How Rising Prices Pushed Egypt’s Middle Class into the Second-Hand Clothing Market

“I am only looking for clothes to dress my children. The problem is that, before coming here, I had to sell a heater and two pieces of last year’s winter clothing through a Facebook sales group so I could afford these clothes.”

Umm Hossam, a homemaker and mother of three, begins her conversation with Zawia3 beside a wooden table piled with used clothing. She carefully turns over the garments and examines their fabric.

Her words capture a new economic reality: some families sell their old clothes to raise enough cash to buy other second-hand clothes, trying to preserve the bare minimum of their needs. Facebook sales group.

Inflation is no longer merely a figure in official statements. It shapes everyday life. An August 6 forecast cited by the Arabic report expected July’s annual inflation rate to reach 15.6%, compared with 14.3% previously. This was a forecast, rather than a reported outcome; the report’s separate chart lists a July headline rate of 14.9%. inflation forecast.

Buying new clothes now consumes a substantial share of household income. As food, electricity, housing and transport become more expensive, clothing is among the first budget items families cut or replace with cheaper alternatives.

Spending to follow fashion or simply refresh a wardrobe has receded. In its place is what might be called an economy of recovering value: retaining clothes’ resale value has become part of managing a limited household budget.

A study cited in the report finds that repeated price increases have pushed Egyptians to buy less and seek cheaper substitutes. The pound’s declining value has eroded purchasing power. Middle-class households, especially affected by inflation, have changed their spending patterns to protect their budgets. study of inflation and consumption.

Dr Marwa El Sharkawy, a sociology professor at Mansoura University, says recent inflation waves have done more than reduce purchasing power. They have reshaped Egyptian families’ consumption, particularly among a middle class seeking cheaper alternatives as real incomes shrink.

She describes a shift from consumption based on choice to improvised coping: postponing new clothes, repairing old ones or buying used garments to meet basic needs at the lowest possible cost.

El Sharkawy relates this behaviour to German sociologist Ulrich Beck’s risk-society theory. In prolonged crises, fear of the future and uncertainty reorder priorities. Protecting essential needs becomes the first objective, even when this means giving up consumption once associated with social status.

Sustained economic pressure has also reduced the embarrassment associated with buying used clothing, she says. As the crisis affects wider sections of society, buying from second-hand markets or reselling clothes is increasingly seen as adaptation to rising living costs.

The American University in Cairo’s Alternative Policy Solutions centre developed a Chicken Index to assess purchasing power through the price of one of the cheaper sources of animal protein. The report links the index to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s announcement of an EGP 8,000 minimum wage. Chicken Index.

According to the index as reproduced in the report, a monthly minimum wage could buy approximately 84.8 kilograms of chicken in January 2026. The article says a worker needs more than two hours’ work to buy one kilogram at retail; its comparative graphic gives Egypt a more specific figure of 5.09 hours. These are presented as the report’s stated measures, without assuming that the different calculations use identical wage and work-hour bases. The article also cites an estimate that the minimum wage would need to be around EGP 19,000 under the index’s purchasing-power comparison.

Wekalet El Balah: new customers, a changing market

At his second-hand clothing stall in Wekalet El Balah, Gouda says: “Our customers have changed a great deal. In the past, people with limited incomes came to us. Today we see government employees, teachers and families who appear to be financially comfortable.”

He tells Zawia3 that more people visit than in previous years, but sales move more slowly because used clothes themselves have become more expensive.

Gouda is not referring to imported bales of used garments. He buys clothes from Egyptians and resells them to other Egyptians.

Dr Hazem Hassanein, a member of the Egyptian Society for Political Economy, tells Zawia3 that the social profile of the second-hand market is visibly changing. Middle-class customers increasingly regard it as a sensible way to manage spending, rather than a source of embarrassment.

Families often devote most of their remaining clothing budget to children, he says. Children grow quickly and constantly need different sizes, while parents postpone buying things for themselves.

Even where consumption expenditure has increased over time, that does not mean households share the gains equally. Higher-income groups retain spending capacity, while many poorer families struggle to cover basic needs.

The report cites Ministry of Planning and Economic Development figures showing consumption expenditure at approximately EGP 1.99 trillion in the first quarter of 2026, against EGP 2.12 trillion in the final quarter of 2025: a reported decline of EGP 131.1 billion, or 6.2%, quarter on quarter. The two trillion-pound totals are rounded. consumption-expenditure series.

Dr Gabr Allah Salman, an anthropology professor at Suez University, says successive inflation waves have transformed consumption culture as well as raising prices. Families reorder priorities, placing a product’s practical use ahead of its brand or symbolic value.

His study found that more than 49% of respondents in its sample turned to the used-clothing market, across different social groups. This is a finding about the study sample, not an estimate that 49% of all Egyptians buy used clothes. study cited in the Arabic report.

Middle-class shoppers seek a better balance between quality and price, he says. Many buy used international brands or stock garments to maintain an acceptable appearance at lower cost. Some households now buy one outfit per child each season instead of several, reserving new clothing for holidays and special occasions.

From street markets to digital platforms

Second-hand clothing is no longer confined to traditional markets. Apps and specialised social-media groups have extended buying and selling into digital spaces.

Interior designer Sara Abdallah tells Zawia3: “I no longer sell my old clothes as I used to. I use some of the proceeds to cover an instalment or buy clothes for the new season. For many middle-class people, apps have become a small marketplace that helps them raise cash and cope with higher prices.”

Hassanein says resale is changing function. It is no longer simply a way to clear out unused garments; it is a tool for managing household liquidity and cushioning the loss of purchasing power.

A study cited in the report links the inflation waves following the 2016 economic reforms to changes in household consumption. Clothes and shoes are purchases that can be postponed or reduced when real incomes fall. Poor, middle-class and higher-income households alike cut clothing expenditure while directing more of their budgets to food and essentials. study of household consumption.

Dr Reiman Khaled, a sociology professor at Damietta University, says the middle class has been especially affected. Economic pressure has encouraged new spending patterns that reconcile limited income with the desire to maintain a socially acceptable appearance. Families supporting children are particularly likely to seek alternatives.

Some higher-income groups are also rearranging their resources, she tells Zawia3. They use resale apps to generate cash or finance new purchases. This reflects a change in how spending is managed, rather than merely a change in shopping preferences.

Khaled draws on sociological explanations including Erving Goffman’s theory of self-presentation: people try to preserve an acceptable public image despite economic pressure.

The crisis has changed the philosophy of consumption, she says. Used clothing is increasingly viewed as a rational strategy adopted by substantial sections of the middle class to protect purchasing power.

Salman likewise argues that the crisis has broken some of the social embarrassment around used clothing. Seeking a cheaper option can be seen as prudent resource management rather than evidence of poverty. He also identifies what he calls a culture of concealment.

Consumption is increasingly governed by economic necessity rather than freedom of choice, he says. Price has become a decisive factor, and the turn towards used clothing cuts across educational backgrounds.

Higher-income households still seek to preserve their social appearance, but use more flexible strategies: reusing clothes, repairing them or selling some to raise cash. These approaches help maintain a way of life without excessive expenditure.

Behind each used garment is a family trying to adapt to a more difficult economic reality. Inflation has reshaped priorities, turning clothing from a consumer good into a resource for managing household budgets and preserving a minimum of dignity.

Umm Hossam leaves Wekalet El Balah carrying a plastic bag with two outfits for her children, having negotiated the price down by a few pounds. Her tired smile is accompanied by a word of thanks: “The clothes that no longer fit Hossam will be useful to his younger brother. What matters is getting through the summer at the lowest cost.”