Egypt's Ministry of Transport set the current metro fares on 26 March 2026, raising the two shortest distance bands by EGP 2 each and leaving the two longest unchanged. For a visitor, the more useful point is structural: the price depends on how many stations you pass, not on which line you use or how many times you change, so a short hop and a cross-city trip with two interchanges can cost very different amounts.
How much does a Cairo metro ticket cost?
The fares below were announced by the Ministry of Transport and published by Egypt's State Information Service, effective Friday 27 March 2026.
| Stations travelled | Fare from 27 March 2026 | Previous fare |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 9 | EGP 10 | EGP 8 |
| Up to 16 | EGP 12 | EGP 10 |
| Up to 23 | EGP 15 | EGP 15 |
| More than 23, up to 39 | EGP 20 | EGP 20 |
The ministry gave three reasons: operating costs that had doubled with fuel and imported materials, the rising cost of spare parts, and staff pay rises. Fares have moved quickly. When the fourth band was introduced on 1 January 2024, Ahram Online reported that a trip of 1 to 9 stops cost EGP 6 and a trip of more than 23 stops EGP 15.
Two worked examples
Two adults making a short return trip within 9 stations each way pay 4 × EGP 10 = EGP 40. Under the January 2024 fares, the same four rides would have cost 4 × EGP 6 = EGP 24.
A ride from one end of Line 1 to the other shows the top band. The line has 35 stations, according to the operator's Line 1 page, so Helwan to New El Marg passes more than 23 stations and costs EGP 20. The operator puts that journey at 79 minutes.
The published bands do not explain whether your starting station counts. You do not need to work it out yourself: name your destination at the ticket window and the cashier charges the band.
Single ticket or stored-value card?
Most short-stay visitors can simply buy a single ticket for each ride. The operator also sells a contactless "cash wallet" card for regular riders. Its page says the card is unnamed, so anyone can use it, has no expiry period, can be topped up repeatedly with amounts from EGP 40 up to EGP 200, and is sold at stations on all three lines. The same page gives the card's cost as EGP 80.
That page is undated and does not say whether a ride on the card costs less than a single ticket, so the card mainly saves queuing time. For a visit of a few days, the EGP 80 card cost is larger than several single fares, which makes it hard to justify on price alone. For cash, change and card payment in Cairo generally, see our guide to paying in Egypt.
Where are the women-only cars on the Cairo metro?
On both of the lines it operates, the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation reserves the two cars in the middle of each train for women. The rules differ slightly after 21:00:
- Line 1: two middle cars are for women, reduced to one car from 21:00, according to the operator's Line 1 page.
- Line 2: two middle cars are for women only, and men may use the second of them only after 21:00, according to the operator's Line 2 page.
Both pages add the rule most often misunderstood by visitors: women can use all cars. The women's cars are an option for women, not a place they are required to ride.
We could not find an official statement of the women's-car arrangement on Line 3; the operator's website covers the operations of Lines 1 and 2 only. Look for the car signage on the platform or ask station staff.
Lines, interchanges and last trains
The network has three metro lines. The operator's history page describes Line 3 as the east to west line, built to link with Line 1 at Nasser station and Line 2 at Attaba.
| Line | Route (from operator pages) | Interchanges | Hours | Last trains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | Helwan to New El Marg, 44 km, 35 stations | Al Shohadaa and Sadat (Line 2); Nasser (Line 3) | 05:15 to 01:00 | 23:40 from Helwan, 23:45 from New El Marg |
| Line 2 | Shubra El-Kheima to El-Mounib, 21.5 km, 20 stations | Al Shohadaa and Sadat (Line 1); Attaba (Line 3) | 05:15 to midnight | 23:35 from both ends |
Line 2 runs through Tahrir Square (Sadat station), Dokki, Cairo University and Giza. The operator gives trains every 4 minutes on Line 1 and a headway of "2.45 to 3 minutes" on Line 2, with an end-to-end journey of 38 minutes on Line 2. If you are heading south by overnight train, our guide to Cairo to Luxor and Aswan explains which station to board at.
The two operator pages disagree on the last connection at Sadat. The Line 1 page says the last Line 1 train meets the last Line 2 train there at 00:15, while the Line 2 page gives midnight. If you need to change at Sadat late at night, plan to be there before midnight.