Loum vs Aswan: Which City Wins for Expats in 2026?
Aswan ranks meaningfully higher on safety. Use our tool below to personalize the estimate based on your income and lifestyle.
Aswan is approximately 39% less expensive than Loum based on cost of living including rent. This makes Aswan a more budget-friendly option for expats considering a move.
Aswan has a FIRE Score of 85/100, indicating its suitability for financial independence and early retirement. The city's safety index is 70, which is relatively safe.
Recommended profile: Aswan is ideal for GeoArbitragers and remote workers looking to maximize savings.
About Loum
Loum is a cheap small town with a population of 47 thousand, where a one-bedroom outside the centre runs $148/mo and an inexpensive restaurant meal costs $4. But the tradeoffs are steep: a safety index of 40/100, a crime index of 60/100, poor healthcare, limited English, and internet at 20 Mbps for $177/mo. The overall expat score of 44/100 and digital nomad score of 43/100 say this is not a remote-work or retirement destination. Come for the low rents and the 3 km hop to RBE, not for comfort or connection.
About Cameroon
A downtown Yaounde 1BR at $278/mo undercuts most US suburbs entirely, and no retirement or digital nomad visa exists to make staying legal simple. With a 31.8 safety score, a low safety score and limited English-speaking healthcare, and limited English-speaking healthcare, this is not a retirement play, it is a frontier posting for people with real risk tolerance and a specific reason to be there.
$2,195/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
About Aswan
Aswan is a cheap place to live, with a cost of living index of 25/100 and 1-bedroom rent in the city center at just $200/mo, so a single adult can get by on a budget tier of $550/mo. The catch is that English proficiency is limited, the expat community is small, and the retiree score of 58/100 and digital nomad score of 60/100 suggest it suits a certain kind of person rather than everyone. If you want a low-cost base with an arid climate and a safety index of 70/100, Aswan delivers, but do not expect a big social scene or fast internet at 25 Mbps.
About Egypt
Political stability of -0.98 and no digital nomad visa rule this out for remote workers wanting a straightforward path. But retirees on tight budgets get a real deal: $338/mo living costs, $147 rent, and no dedicated retirement visa. This is for budget-focused retirees who can handle bureaucratic friction, not remote-work nomads or safety-first movers.
$2,100/mo
Cost of Living (Without Rent)
Rent Per Month
Attractiveness
City Details
Battle of Lifestyles
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| Metric | Loum | Aswan |
|---|---|---|
| 1BR Apartment (Center) | $277.89 | $200 |
| 1BR Apartment (Outside) | $147.85 | $150 |
| 3BR Apartment (Center) | N/A | $450 |
| 3BR Apartment (Outside) | N/A | $300 |
| Safety Index | 40 | 70 |
| Internet Speed | 20.3Mbps | 25Mbps |
| Walkability Score | N/A | N/A |
Monthly cost by categoryOne person, computed from each city's own average prices
| Category | Loum | Aswan |
|---|---|---|
| Total (rent included) | $771/mo | N/A |
| Excluding rent | $623/mo | N/A |
| Rent | $148/mo | N/A |
| Groceries | $171/mo | N/A |
| Dining out | $44.00/mo | N/A |
| Entertainment & lifestyle | $43.00/mo | N/A |
| Utilities & connectivity | $365/mo | N/A |
| Transport | N/A | N/A |
Usage-based estimates from this city's own average prices. A row marked N/A means that city is missing data, so no figure is shown instead of a stale one.
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