Luxor is inexpensive day to day, and the biggest fixed cost is the ticket price foreign visitors pay for the major sites. There is one catch that surprises first-timers. You will spend the day peeling small notes off a roll for tips, taxis and falafel, yet you cannot pay for a ticket to Karnak or the Valley of the Kings with cash. Individual tickets at the major sites are sold for bank cards (or online in advance), while nearly everything else runs on cash. The one exception is the Luxor Pass, which is sold in person for cash in US dollars or euros.
This guide adds up what a day costs, what the main sites charge and how much cash to carry. For full price lists, ATM details and tipping amounts, it points you to the guides that cover them in depth.
Money at a Glance
- Exchange rate: conversions below use EGP 50 to $1. That is an assumption, so check a live rate before you go.
- Daily budgets (one traveler, before tickets): about $35–45 (budget), $110–140 (mid-range) and $280+ (luxury).
- Tickets: the four main sites cost about EGP 2,290 in total (roughly $46).
- Cash: about EGP 1,500–2,500 (roughly $30–50) in your pocket covers meals, transport and tips on a mid-range day. Keep the rest at your hotel.
What Does a Day in Luxor Cost?
Tickets are the biggest fixed cost, so they get their own section below. This is what daily life costs, before tickets.
| Budget: $35–45 a day | Mid-range: $110–140 a day | Luxury: $280+ a day | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stay | Simple West Bank guesthouse (about $18 a night) | 3- or 4-star hotel such as Iberotel Luxor (about $60 a night) | Winter Palace or Sonesta St. George ($150–250 a night) |
| Eat | Koshary from El-Zaeem (about $2) and falafel | Sit-down Nile-view dinner at Al-Sahaby Lane (about $18) | Upscale hotel dining and French-Egyptian fusion (about $50 a day) |
| Move | Local Nile ferry (EGP 10) and a rented bicycle (EGP 150 a day) | Private taxi for temple runs (about $40 a day) | Private driver |
| Extras | — | — | Private Egyptologist guide and a sunrise balloon flight (about $120, both one-off costs) |
These figures are for one traveler. Hotel and taxi costs fall per person if you share a room or a car. For more on where to sleep and eat, see our guides to where to stay in Luxor and where to eat in Luxor, and for balloon prices see the hot air balloon guide.
Ticket Costs to Budget For
Foreign visitors pay far more than Egyptians, and the big sites take most of the fixed budget. These are approximate 2026 prices for foreign adults. Confirm the current price on the official ticketing site, egymonuments.com, before you go.
| Site | Ticket (approx.) | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Valley of the Kings | EGP 750 (~$15) | Includes three tombs |
| Tutankhamun’s tomb (extra) | EGP 700 (~$14) | Separate ticket on top of Valley entry |
| Seti I’s tomb, KV17 (extra) | EGP 2,000 (~$40) | The most expensive single ticket in Luxor |
| Karnak Temple | EGP 600 (~$12) | |
| Luxor Temple | EGP 500 (~$10) | Open into the evening and lovely floodlit |
| Temple of Hatshepsut | EGP 440 (~$9) | Pairs well with the Valley of the Kings |
The Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Luxor Temple and Hatshepsut total about EGP 2,290 (roughly $46). Adding Tutankhamun’s tomb brings it to about EGP 2,990 (just under $60). Our entrance fees guide lists every site, student prices and opening hours.
Do the Luxor Pass maths before you buy. At the prices above, the Standard Luxor Pass ($130 / €120) costs more than the four main sites plus Tutankhamun’s tomb combined (about $60). It only starts to pay off if you plan to visit most of the sites on the fee list.
Sample Trip Totals
These illustrative totals cover two days of sightseeing (Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut, Karnak and Luxor Temple), tickets included, at EGP 50 to $1.
| Travel style | Two days of living costs | Tickets | Total per traveler |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | $70–90 | ~$46 | about $116–136 |
| Mid-range | $220–280 | ~$46 | about $266–326 |
| Luxury | $560+ | ~$46 | about $606+ |
Add about $14 if you want Tutankhamun’s tomb. The luxury tier includes a balloon flight and private guide, which are one-off costs, so two luxury days without them come in lower.
Cash, Cards and What to Carry
Sites want your card. Bring a card that works internationally, tell your bank you are travelling and carry a backup. You can also buy tickets online in advance through egymonuments.com. If you do, save the QR code to your phone. The Tombs of the Nobles are also cashless from the 2026 season. The Luxor Pass is the exception: it is sold in person at Karnak or the Valley of the Kings, for cash in US dollars or euros.
Everyone else wants cash. Taxis, horse carriages, local cafés, market stalls and tips all run on Egyptian pounds (EGP, sometimes written LE). ATMs dispense 200 and 100 EGP notes, which are hard to spend on tips or street food. Break them at supermarkets such as Metro or Kheir Zaman and keep a stack of 5, 10 and 20 EGP notes.
Pay in EGP. If an ATM or card terminal offers to bill you in your home currency, decline. That option usually gives a worse rate.
For ATMs, exchange, fees and withdrawal limits, see our Egyptian pound and money guide.
Tips and Baksheesh
Baksheesh is part tip, part thank-you and part almsgiving, and with living costs rising it is a large share of many workers’ income. On a day without a guide or driver, roughly EGP 100–200 in small notes covers restroom attendants, bellhops and the occasional helpful guard.
Never pay for unsolicited “help”, and never accept an offer to skip a ticket check or enter closed areas. For felucca rides, agree the price for the whole boat per hour before boarding and treat a tip as a bonus on top. See our felucca guide.
Where Prices Are Negotiable
- Taxis. Taxis rarely use meters. Agree the fare before you get in. A short trip commonly lands around EGP 80–150. Ride-hailing apps such as inDrive settle the fare in the app before you ride. More in our getting around Luxor guide.
- Horse carriages. Agree the total for the whole carriage, not per person (“200 pounds total”). A short ride or a trip to the ferry typically costs about EGP 150–250.
- The souk. Open at roughly 40–50% of the first price and expect to settle around 60–70%. Smile, say “Ghalli awi!” (too expensive!) and be ready to walk away. Pharmacies, official grocery stores and government ticket booths are fixed-price. See our Luxor souk guide.
- Hustles. The main ones are the taxi with no price, the “friendly stranger” who claims to work at your hotel, and the per-person carriage trick. A polite “La, shukran” (no, thank you) ends most of them. Our guide to avoiding scams in Luxor has more.
Ways to Spend Less
- Use the local ferry (EGP 10) and rent a bicycle for the West Bank.
- Eat where locals eat. Koshary and falafel are filling and cost a couple of dollars.
- Travel in summer for the lowest hotel and flight prices, but Luxor gets very hot in July, so plan sightseeing for opening time. See Luxor weather by month.
- Run the numbers on the Luxor Pass before you buy.
- Compare routes and dates before you book flights: cheap flights to Luxor.
Before You Go: A Pocket Checklist
- A card that works abroad, plus a backup, for tickets
- A stack of 5, 10 and 20 EGP notes for tips, taxis and snacks
- A tip budget for the day: bellhop, guide, driver, restroom attendants
- Prices agreed before you ride, sit or shop
- A live exchange rate checked before you withdraw
Sort those five and the money side of Luxor takes care of itself. Need data on arrival? See our SIM card guide for Egypt.