How to choose the best compound in your city: a 2026 buyer's guide to prices, deposits and delivery

The short answer

There is no single best compound for everyone. The search for the best compound in your city depends on what you need: a home close to work, a small down payment, a fixed delivery date, or a particular unit type such as an apartment, a duplex or a chalet. The right answer starts with the city, then compares the compounds that sell there on the figures the catalogue holds. This guide shows how to do that, and names nine compounds worth a look, with their asking prices as recorded on 26 October 2026.

Compounds by city

Start with the city you want to live in, because the number of compounds on the site differs a lot from one area to another:

• New Cairo: 259 compounds on record, the largest area in the catalogue by number of compounds.
• North Coast-Sahel: 172 compounds, mostly chalets, villas and townhouses.
• 6th of October City: 125 compounds, with apartments, offices, clinics and shops.
• New Administrative Capital: 114 compounds, with a large number of offices and shops alongside apartments.
• El Sheikh Zayed: 43 compounds, across apartments, villas and twinhouses.
• Ain Sokhna: 35 compounds, mostly chalets and apartments for summer use.

These are the compound counts on each area page. They do not mean every compound suits you. The next step is comparing inside the city itself.

How to compare compounds in your city

Use five criteria that every compound page records, and apply them in the same order to each one:

• Position inside the city: the distance to the nearest landmark, such as a university, a mall, a square or a main road. Each compound carries its recorded distances.
• Unit type: apartment, duplex, townhouse, villa or chalet. A compound that sells only apartments does not help if you want a villa.
• Down payment and instalment years: compare compounds on the same terms. A 1.5% deposit over 12 years is not the same offer as 10% over 5 years.
• Delivery date: is the unit ready, or does it hand over later? The recorded date is the only reference here.
• Developer: the company, its reputation and its earlier projects, which you should verify yourself before any booking.

Compounds worth knowing

These nine compounds come from different areas, with their asking prices. The asking price is what the seller asks, not what the buyer ends up paying, and it is shown as recorded on 26 October 2026.

• Hyde Park Central Water Residences in New Cairo: apartments and duplexes, asking prices from EGP 6,430,000, a 5% down payment, instalments up to 10 years, handover recorded for 28 February 2030. The American University in Cairo is 8.1 km away on the record.
• Esse Residence in New Cairo: apartments and duplexes, asking prices from EGP 6,121,659, a 1.5% down payment, instalments up to 12 years, handover recorded for 28 February 2029.
• District 6 - Blu in October Gardens: apartments, asking prices from EGP 5,766,000, a 1.5% down payment, instalments up to 12 years, handover recorded for 31 March 2029.
• Ashgar City in October Gardens: apartments and penthouses, asking prices from EGP 3,548,000, a 6% down payment, instalments up to 8 years, handover recorded for 30 June 2028. Hay El Ashgar is 4.2 km away on the record.
• Shore Ville in Ras El Hekma: chalets, asking prices from EGP 13,030,000, a 5% down payment, instalments up to 8 years, handover recorded for 28 February 2028.
• Westrict in El Sheikh Zayed: apartments, asking prices from EGP 10,800,000, a 10% down payment, instalments up to 10 years, handover recorded for 13 May 2030. Dandy Mall is 2 km away on the record.
• The Hillage in El Sheikh Zayed: twinhouses, villas, penthouses and apartments, asking prices from EGP 17,065,000, a 5% down payment, instalments up to 10 years, handover recorded for 30 May 2030.
• Jura Phase 1 in Ain Sokhna: apartments, asking prices from EGP 10,446,000, a 10% down payment, instalments up to 7 years, handover recorded for 31 December 2026. Ain Sokhna Port is 24.3 km away on the record.

These examples do not mean one of these compounds is the best. They show what a real comparison looks like: an asking price, a down payment, instalment years, a delivery date and the distance to a landmark you know.

Down payments and instalments as the catalogue shows them

Counting every unit on offer, the most common down payment is 5%, followed by 10%. The most common instalment length is 8 years, followed by 10 years. These are counts of units carrying each term, not average prices and not a rate that moves with the market.

Of the same 7,815 units on offer, 211 are resale units and the rest come directly from developers. The catalogue keeps no price history, so we do not say prices rose or fell, and we do not estimate a change we cannot read from the record.

Delivery: what the dates say

The single most common recorded handover year is 2030, with 2,472 units, followed by 2029 with 1,654 units and 2028 with 1,074 units. Taken together, about two-thirds of the units on offer have a recorded handover in 2028 or later, and that should be counted before you choose a unit.

Do not compare two compounds by year alone. Look at the full date on each compound's page. For example, Jura Phase 1 has a recorded handover of 31 December 2026, while Midtown Sky has a recorded handover of 30 April 2030. The gap between them is about three years and four months of waiting.

How to choose in five steps

1. Pick the city based on where you work or where your children go to school, not on price alone.
2. Set the budget by the down payment: work out what you can pay now, then the monthly instalment you can keep up for the number of years offered.
3. Choose the unit type: apartment, villa or chalet, and drop the compounds that do not sell it.
4. Compare by the full delivery date, and remember that any delay in construction means more waiting.
5. Ask for the terms in writing from the developer or the office showing the unit, and read the price, down payment and instalments in the same contract.

FAQ

What is the best compound in New Cairo?

There is no single ranking. Choose among the New Cairo compounds on record using the five criteria above, and start with Hyde Park Central Water Residences or Esse Residence if a low down payment matters most to you.

Is the cheapest compound the best to buy?

Not necessarily. A lower asking price may come with shorter instalments, a higher down payment or a later handover. Compare the total and the terms, not the price alone.

What is the usual down payment on a unit in a compound?

The most common term in the catalogue is 5%, followed by 10%. Some compounds ask 1.5%, 2% or 20%, so read the terms of the compound you are considering.

Should I choose a compound under construction or a ready unit?

It depends on when you need to move in. A unit with an early handover suits someone who needs a home soon, while a unit handing over years from now means waiting until the recorded date, and its asking price can differ.

How do I know a compound suits my family before I book?

Visit the compound, check the recorded distances to schools, hospitals and malls on its page, match the unit type to the number of bedrooms you need, and get the terms in writing before you pay any amount.