New Cairo Districts Explained: the 1st, 3rd and 5th Settlements and Beyond
New Cairo districts explained: the First, Third and Fifth Settlements, the eastern extension, Golden Square, Lotus, the Investors districts, the 6th Settlement and Mostakbal City, with roads and October 2026 developer figures.
Key takeaways
- New Cairo's authority describes the city as the First, Third and Fifth Settlements plus an eastern extension that includes Beit El Watan (August 2023).
- Golden Square, Lotus, North and South Investors, the 6th Settlement and Mostakbal City are newer areas with their own pages; the settlements are listed on the New Cairo page.
- Four East Nile monorail stations carry district names: El Narges, Investors, Lotus and Golden Square (Ministry of Transport, May 2026).
- In October 2026 the median developer starting figure for an apartment was EGP 7,485,000 across New Cairo, EGP 5,851,200 in the 6th Settlement and EGP 6,028,305 in Mostakbal City.
- A seven to ten million budget bought a one-bedroom near the Ring Road or a 125 to 130 m² two-bedroom further east, on plans of 8 to 10 years.
In this article
- New Cairo districts: how the city is divided
- What is the First Settlement in New Cairo?
- New Cairo 3: what is in the Third Settlement?
- Where is the 5th Settlement and why is it the name everyone uses?
- Golden Square, Lotus and the Investors districts
- The 6th Settlement and Mostakbal City: the newer east
- How New Cairo districts compare in developer figures
- Where a seven to ten million budget lands: six projects where the developer is selling
- What usually stops buyers in New Cairo
- How to choose between New Cairo districts
- Frequently asked questions
New Cairo's districts are three original settlements (the First, Third and Fifth) plus an eastern extension, and around them the newer areas people now name on their own: Golden Square, the Lotus, North and South Investors, the 6th Settlement and Mostakbal City. If you are choosing where to live, start with the map below, then the full list on Compounds in New Cairo.
The names confuse even people who have lived in Cairo all their lives. "The Fifth" is used for half the city, "New Cairo 1" and "New Cairo 3" appear on maps and addresses, and every year a new name joins the list. This guide sorts them out using the city authority's own statements, the New Urban Communities Authority's directory, the Ministry of Transport's station list and the figures developers publish on Masharf, all dated.
New Cairo districts: how the city is divided
New Cairo is run by the New Cairo City Development Authority, which gives its address in the New Urban Communities Authority's directory (read on 25 October 2026) as kilometre 14 of the Ring Road, between Maadi and the Suez Road. That one line already tells you where the city starts: on the Ring Road, between Maadi and the Suez Road.
When the head of the city authority, Abdel Raouf El-Gheity, walked Al-Ahram through the city's road works in August 2023, he described it in four parts: the First Settlement, the Third Settlement, the Fifth Settlement, and the eastern extension that includes Beit El Watan. Those are the administrative pieces. The names you hear from developers and drivers (Golden Square, Lotus, Investors, 6th Settlement, Mostakbal City) are newer areas and neighbourhoods that grew inside or beside them.
| Name you will hear | What it is | Its page |
|---|---|---|
| First Settlement | One of the three original settlements, on the Suez Road side | Part of Compounds in New Cairo |
| Third Settlement | Original settlement that includes Dar Misr, Sakan Misr in Andalus and the Exhibition Land, towards the Ain Sokhna road | Part of Compounds in New Cairo |
| Fifth Settlement | Original settlement crossed by the Mohamed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser axes | Part of Compounds in New Cairo |
| Eastern extension | Includes Beit El Watan | Part of Compounds in New Cairo |
| Golden Square | Area named on project pages as part of the Fifth Settlement | Golden Square, 22 projects |
| Lotus | District with its own monorail station | Lotus, 10 projects |
| North and South Investors | Two neighbouring districts, north and south | North Investors, 22 projects; South Investors, 19 projects |
| 6th Settlement | Newer area on the line between the Fifth Settlement and the New Capital, by project pages | 6th Settlement, 46 projects |
| Mostakbal City | Newer city listed under New Cairo in our catalogue | Mostakbal City, 65 projects |
The project counts are the published projects on each district's page in October 2026. The settlements themselves have no separate pages of their own; their projects are listed on the New Cairo page.
What is the First Settlement in New Cairo?
The First Settlement is the original district on the city's northern edge, built around long east-to-west axes. In the August 2023 interview, the authority head listed its main roads: Sadat Street, 11 km from the Ring Road to North 90th Street with five lanes each way and three new bridges; Mostafa Kamel Street, 5.6 km from North 90th to the Suez Road with four lanes each way; Taha Hussein and Naguib Mahfouz streets, each 3.5 km from the Ring Road to Mostafa Kamel; and Youssef El-Sebai Street, 11 km with five lanes each way and entrances on the Suez Road.
For a family, that list explains why the First Settlement feels quick to leave: several parallel roads lead straight to the Ring Road and the Suez Road, so a blocked street rarely traps you.
| First Settlement road | From and to | Length | Lanes each way |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sadat | Ring Road to North 90th | 11 km | 5 |
| Mostafa Kamel | North 90th to Suez Road | 5.6 km | 4 |
| Taha Hussein | Ring Road to Mostafa Kamel | 3.5 km | 4 |
| Naguib Mahfouz | Ring Road to Mostafa Kamel | 3.5 km | 5 |
| Youssef El-Sebai | With entrances on Suez Road | 11 km | 5 |
Source: head of the New Cairo City Development Authority, interview with Al-Ahram Gate, 14 August 2023.
New Cairo 3: what is in the Third Settlement?
The Third Settlement is the part of New Cairo that runs towards the Ain Sokhna road. The authority head named its residential areas in 2023 as Dar Misr, Sakan Misr in Andalus, the Exhibition Land and the area by the Ain Sokhna road, and said work was under way on the Ebour and Gezira roads and on extending the Mohamed Naguib axis to the Ain Sokhna road.
That last point matters to anyone living in the Third Settlement or the southern Fifth: once the Mohamed Naguib extension reaches the Ain Sokhna road, the drive towards Maadi and the south has a second option besides the Ring Road. The 2023 statement did not give a finish date, so check its status before you count on it.
Where is the 5th Settlement and why is it the name everyone uses?
The Fifth Settlement is the original settlement whose name most people use for the whole city. In the 2023 interview, the authority head said development of its two central axes was complete: Mohamed Naguib, running from South 90th Street to Gamal Abdel Nasser, and Gamal Abdel Nasser, from Arbil Square to South 90th. Together with North and South 90th Street, those axes are the roads most Fifth Settlement addresses hang on.
He also described Axis 24, nearly 10 km, linking North and South 90th, with its first phase due at the end of September 2023 and the second by the end of that year. Golden Square, which many project pages describe as part of the Fifth Settlement, sits close to South 90th Street and the American University, according to the developers' descriptions on our pages.
People write it in every way: 5th Settlement, Fifth Settlement, Fifth Settlement New Cairo, Cairo 5th Settlement. They all mean the same area. Some search for "fifth district" or "5th district" too; those words also appear in project names, so check that a listing means the area and not a single project.
Golden Square, Lotus and the Investors districts
These are the neighbourhoods that the East Nile monorail now runs through. The Ministry of Transport's list of the line's first 16 stations, opened on 6 May 2026, includes stations named El Narges, Investors, Lotus and Golden Square, which gives these districts a fixed point on the map that most of New Cairo does not have. The full line is explained in our Egypt monorail guide.
They are also where New Cairo's figures climb fastest. In October 2026 the median developer starting figure for all unit types was EGP 7,590,000 in Golden Square (five projects counted) and EGP 9,902,834 in the Lotus (eight projects), while apartments in North Investors had a median of EGP 14,048,563 (five projects). For a seven to ten million budget, Golden Square and the Lotus are within reach at their medians; North Investors mostly is not.
The 6th Settlement and Mostakbal City: the newer east
East of the Fifth Settlement, the city keeps growing towards the New Capital. Developers' descriptions on our project pages describe the 6th Settlement as the area on the line connecting the Fifth Settlement with the New Administrative Capital, and Mostakbal City as a large city reached from the Mohamed Naguib axis, the Suez Road and the Regional Ring Road side. Madinaty sits nearby; one project page in Mostakbal City puts it about five minutes' drive away.
The medians here are lower than in Golden Square or the Lotus: in October 2026, apartments had a median developer starting figure of EGP 5,851,200 in the 6th Settlement (21 projects) and EGP 6,028,305 in Mostakbal City (15 projects). The trade-off is time: in the projects listed below, handovers in these two areas fall in 2030.
How New Cairo districts compare in developer figures
| District | Unit type | Projects counted | Lowest starting figure (EGP) | Median starting figure (EGP) | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of New Cairo | Apartment | 115 | 3,333,000 | 7,485,000 | 25 October 2026 |
| All of New Cairo | Townhouse | 49 | 11,745,625 | 23,062,000 | 23 October 2026 |
| 6th Settlement | Apartment | 21 | 3,333,000 | 5,851,200 | 19 October 2026 |
| Mostakbal City | Apartment | 15 | 3,786,000 | 6,028,305 | 19 October 2026 |
| Golden Square | All types | 5 | 5,042,925 | 7,590,000 | 23 October 2026 |
| Lotus | All types | 8 | 4,363,000 | 9,902,834 | 19 October 2026 |
| South Investors | All types | 6 | 3,200,000 | 13,715,573 | 24 October 2026 |
| North Investors | Apartment | 5 | 5,400,000 | 14,048,563 | 19 October 2026 |
All figures are developers' own published starting figures in our catalogue, without resale offers. Lines with fewer than five projects are left out, which is why some districts show only one row.
Where a seven to ten million budget lands: six projects where the developer is selling
For a family that can pay seven to ten million over about ten years, these six projects had a unit from the developer inside that range in October 2026, one or two in each part of the city. The location notes come from each project's own page.
| Project | District | Entry unit from the developer | Plan | Handover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Park Compound New Cairo | Fifth Settlement entrance, 3 minutes off the Ring Road | 93 m² one-bedroom, EGP 9,910,000 | 5% down, 10 years | October 2029 |
| Ivoire East New Cairo | Fifth Settlement | 125 m² two-bedroom, EGP 8,900,000 | 5% down, 8 years | September 2030 |
| Boutique Village New Cairo | Golden Square | 70 m² one-bedroom, EGP 7,485,000 | 10% down, 10 years | October 2029 |
| Crescent Walk New Cairo | 6th Settlement, about 7 minutes from Golden Square | One-bedroom from 89 m², EGP 8,464,000 | 8% down, 8 years | January 2030 |
| Glen Compound New Cairo | 6th Settlement | 130 m² two-bedroom, EGP 8,303,412 | 2.5% down, 10 years | October 2030 |
| Park Central Compound New Cairo | Mostakbal City, about 5 minutes from Madinaty | One-bedroom from 75 m², EGP 7,800,000 | 5% down, 10 years | October 2030 |
The table shows the trade New Cairo asks of you. At Stone Park, three minutes off the Ring Road, the budget buys a one-bedroom; at Glen in the 6th Settlement or Ivoire East, it buys a two-bedroom of 125 to 130 m². Park Central and Boutique Village sit in between on size, and both offer ten-year plans.
To see what developers are selling now across these districts: Apartments for Sale in New Cairo and Villas for Sale in New Cairo.
What usually stops buyers in New Cairo
Handover. Every project in the table above hands over between October 2029 and October 2030. If you are renting now, plan for three to four more years of rent alongside instalments, and get the handover date written into the contract.
Down payment. The entry units above ask between 2.5% and 10% on signing, which on these figures means from about 208,000 pounds at Glen to about 749,000 at Boutique Village.
Developer or resale. The First and Fifth Settlements have many ready homes that trade between owners. Every figure in this guide is a developer's current figure; resale offers are a different market and we keep them out.
How to choose between New Cairo districts
- Start from the drive you make every day. If it runs west to the Ring Road, the First and Fifth Settlements are the nearer side; if it runs east to the New Capital, the 6th Settlement and Mostakbal City are.
- Decide whether you can wait. The established settlements have mostly ready homes; the newer east has longer plans and later handovers.
- Check the axis, not just the district. In the Fifth Settlement, a home near Mohamed Naguib or 90th Street behaves very differently from one deep inside a residential block.
- Price your budget by district using the table above, then open the district page for the full list of projects.
Every project in every district, with its developer figure, is on Compounds in New Cairo.