Urblytica 30 days free banner
Urblytica - Free Event Listing
List Business List Event

City Profile

El Sarab, Ismailia

Egypt · Comprehensive city data and intelligence

Compare El Sarab Custom Comparison
73
Overall Score

El Sarab is a growing residential and agricultural community located within the Ismailia Governorate in northeastern Egypt, closely tied to the broader Suez Canal region. Characterized by a serene environment, it acts as an extension of the administrative and economic network centered around Ismailia city, which is known historically as the City of Beauty and Enchantment. People are increasingly drawn to areas like El Sarab due to its proximity to major national development initiatives, including the Suez Canal Economic Zone and regional agricultural hubs.

About Ismailia

Ismailia, located on the west bank of the Suez Canal, is known as Egypt's "Green City" due to its numerous gardens and tranquil atmosphere, offering a contrast to the country's more bustling metropolises. Its economy is heavily influenced by the Suez Canal, serving as a vital center for shipping, logistics, and trade, with additional industries including food processing, textiles, furniture, and agriculture, particularly strawberry cultivation. The city experiences a hot desert climate with long, hot summers and mild winters, and living costs are considered very low compared to global averages, though the average local salary is also modest. Ismailia offers a quieter, more provincial lifestyle with a blend of Egyptian, British, and French cultural influences evident in its architecture and character.

45,000
Population
$0K
Avg Salary
22
Cost Index
73.4
Quality Score
How this 73/100 was calculated five components, with every reading behind them
Component Readings used Points Weight Contributes
Safety Safety score: 78 / 100 78.0 30% 23.4
Affordability Cost of living index (100 = national baseline): 22.0 100.0 25% 25.0
Economy & jobs Median household income: $3,500 Income needed to live here: no usable reading Unemployment rate: 6.8% 40.0 20% 8.0
Growth Population growth rate: 2.2% Job growth rate: 2.3% 73.0 15% 11.0
Business climate assessment Business climate assessment: 60 / 100 60.0 10% 6.0
Overall score 73.4

Provenance. These figures were produced by the research pass recorded as Gemini (ungrounded) (q=55, partial — below threshold), last refreshed 12 October 2026. They are researched estimates drawn from public sources, not a licensed data feed.

Each component is scored against fixed published endpoints, so this number is comparable with any other city and does not move as the dataset grows. Scoring framework 2026.10 — full methodology, weights and accepted ranges.

Doctyme – advertisement

Local Directory

Businesses in El Sarab

Featured local businesses in El Sarab.

List your business
Put your business in front of people moving to El Sarab Featured businesses appear here for everyone researching El Sarab. Add a featured spot to your banner package, or start with a free listing.
Feature my business List free
Azibiz – advertisement

Performance

Quality Scores

Business
60
Livability
66
Affordability
90
Growth
68

Expenses

Cost of Living

The cost of living in the Ismailia region is notably lower than major metropolitan centers like Cairo, offering highly affordable local food items, transportation, and services. While housing and utility costs remain remarkably modest by international standards, imported goods and private schooling reflect standard inflationary pressures seen across Egypt. Overall, daily expenditures remain budget-friendly, making it an economical choice for residents seeking a quieter lifestyle outside overcrowded capitals.

Average Rent
$130/mo
Groceries
$140/mo
Transport
$20/mo
Utilities
$25/mo
Healthcare
$40/mo
Gym membership (monthly)
$15.00
Cinema ticket
$2.50
Restaurant meal (mid-range)
$4.00
Monthly groceries
$120.00
Doctor visit (without insurance)
$15.00

Income

Salary Insights

The local economy around El Sarab and Ismailia is primarily driven by agriculture, particularly major cash crops like mangoes and strawberries, alongside logistics, shipping support tied to the Suez Canal, and emerging technology and industrial zones. Public sector employment, regional trade, and food processing provide the bulk of steady jobs for the local workforce. While remote work infrastructure is expanding, traditional industries and small-scale trade continue to form the backbone of household income.

The average salary in El Sarab is $110 per year. You would need approximately $250 to live comfortably.

Employment

Top Industries

Agriculture and Farming +2.40% Retail and Local Trade +1.90% Construction and Infrastructure +2.80% Food Processing and Packaging +3.00% Suez Canal Logistics and Transport +2.10%

Weather

Climate

🌡️
Avg Temp
☀️
Summer High
❄️
Winter Low
🌧️
"
Annual Rain
💧
55.00%
Humidity
🌤️
Sunny Days

Mobility

Transport

Getting around relies heavily on local microbuses, shared taxis, and private vehicles connecting El Sarab to Ismailia city and neighboring canal towns. The expanding regional road network ensures decent connectivity, though walkability varies between compact village cores and newly developed tracts. Public transit scores reflect heavy reliance on flexible road transport rather than structured rail systems.

25 min
Avg Commute
45.00/10
Transit Score
58.00/10
Walkability
Medium
Car Dependency
FindCarez Leader Banner – advertisement

At a Glance

Pros & Cons

Advantages
Average rent for apartments in the Ismailia region is exceptionally affordable, costing a fraction of prices in Cairo per Numbeo 2026 data.
Proximity to major agricultural and food-processing export corridors provides stable regional economic activity.
Low overall cost of living index makes daily expenses highly manageable for local households.
Peaceful, family-oriented community atmosphere with low crime rates compared to major urban centers.
Beneficiary of national subnational development investments targeting infrastructure and local service upgrades.
Drawbacks
Average local wages and net salaries remain low relative to inflationary pressures, mirroring broader national economic realities.
Limited public transit infrastructure requires reliance on shared microbuses and private transport.
Specialized employment opportunities and high-tech sectors are concentrated in larger hubs rather than immediate village areas.
Advanced medical procedures and specialized healthcare require travel to major hospitals in Ismailia city.
Hot summer temperatures require consistent utility management for cooling.

Head to Head

Compare El Sarab

El Sarab VS Grants Pass El Sarab VS Cincinnati El Sarab VS Binghamton El Sarab VS Syracuse

Explore

Nearby Cities

Abu Suweir Center
76
El Qassasin
78
El Tal El Kabir
71
Fayed Center
73

Community Q&A

Questions about El Sarab

What people ask about living in and moving to El Sarab, Ismailia.

Ask a question
Gathering the most common questions about El Sarab…

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The consumer market basket tracks everyday necessities, including staple grocery items (such as milk, bread, eggs, and produce), residential energy bills (electricity, gas, and water), public and private transit costs, routine outpatient medical care, and standard consumer goods and services to ensure a representative monthly budget.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Even in close geographic proximity, local tax jurisdictions, municipal utility rates, zoning laws, and micro-housing markets can create wide cost discrepancies. For example, a city with strict land-use regulations or higher local sales taxes will typically exhibit elevated housing and consumer goods costs compared to an adjacent county with looser zoning and lower tax burdens.

Local tax climates significantly shift a city's affordability score by directly affecting disposable income. Urblytica factors in state income tax brackets, local municipal property tax millage rates, and combined sales taxes to measure the true tax drag on median household earnings.

Core economic indexes and consumer price metrics undergo a comprehensive quarterly recalibration. This update cycle integrates the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) releases, municipal utility rate adjustments, and regional housing data feeds to ensure all index comparisons reflect current economic conditions.

Housing is weighted as the single largest component in Urblytica's cost-of-living algorithm, typically accounting for roughly 30% to 35% of the composite score. It incorporates both median monthly gross rent and median single-family home purchase prices relative to local median income levels.

Normalization involves adjusting raw economic inputs against localized purchasing power parities (PPPs) and population-weighted density scales. This ensures fair, apples-to-apples comparisons between dense metropolitan hubs and smaller suburban or rural towns.

Utility indexing applies a rolling annual average that captures seasonal climate variations, such as increased summer air conditioning loads in southern climates or heavier winter heating demands in northern regions, providing a realistic year-round average utility expense.

Remote workers leverage the index to calculate real purchasing power parity when moving from a high-cost-of-living area to a lower-cost region. By comparing index differentials against their fixed salary, users can determine if their net savings and lifestyle quality will improve post-relocation.

While the raw Cost of Living Index measures pure expense levels, it is frequently paired with Urblytica’s local wage index and median household income benchmarks. This combined view highlights whether local salaries keep pace with local consumer goods and housing expenses.

Free Quotes

Get quotes from local pros in El Sarab

Tell us what you need and we’ll pass it to companies that serve your area. It’s free, and there’s no obligation.

Compare El Sarab with any city

See how it stacks up on cost, income, and quality of life.

Start Comparing

Sponsored