Practical
Money in Egypt: the currency, cash and cards
In short: the currency of Egypt is the Egyptian pound, written EGP or LE. One euro buys roughly 50 to 60 pounds and a US dollar a little less; the rate fluctuates, so check it shortly before you travel. In practice you combine Egyptian cash for small spending and tips with a debit or credit card for hotels and larger amounts, and you bring €100 to €200 (about $115 to $230 or £85 to £170) per person in small foreign notes as a reserve. Below you will find how to handle money in Egypt, whether you travel with dollars, pounds sterling or euros.
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Bring a limited amount of dollars, pounds sterling or euros in small notes and withdraw Egyptian pounds on the spot.
ATMs are found at most banks in the cities, in hotels and at the airports; always choose to be charged in Egyptian pounds.
Small notes of 10, 20 and 50 pounds are worth their weight in gold for tips, toilets and taxis.
Bring dollars, pounds sterling or euros, or withdraw on the spot?
Both, with the emphasis on withdrawing. Bring €100 to €200 (about $115 to $230 or £85 to £170) per person in small notes of 5, 10 and 20 as a reserve and for tips to your guide and driver, who gladly accept dollars and euros; sterling notes are usually accepted too, but are less familiar to hotel staff. Leave coins at home, because Egyptian banks do not exchange foreign coins. On arrival, withdraw Egyptian pounds from an ATM at the airport or in your hotel for everyday spending. Ordering Egyptian pounds at home before you travel is possible, but the rate is usually worse than withdrawing in Egypt. Never exchange money on the street, and keep the exchange receipt if you want to change pounds back at the end of your trip. Which notes suit which tip is covered in tipping in Egypt.
Using ATMs in Egypt: where, how much and what it costs
ATMs are found at banks, in hotels, in shopping centres and at the airports of Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Hurghada. A single withdrawal is often limited to 5,000 to 10,000 pounds (roughly €85 to €200, or about $95 to $230 or £75 to £175), so expect to make several smaller withdrawals. Your own bank usually charges a fixed fee per foreign withdrawal and sometimes a percentage, and some Egyptian banks add a surcharge of their own. Ask your bank about the costs beforehand, and tell it you are travelling or enable overseas use of your card. If the machine offers to charge you in your home currency (dollars, pounds or euros) or in Egyptian pounds, always choose Egyptian pounds: the machine’s own conversion is unfavourable.
How much cash do you need?
That depends on what is included in your trip. On a private tour with guide, driver, hotels and transfers arranged, you need cash mainly for tips, drinks, souvenirs and the odd meal. Count on €20 to €40 (about $23 to $46 or £17 to £35) per person per day in foreign notes and Egyptian pounds together, of which a large part is tips. You will find our guideline amounts in tipping in Egypt. On our trips the entrance fees of temples and museums are included in the programme; if you visit extra sights on your own, you pay for them on the spot, and increasingly by card only.
Is Egypt expensive? Prices on the spot
Everyday life in Egypt is inexpensive by Western standards, but tourist sites charge tourist prices. A bottle of water costs well under a euro in a supermarket and ten times that at a temple complex. A coffee in a café costs about €1 to €3 (about $1 to $3 or £1 to £3), a lunch in a local restaurant €4 to €8 (about $5 to $9 or £3 to £7) and a dinner in a good restaurant €15 to €30 (about $17 to $35 or £13 to £26). A short taxi ride in Cairo costs €2 to €4 (about $2 to $5 or £2 to £3); agree the price in advance or use a ride-hailing app. The trip itself, with hotels, a Nile cruise and a private Egyptologist, is where most of the money goes; see what a trip to Egypt costs.
Our advice
Make sure you have small notes right after arrival: ask hotel reception to break a large note or buy something small in a shop. Keep your money in different places, carry a debit card and a credit card from different networks, and note down the numbers for blocking your cards. With your trip documents you receive a practical overview from us with guideline amounts for tips and spending, matched to your route.
Practical
Currency
Egyptian pound (EGP, locally LE or gineh). Notes of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 pounds; smaller amounts increasingly as a coin or a plastic note. One pound is 100 piastres, but you will rarely see them.
Exchange rate
Roughly 50 to 60 pounds for one euro (2026), and a US dollar buys a little less. The rate moves considerably, so check a currency site shortly before you travel. 100 Egyptian pounds is therefore about €1.70 to €2, or roughly $2 or £1.50 to £1.75.
Cards
Visa and Mastercard are accepted in hotels, better restaurants and larger shops. Debit and credit cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks work at most ATMs. In small shops, in taxis and at markets you pay cash.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the currency of Egypt?
The currency of Egypt is the Egyptian pound, abbreviated EGP or LE. One pound is divided into 100 piastres. Notes come in values from 5 to 200 pounds; one euro is roughly 50 to 60 pounds and a US dollar a little less, depending on the rate.
Can you use euros, dollars or pounds sterling in Egypt?
Yes, often, for tips, in hotels and in tourist shops, but at an unfavourable rate. For daily spending, taxis and small shops you need Egyptian pounds. Bring dollar, euro or sterling notes as a reserve and for tips, and withdraw pounds for the rest.
How much cash should you bring to Egypt?
On a fully organised private tour, €100 to €200 (about $115 to $230 or £85 to £170) per person in small notes is enough as a reserve and for tips, topped up with pounds you withdraw on the spot. Count on €20 to €40 (about $23 to $46 or £17 to £35) per person per day in cash spending, depending on tips and souvenirs.
Can you use ATMs and credit cards in Egypt?
Yes. At banks, in hotels, in shopping centres and at airports, debit and credit cards on the Visa and Mastercard networks work at most ATMs, and Visa and Mastercard are accepted in hotels, better restaurants and larger shops. Tell your bank you are travelling or enable overseas use, allow for a withdrawal limit of 5,000 to 10,000 pounds and always choose to be charged in Egyptian pounds at the machine.
Can you order Egyptian pounds before you travel?
Yes, at some currency exchange offices at home, but the rate is usually worse than withdrawing in Egypt. Ordering is only handy if you want small notes straight on arrival; a withdrawal at the airport does the same.
How much is 100 Egyptian pounds in dollars, pounds sterling and euros?
At 50 to 60 pounds to the euro, 100 Egyptian pounds is roughly €1.70 to €2, or about $2 and roughly £1.50 to £1.75. The rate fluctuates, so check the current rate shortly before you travel.
Is Egypt expensive?
Not for everyday spending: a coffee costs about €1 to €3 (about $1 to $3 or £1 to £3), a lunch in a local restaurant €4 to €8 (about $5 to $9 or £3 to £7) and a dinner in a good restaurant €15 to €30 (about $17 to $35 or £13 to £26). Tourist sites charge tourist prices, and the trip itself, with hotels, a Nile cruise and a private guide, is where most of the money goes.
Read on
Tipping in Egypt
How much to tip your guide, driver, hotel staff and on a Nile cruise, and whether to use euros, dollars or pounds.
How much does a trip to Egypt cost?
Realistic prices for a private tour: hotels, Nile cruise, guides, flights and the extras people forget.
Egypt visa
E-visa, visa on arrival, cost and validity: everything for a smooth entry.
How to plan a trip to Egypt
Route, season, duration, budget and the choices that shape your trip, in the order you should make them.
Private Egypt tours
Your own Egyptologist and driver, no group, and what private really means on the ground.
Talk to us about your Egypt trip
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