Buying property in El Gouna: prices, compounds compared, the buying process, fees and residency

Foreigners can buy freehold property in El Gouna. The developer's own sales averaged EGP 312,021 per m² in the first half of 2026 (about US$6,200 at about EGP 50 to the dollar). In October 2026, asking prices on the listings ran from about EGP 7 million for a studio to EGP 100 million for a four-bedroom villa in North Bay. Since March 2024 a foreign buyer pays in foreign currency, transferred from abroad to an Egyptian bank.

This page covers the law, prices by area, every compound on sale with what it's near, new versus resale, the steps, the fees and taxes, what a home costs to keep, what renting it out earns, residency and selling later. Figures were checked in October 2026. Laws and fees change, and none of this is legal advice: check your purchase with an Egyptian property lawyer.

Yes. Law 230 of 1996 lets a foreigner own up to two homes in Egypt, each up to 4,000 m², and resort towns like El Gouna are permitted, often with fast-track approval. A husband and wife count separately. A 2023 cabinet decision is reported to lift the two-home cap when you pay in foreign currency from abroad, but treat the cap as live until your lawyer confirms otherwise.

El Gouna isn't in the zones closed to foreign freehold (Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, the Gulf of Aqaba and the border regions). You don't need Egyptian residency or a local sponsor to buy, but you do need a tax identification number (TIN) from the Egyptian Tax Authority.

How you pay. Since 26 March 2024, a foreigner's purchase price has to arrive in foreign currency, transferred from abroad to a bank authorised by the Central Bank of Egypt. Ask the bank for a written certificate of the inward transfer and keep it: you'll need it to take sale or rental money out again.

Contract or registered title. In El Gouna, ownership usually rests on your contract with the developer, Orascom Development, and it gives you full rights to sell, rent or pass on the home. Registration at the Real Estate Publicity Department (Shahr Aqari) is a separate step that gives title that holds against everyone. Most homes in Egypt change hands on contracts alone. Ask whether your unit is registered or can be, because the residence permit needs a registered property (see below).

Orascom's new sales in El Gouna averaged EGP 312,021 per m² in the first half of 2026, up 4.1% on a year earlier. That is the only official figure. Orascom sold 126 homes in El Gouna in that half, international buyers made up 29% of its sales there, and it plans to hand over 400 homes in 2026. At about EGP 50 to the US dollar (August 2026), EGP 1 million is about US$20,000.

Asking prices on Property Finder in October 2026 (2,315 El Gouna listings):

• Studios and one-bedrooms: a 40 m² studio in G Cribs EGP 7 million; one-bedroom chalets in Swan Lake (55 to 85 m²) EGP 7.5 to 8.9 million; a 75 m² one-bedroom in Waterside EGP 8.15 million; a 72 m² one-bedroom in Kamaran EGP 16 million; a 77 m² one-bedroom in White Villas EGP 17 million; one-bedroom apartments in Mangroovy (70 to 98 m²) EGP 18.7 to 23 million.
• Two and three bedrooms: a 101 m² two-bedroom in Waterside EGP 17 million; a 150 m² three-bedroom chalet in Mangroovy EGP 22.4 million; a 171 m² three-bedroom apartment in Mangroovy EGP 40.5 million.
• Townhouses and villas: a 144 m² three-bedroom townhouse in Cyan EGP 33 million; a 250 m² villa in White Villas EGP 55.7 million; a 270 m² four-bedroom townhouse in Mangroovy EGP 77 million; a 286 m² four-bedroom villa in North Bay EGP 100 million.
• Land: 1,000 m² in Mangroovy EGP 55 million.
• From the developers: Waterside Condos (ready) from EGP 16.4 million; Tuban (delivery Q1 2027) from EGP 24.2 million; Encore by Hassan Allam (delivery Q4 2028) from EGP 25.8 million; Fanadir Bay (delivery Q4 2026) from EGP 32.5 million.

Per m², that's roughly EGP 80,000 to 175,000 in Swan Lake, Waterside and G Cribs, and roughly EGP 220,000 to 350,000 in Mangroovy, White Villas, Cyan, Kamaran and North Bay. Chalets are the most common listing (950), then villas (584) and apartments (474).

Asking prices aren't sale prices, and the official El Gouna site publishes none. Foreign buyers are often quoted in euros or dollars: one Swan Lake listing gave EUR 420,000, or EGP 23.5 million including transfer fees, for a 157 m² rooftop apartment. To browse, use Property Finder, Aqarmap and Bayut, and the resale listings on the official El Gouna website.

The developer is selling fourteen neighbourhoods, listed with their pages below the text. Distances are straight-line km between area centres, from our map data.

In and around the town centre

• Tuban El Gouna: three- and four-bedroom villas and two- and three-bedroom townhouses, delivery in about two and a half years, sand pools. About 1.2 km from Downtown, 0.8 km from the hospital, 0.7 km from the Gourmet supermarket.
• Marina Island by Tuban: one- to three-bedroom apartments (85 to 147 m²) and three- and four-bedroom townhouses (186 to 214 m²), fully finished, delivery 2029. On an island in Tuban with shops, restaurants, promenades and lagoon access.
• Miramar Residences: one- to three-bedroom apartments in three buildings, fully finished or furnished, plus penthouses, over the open lagoon by the Sheraton Miramar, with a rental scheme. About 1 km from Downtown and 0.5 km from Abu Tig Marina.
• Kamaran: one- and two-bedroom chalets (40 to 100 m²), fully finished, sand pools. About 2.6 km from Downtown.
• Nuba: fully serviced apartments, one to three bedrooms (70 to 180 m²), finished with ACs, delivery 2028, set around a 2,500 m² sandy pool. Orascom's property management runs it: concierge, housekeeping and maintenance.
• Najan: studios to three-bedroom apartments and lofts in a 44,000 m² village around sandy pools.
• Siba El Gouna: three- and four-bedroom villas (161 to 200 m²) and two- and three-bedroom townhomes (128 to 160 m²).

By the golf course and the hills

• Fairways: four-bedroom villas, three-bedroom twin villas and one- and two-bedroom apartments, fully finished, on the slopes beside Ancient Sands Resort with golf views.
• The Nines: three- and four-bedroom villas (168 to 208 m²), three-bedroom twin villas (158 m²) and townhomes (145 m²), homes 12 m apart, with views of up to 400 m over the first nine holes of the Ancient Sands course. About 3.2 km from Downtown, 1.8 km from the kite centres.
• Ancient Hill: villas of three to five bedrooms (178 to 300 m²), four-bedroom twin villas (175 to 185 m²) and three-bedroom chalets (150 m²), ready, with instalments, on a hill 14 m above sea level around a 122,000 m² lake. About 3.6 km from Downtown, 1.7 km from the kite centres.

On the water at the north end

• North Bay: three-bedroom twin villas (207 m²) and standalone villas of three to six bedrooms (235 to 390 m²) on an open-to-sea lagoon. About 4.5 km from Downtown, 0.9 km from the kite centres.
• Highland by North Bay: three-bedroom villas and twin villas (197 to 245 m²), delivery in about two years, private jetties.
• Fanadir Shores: waterfront homes by Fanadir Marina and La Maison Bleue, with sand pools, a sports zone and a community centre. About 0.3 km from Fanadir Marina and 0.1 km from KBC beach.
• Fanadir Seafront: villa plots from 2,200 m² that you design, on the last stretch of El Gouna shoreline, minutes from Fanadir Marina.

From the second developer

• Swan Lake and Encore (Hassan Allam Properties): Encore has one-bedroom apartments from 85 m² (from EGP 18.2 million) and two- and three-bedroom apartments up to 179 m² (EGP 25 to 27 million), around a 15,000 m² swimmable lagoon with a 20,000 m² sandy beach and a 1 km wooden promenade.

The established areas (resale)

These are bought from owners, ready to move into. The figures are km to Downtown, Abu Tig Marina, the international school and the nearest beach club:

• Downtown: 0, 1.4, 0.2, La Playa 0.3
• North Golf: 0.4, 1.7, 0.5, La Playa 0.6
• South Marina: 0.7, 0.9, 0.5, Sailing Club 0.5
• Sheraton Miramar: 1.0, 0.5, 0.9, Sailing Club 0.3
• Golf Villas: 0.9, 2.3, 1.1, La Playa 0.9
• Tawila: 1.4, 1.6, 1.2, Sailing Club 1.4 (0.3 km from the Gourmet supermarket)
• Abu Tig Marina: 1.4, 0, 1.3, Moods 0.1
• West Golf (West Villas and Sabina): 1.5 to 1.6, 2.8 to 2.9, 1.5 to 1.6, La Playa 1.6 to 1.8
• South Golf: 1.6, 3.0, 1.8, La Playa 1.7
• Joubal Lagoon: 1.7, 0.9, 1.5, Moods 0.9
• New Marina: 1.8, 0.4, 1.7, Smokery 0.2
• Cyan: 1.8, 1.3, 1.5, Sailing Club 1.3
• Shedwan: 1.8, 2.1, 1.6, Sailing Club 1.9
• Mangroovy: 2.2, 0.9, 2.1, Zouni 0.3
• Waterside: 2.2, 3.5, 2.3, La Playa 2.4
• Ancient Sands: 2.3, 1.5, 2.1, KBC 1.3
• Fanadir Lagoons: 2.4, 1.3, 2.2, KBC 0.6
• Fanadir Bay: 3.1 to 4.1, 1.9 to 2.9, 2.9 to 3.9, KBC 0.6 to 1.5
• Ancient Sands Villas: 3.6, 2.5, 3.4, KBC 1.4

Resale homes on the official site in October 2026 included a furnished one-bedroom at Ancient Sands Resort (70 m²), two-bedrooms in Tawila (114 m²), Waterside (100 m²) and Fanadir Lagoon (107 m²), a furnished three-bedroom in Cyan (142 m²), a three-bedroom townhouse in Sholan (120 m²), renovated five-bedroom villas in White Villas with a three-year instalment plan, and twin (215 m²) and standalone (265 m²) villas at Ancient Sands The Villas, also with instalments.

It depends on how you'll use the home. El Gouna is small: the far ends (North Bay, Kamaran, Waterside) are 2 to 4.5 km in a straight line from Downtown, and tuk tuks run day and night for about 50 EGP a person each way (October 2026). See getting around.

• Restaurants and bars on foot: Abu Tig Marina (known for dining and nightlife), New Marina, Mangroovy and South Marina. Each is within 1 km of Abu Tig Marina.
• Families: Downtown, North Golf and South Marina are within about 0.5 km of the international school, and Downtown and North Golf within 0.5 km of the hospital. Tuban and Tawila are about 1 km from both. See living in El Gouna.
• Kitesurfers: Fanadir Bay 2 and North Bay are within about 1 km of the kite centres, and Ancient Sands Villas 1.3 km. See kitesurfing.
• Golf: Ancient Sands, The Nines, Fairways and Ancient Hill are by the Ancient Sands course; North Golf, Golf Villas and South Golf are by the 18-hole El Gouna Golf Club.
• The beach: Mangroovy (Zouni, 0.3 km), Fanadir Shores (KBC, 0.1 km), Abu Tig Marina (Moods, 0.1 km) and Downtown (La Playa, 0.3 km). See the beaches.
• Lower budgets: Swan Lake, Waterside and G Cribs had the lowest asking prices per m² in October 2026.
• Renting out: managers say walkability, presentation and management drive occupancy, so the walkable areas around the marinas are the usual choice.
• Quiet and space: Ancient Hill, North Bay and The Nines, 3 to 4.5 km from Downtown.

Buy new if you want a payment plan and can wait for delivery. Buy resale if you want to use or rent the home now.

New (off-plan)

• Orascom has asked about 15% down with the rest over five years. Most big Egyptian developers offer 5 to 10-year plans with 10 to 15% down. Plans differ by launch, so ask for the current one.
• Hassan Allam's Encore asks 5% down, 5% more after three months, and the rest over six years in quarterly instalments, with delivery in 2028. One listing offered 28% off for cash.
• Delivery dates on sale in October 2026 ran from Q4 2026 (Fanadir Bay) to 2029 (Marina Island). An off-plan purchase can stretch over two to three years of building, and registration of individual units can take years after that.

Resale

• Ready to move into, often furnished, and you can rent it out from the start. A resale usually completes three to eight weeks after contracts are signed.
• Sellers sometimes offer instalments too: Mangroovy listings with 30% down and the rest over three years; White Villas and Ancient Sands villas sold ready with instalments.
• Orascom runs its own resale service on the El Gouna website, advertising fair valuations, low commission and the option of a cash purchase.

Two developers build in El Gouna: Orascom Development, which founded the town in 1989, and Hassan Allam Properties, which bought land there from Orascom in 2024 (Swan Lake, Encore).

You reserve, your lawyer checks, you sign, you pay by bank transfer from abroad, and the home is handed over.

• Choose and view, in person or remotely.
• Reserve with a deposit, typically 10 to 20% of the price. The unit comes off the market.
• Due diligence by your own lawyer: a title search, an encumbrance check, the building permit, the Orascom phase, and that the seller owns what they're selling.
• Read the contract in Arabic with a side-by-side translation in your language before you sign. Arabic legal language is dense.
• Pay by bank transfer in foreign currency from abroad, through a bank authorised by the Central Bank. If the price is in foreign currency, the Central Bank must approve the sale first. Keep the transfer certificate.
• Clearance and registration: a security clearance for foreign buyers is commonly reported to take two to four months, then registration at Shahr Aqari a further 30 to 60 days. On developer projects, ask for a written registration timeline for your unit and have your lawyer check the parent project's registration.
• Handover: you get the keys and the contract, and transfer the water, electricity and internet into your name.

If you can't be there, give your lawyer a power of attorney limited to one property and the acts named, with an end date. It must be notarised and can be revoked. Signed outside Egypt, it has to be apostilled and translated into Arabic. Notaries are likely to reject a generic one.

The lawyer. You aren't legally required to have one, but it's strongly recommended. Fees for foreign buyers run about US$1,500 to 5,000, usually a flat fee covering due diligence, contract review, translation, registration support and one power of attorney. Off-plan deals with milestone payments sit at the top of the range. Another guide puts full representation at 1 to 2% of the price. Choose a real-estate lawyer who is a member of the Egyptian Bar Association and has closed sales for non-resident buyers.

Red flags: no bar registration number in writing, cash-only fees with no invoice, no engagement letter, pressure to sign within 48 hours, or the same lawyer acting for buyer and seller.

As a buyer you pay your lawyer, a small registration fee, sometimes an agent, and possibly the developer's transfer fee. The seller pays a 2.5% tax on the sale.

• Registration fee: a fixed scale by floor area, about EGP 500 up to 100 m² and up to EGP 2,000 above 300 m² (2026), plus a 1% lawyers' syndicate fee for certifying the contract.
• Stamp duty: a nominal fixed stamp tax on the contract.
• Agent's commission on resales: roughly 2 to 5%, negotiable, sometimes split or paid by the buyer. When you buy from the developer, it pays its own brokers.
• The developer's transfer fee on a resale: there's no current published rate. Ask Orascom in writing for the rate and who pays it before you agree a price.
• Your lawyer: about US$1,500 to 5,000 (above).
• Tax on selling: 2.5% of the gross sale price, not the gain. The seller pays it, resident or not, even on a loss, unless the contract says otherwise. It's due within 60 days of the sale. There is no other capital-gains tax for individuals.
• Annual property tax: 10% of the net annual rental value the tax authority sets (after a 30% deduction for homes). Since Law 3 of 2026 (April 2026), a family's one main home is exempt up to EGP 100,000 of annual rental value, which the authority equates to a market value of about EGP 8 million. Second homes and holiday homes are taxed. Filing on time earns a 25% discount.
• Rent: rental income is taxed at Egypt's progressive income-tax rates. One El Gouna manager cites withholding of 10% of gross rental revenue.

Owning a home in El Gouna means a yearly service charge, utilities, insurance, upkeep and, on second homes, property tax. One manager's ranges add up to a few thousand US dollars a year for an apartment and more for a villa with a pool.

Service charges pay for security and the gates, the lagoons, landscaping, roads and lighting, shared utilities, cleaning and refuse, the shared pools, beaches and promenades, and management. They don't cover your home's interior, your own utilities, insurance or amenities run by a separate operator. Each community sets its own, often by floor area. Lagoon and marina communities, and buildings with lifts, cost more. If the seller hasn't paid, you inherit their arrears unless they're cleared at transfer. Ask for the current charge, its history and the unit's payment status in writing.

One manager's ranges (May 2026, US$ a year):

• El Gouna service fee: 1,200 to 5,000, by property size
• Compound fee: 500 to 2,500
• Property tax: 200 to 600
• Utilities for holiday use: 400 to 1,500
• Insurance: 200 to 1,500 (comprehensive cover 700 to 1,500)
• Internet and TV: 25 to 50 a month
• A villa's pool: 80 to 150 a month
• AC servicing: 100 to 300 per unit

Set aside 1 to 2% of the home's value a year for maintenance, about US$2,500 to 5,000 for a US$250,000 two-bedroom. Sun and salt are hard on ACs and metalwork.

Yes, you can, and El Gouna is Egypt's strongest coastal rental market because it fills close to year-round. Managers' figures put a marina one-bedroom at about US$6,500 to 9,500 a year net to the owner. These figures come from managers who sell that service, so treat them as the top of the range.

• Seasons: well-run holiday rentals are 70 to 85% full from October to May and 30 to 50% from June to September, a median of 55 to 65% a year. For comparison, the town's hotels were 72% full in the first half of 2026.
• Nightly rates in high season (October to April): a marina two-bedroom US$80 to 180, a marina three-bedroom 130 to 280, a South Marina four-bedroom villa 200 to 450, a West Golf villa with a private pool 250 to 550.
• A year's income from holiday rentals: a marina one-bedroom US$12,000 to 18,000 gross (6,500 to 9,500 net), a two-bedroom 18,000 to 28,000 (10,000 to 15,500 net), a three-bedroom 25,000 to 40,000 (13,500 to 22,000 net). Net is after a 20% management fee and 5 to 7% other costs.
• Yields: 6 to 9% gross for holiday rentals and 4 to 6% gross for long lets, according to one manager. Another guide puts El Gouna's net yields at 4 to 5%.
• Management: independent managers take 15 to 22% of gross holiday revenue. Orascom's own serviced model (as in Nuba) takes 25 to 35%. Long lets cost 8 to 12% of the rent.
• Long lets: a furnished marina one- or two-bedroom rents for US$600 to 1,800 a month, and a three- or four-bedroom villa with a pool for 1,500 to 4,500, with two to three months' deposit. More in living in El Gouna.

Before you buy, check that the community allows short lets, and work out the return with one weak season in it. Guests' IDs go to the gate ahead of arrival for QR-code entry.

Yes. Owning property can give you a renewable residence permit: US$50,000 of property for one year, US$100,000 for three years and US$200,000 for five years. US$200,000 is about EGP 10 million (August 2026), so most homes listed in October 2026 were above the five-year level. The catch is paperwork: the property must be registered, and you must show its value and where the money came from.

• The permit never becomes permanent and doesn't let you work. That needs a separate work permit.
• It lasts while you own the property and lapses if you sell. Your spouse and minor children can be included.
• Apply to the Ministry of Interior (the Passports, Emigration and Nationality Administration). Confirm the current tiers before you buy. An older scheme tied five years to US$400,000, and it's unclear whether a higher tier still exists.
• Arrival on a tourist visa is covered in getting to El Gouna.

Yes, both are possible. The seller pays the 2.5% tax, and the money goes out through the bank it came in through.

• The five-year rule: by law a foreigner may resell only five years after registering ownership, unless the Prime Minister grants an exemption. Sources say the rule has eased, so ask your lawyer whether it applies to your home.
• Taking money out: the certificate of your original foreign-currency transfer lets you take sale or rental proceeds out in hard currency. Investment Law 72 of 2017 guarantees transfer abroad through banks registered with the Central Bank.
• The paperwork: the title or contract, ID, a tax clearance and paid utility bills. The home must match its registered plans.
• Who sells it: Orascom's resale service on the El Gouna website, or a licensed agent (2 to 5% commission). Confirm the developer's transfer fee and who pays it.

Take this list to your lawyer and the seller.

• Your own Egyptian property lawyer, with a bar registration number in writing, who doesn't also act for the seller.
• The title: who owns it, any encumbrances, the Orascom phase, and whether the project and unit are registered.
• The service charge in writing, its history, and proof of no arrears, made a condition of the transfer.
• The developer's transfer fee and who pays it.
• Off-plan: the delivery date and what the contract says if it's late, the payment schedule and its currency, and a written registration timeline.
• What's included: finishing, ACs, furniture ("fully finished" and "fully furnished" are different things).
• Whether the community allows short lets.
• The money route: foreign currency from abroad through an authorised bank, with the transfer certificate kept.
• If you won't be there: a narrow power of attorney with an end date, apostilled and translated.