresh offers are collected in the apartments for rent section, and all city listings are on the Cairo page. In your first message to the landlord, mention the district, the term and how many people will live there.

Nothing suitable? Post a listing saying you are looking for housing, with the district, budget and move-in date, and landlords will contact you.