rent control in egypt. i've wondered how egyptians get by on such little money, then i found out a bit about rents in cairo. apartments here are passed down through the generations, and stay rent controlled, so you can pay about a dollar a month for a 3 bedroom apartment, and so my 5 pound taxi-fare to work, about 75 cents, doesn't seem that low. a lady in the embassy owns a whole building, fully rented, but loses money every month paying the doorman's salary.