Living in El Gouna: hospital, schools, rent, cost of living, shopping, internet and residency

El Gouna is a private, gated town of lagoons where residents, owners and winter-stayers live alongside the tourists. It has its own hospital, an international school, supermarkets, banks and pharmacies, and you get around by tuk tuk.

Below is what you need to know before moving or staying for a season: health care, schools, renting, costs, everyday shopping, working remotely, and the residency rules. Our guide is advice only: we don't rent or arrange anything.

El Gouna is good for a quiet, outdoor life by the sea, with health care and schooling in town; for big shopping, government offices and the airport you go to Hurghada, 30 to 40 minutes away.

• The town: gated and privately run, with Downtown, the marinas and residential compounds on the lagoons.
• Getting around: no car needed. Tuk tuks run day and night, about 50 EGP a person each way (October 2026). See getting around El Gouna.
• The weather: days of 21 to 23 °C in winter and 35 to 37 °C in summer; October to April is the busy season for long stays. See the best time to visit.
• What's in town: a hospital, an international school and nurseries, supermarkets, pharmacies, four banks, gyms, coworking, and over 170 places to eat.

Yes: El Gouna Hospital, open since 1998, has a 24-hour emergency department, 40 beds, an ICU, specialist clinics and the Red Sea's hyperbaric chamber for diving accidents.

• Contact: +20 65 358 0011 or +20 65 358 0016; email [email protected] (German embassy list, January 2024).
• Clinics: dentistry, gynaecology, eyes, cardiology (with a coronary care unit), neurology (the area's only stroke team), orthopaedics with CT and MRI, paediatrics with vaccinations, ENT, dermatology, internal medicine and more.
• Also: dialysis, an incubator unit, its own ambulances, and a partnership with the Schulthess Clinic in Switzerland for rehabilitation.
• Pharmacies: El Gouna Pharmacy in Downtown (9:00 to 23:00), Doctor M at Fanadir Marina, one at Abu Tig Marina and two at the hospital.
• Emergencies: ambulance 123, tourist police 126, police 122, fire 180.

Yes: El Gouna International School teaches ages 4 to 18 in a British section (to IGCSE and A Levels) and an Egyptian national section, both in English, with the German DSD language programme in each.

• The school: 735 pupils from about 20 nationalities, classes of about 23, accredited by the Ministry of Education and a member of BSME and COBIS; a 25 m pool, labs, sports fields and a hall.
• Fees: a school directory lists EGP 25,220 to 136,073 a year for 2026/27. Ask the school for the current fees.
• German: there's no separate German school; the German DSD programme runs in both sections.
• Under-6s: Honey Bees nursery (all year, 8:00 to 16:00), and the Montessori preschools Trillium at Abu Tig Marina and The Montessori House.
• Adults: the German Hotel School trains for hotel careers.

Long-term rents depend on the season, the area and whether it's furnished: a broker quotes a Downtown apartment from about €800 a month on a long lease, and lagoon-front villas at €3,000 to €6,000 a month in winter (2026).

• Three to six months (winter): furnished and the dearest; book good places two to four months ahead for October to April.
• Six to twelve months: the usual route for people moving here, often furnished.
• A year or more: usually unfurnished and cheapest; you pay utilities on what you use.
• Up front: a deposit of one to three months, plus the first month.
• Cheaper months: May and June; July and August are quiet, and some landlords discount.
• The gate: El Gouna is gated, so landlords send tenants' and guests' IDs ahead for the QR-code entry.

Local agents, such as El Gouna Vacation on Abu Tig Marina, rent and sell homes. Ask several, since published rents vary widely (see below).

The published estimates for El Gouna are too far apart to rely on: for a central one-bedroom, Livingcost gives about $153 a month, CityCost $192 and Nomads.com $1,355 (all 2026).

• Why they differ: the figures are crowd-sourced, and they mix local rents, holiday lets and long leases.
• What to budget: rent first (see above), then utilities on consumption, groceries, tuk tuks, school fees if you have children, and health insurance.

For groceries you shop at the supermarkets in Downtown and the marinas, or have them delivered.

• Supermarkets: Gourmet, El Mohandes Market, and Abu Amer for fruit and vegetables in Downtown (8:00 to 22:00).
• Delivery: VOO brings everyday essentials in minutes; many restaurants deliver too.
• Banks: AAIB, CIB and Crédit Agricole in Downtown, Alexbank at Abu Tig Marina.
• Phone: the Orange shop in Downtown for a SIM card.
• Around the house: El Gouna Laundry, Clean Green housekeeping, tailors (Bro Tailor, The Stitch Studio), and Dubieland for dogs.

All of them: shops and services.

Yes, for many: El Gouna has a coworking centre, cafés and clubs to work from, and a short walk or tuk tuk to everything. Check the connection of the flat you rent before you sign.

• Coworking: Regus at Fanadir Marina (offices and coworking), and Vent at Abu Tig Marina, a fitness club with a small coworking space, a heated pool and food (7:00 to 19:00).
• Beach clubs: Zouni has Wi-Fi, and La Playa describes itself as a place for digital nomads.
• The connection: we found no reliable speed figures; ask the landlord for a speed test before you sign.

Yes: the hotels have gyms, and there's Vent, the gym at Makani and World Gym at Ancient Sands.

• Outdoors: two golf courses, tennis sessions at the El Gouna Tennis Club, horse riding, and kitesurfing on the lagoons all year.
• More: things to do in El Gouna and kitesurfing.

Foreigners can live in El Gouna long term on a residence permit; one route is buying property, which can give a permit of one, three or five years depending on its value.

• Arriving: the tourist visa allows a stay of up to 30 days. See getting to El Gouna.
• Owning: foreigners may own up to two homes in Egypt, each up to 4,000 m², and El Gouna is a tourist zone where this is allowed.
• Residence through property: the property must be registered in your name and meet the value threshold. The permit is renewable but never permanent, and it doesn't let you work: that needs a separate work permit.
• Where: residence permits are issued by the Ministry of Interior's passport and immigration offices. Rules and fees change, so check them there or with a lawyer before you commit.

This is general information, not legal advice.