The company has increased the price of several cigarette products by up to EGP 5.

However, its most affordable brand Cleopatra has increased by only EGP 2.5-4.5, to be sold now at EGP 34.5 instead of EGP 30 (for a pack of 20 cigarettes).

This applies to all Cleopatra packs — including Cleopatra Box (20), Soft Queen, and King Size — and other brands like Boston, Belmont, and Mondial.

A pack of Cleopatra Box containing 10 cigarettes will be sold for EGP 24.5 instead of EGP 22.

Viceroy and Pall Mall cigarettes will increase from EGP 50 to EGP 55 per pack.

Over the past decade, Cleopatra cigarettes have more than tripled. However, they remain an option for lower-income smokers. 

The actual price paid by consumers at retailers can be even higher.

This increase is part of recent measures taken by the Ministry of Finance’s Egyptian Tax Authority, Ibrahim Embabi, head of the Tobacco Division at the Federation of Egyptian Industries, said in April.

He highlighted the authority’s decision to allow cigarette companies to increase the maximum limit for all price segments by 12 percent, following new amendments in the Value-Added Tax (VAT).

This hike is due to the exchange rate increase, with the dollar rising from EGP 31 to EGP 47 in public and private banks following the recent depreciation, Embabi explained.

Moreover, he called for opening imports for the lower category similar to the upper and middle segments, to create competition for consumers' benefit and thus eliminate monopolies.

In February, Eastern Company raised prices of cigarettes by EGP 2-8, while Philip Morris Egypt raised prices of traditional cigarettes, including Marlboro, Merit, and L&M brands, by EGP 9-11.

Cigarette prices in Egypt have increased multiple times in 2023 amid the decreasing value of the Egyptian pound against the US dollar.

According to recent official data, approximately 18 million among Egypt’s 105 million population are smokers.