In Egyptian property talk, "the North Coast" (el Sahel) means the Mediterranean shoreline west of Alexandria. Two state-led projects stand out there. New Alamein is a full city built by the Housing Ministry. Ras El Hekma became, in 2024, what Arab News (reporting with Reuters) called the single largest foreign direct investment in Egypt. This guide sets out what official and reputable press sources say about the area, then explains what you should calculate yourself before signing.
North Coast at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Mediterranean coast west of Alexandria; New Alamein and Ras El Hekma fall within Matrouh Governorate (Youm7 2019, Al-Ahram Gate May 2025) |
| New Alamein | Inaugurated by President El-Sisi, as reported in March 2018, on about 50,000 feddans (Al-Ahram Gate, March 2018) |
| Authority for New Alamein | New Alamein City Authority; one of the fourth-generation cities built by the Housing Ministry (Al-Ahram Gate, 2021 and 2026) |
| Ras El Hekma | About 170 million square metres, roughly 350 km northwest of Cairo (Arab News, February 2024) |
| Ras El Hekma master developer | Modon Holding, appointed by ADQ on 4 October 2024 |
| Roads | The Alexandria-Matrouh international road, the New Coastal Road inside New Alamein, and the Wadi El Natrun-Alamein road |
| Future transport | High-speed rail from Ain Sokhna to Marsa Matrouh via New Alamein; passenger service tentatively set for July 2027 (Ahram Online, October 2026) |
Location and access
One road from Cairo is the Wadi El Natrun-Alamein road. Ahead of its reopening after renovation in April 2016, Amwal Al Ghad gave its length as 135 km and said it would support domestic tourism between Cairo and the North Coast. Along the shore runs the Matrouh-Alexandria international road, which Al-Ahram Gate (March 2018) described as the dividing line between New Alamein's beach plot and its southern plot. Inside the city, Al-Ahram Gate reported in July 2021 that the 48 km New Coastal Road was complete, with four bridges.
The biggest transport project is the high-speed electric railway. On 2 August 2026 Ahram Online reported that the first line is 660 km long and runs from Ain Sokhna to Alexandria, passing New Alamein and ending at Marsa Matrouh. It added that a limited test run took place in November 2025 and that a six-month trial operation was due to start in September 2026. On 1 October 2026 Ahram Online quoted the transport minister as saying the government had tentatively set July 2027 for passenger service, on a route that passes through Cairo and 6th of October City. The same line links the coast with other areas in this series, such as Ain Sokhna and Sheikh Zayed and 6th of October.
By air, the head of the New Alamein City Authority pointed in July 2026 to the city's proximity to Alamein International and Borg El Arab airports, according to Al-Ahram Gate.
What is in New Alamein
The plan announced in 2018 split the city into a beach plot of about 7,000 feddans between the international road and the sea, running from Marina village in the east to El Hamra port in the west, and a southern plot of about 41,000 feddans south of the road. The city adjoins old El Alamein and extends west to Sidi Abdel Rahman. The plan also included a 14 km seafront promenade, a summer headquarters for the Presidency and the Cabinet, and a planned capacity of more than 3 million people (Al-Ahram Gate, March 2018). Those are planning figures, not a census count.
Al-Ahram Gate's July 2021 progress report listed, among other projects:
- The Downtown towers, built by China's CSCEC, including a 250-metre iconic tower.
- The Latin Quarter on 404 feddans, styled after old Alexandria.
- The Heritage City on 260 feddans.
- Alamein National University on 128 feddans, where three faculties opened in September 2020.
- A desalination plant with a capacity of 150,000 cubic metres a day.
In a 28 July 2026 update, the head of the city authority told Al-Ahram Gate that the Latin Quarter holds 10,316 housing units, of which 5,368 had been handed over by July 2026. He said the beachfront towers zone has 18 mixed-use towers and the industrial city covers 5,500 feddans. The Premium Housing and Sakan Misr projects had been fully delivered, Sakan Lekol El Masreyeen was about 60% complete, and the international conference and exhibition centre in the Heritage City was finished.
Ras El Hekma: what was agreed
On 23 February 2024 the Egyptian government signed an agreement with a consortium led by ADQ, the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor. According to Arab News, citing WAM and Reuters, the deal is worth $35 billion: $24 billion for the development rights to Ras El Hekma and $11 billion of UAE deposits at the Central Bank of Egypt converted into investments in projects across Egypt. The government keeps 35% of the development, which Egypt Independent described as 35% of the project's net profits. On 1 March 2024 the Cabinet announced that the first $10 billion tranche had been received in full.
On 4 October 2024 ADQ appointed Modon Holding as master developer for the whole site and as developer of the first phase, 50 million square metres. The remaining 120 million square metres are to be built with partner developers under the oversight of Ras El Hekma Urban Development Project Company, an ADQ subsidiary. The release describes a city that will be home to two million people, an international marina, a special free zone, an international airport and high-speed rail among early-phase priorities, and cumulative investment expected to reach $110 billion by 2045. All of these are the developer's stated targets.
On the ground, Egypt's official real estate platform reported in December 2024 that EGP 5.5 billion had been paid in compensation to affected families in Ras El Hekma. On 30 September 2026 MEED reported that the Wadi Yemm district is the first phase of a masterplan with 17 districts, that a joint venture of Innovo Build and Redcon won a contract of about $230 million covering more than 660 villas and townhouses over 21 months, and that unit handover at Wadi Yemm is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2029.
How to read a North Coast payment plan
We do not quote prices or "typical" payment plans here, because we found no reputable, dated source that sets them. Run the numbers on the offer you actually have. On the coast in particular, check:
- Handover date against the last installment. Large projects such as Wadi Yemm expect first handovers in 2029, per MEED, so work out how much you will have paid before you receive the unit.
- The maintenance deposit: its percentage, when it is due, and whether it sits inside the installments or comes as a separate payment at handover.
- Extra fees such as club, beach or garage charges, and whether the contract price includes them. The total cost of ownership guide shows how to add them up.
- How installments are spread (monthly, quarterly or annual) and any extra yearly payments. See down payment and installments.
- If you plan to rent the unit out, a holiday home may only let in season. Base your estimate on realistic months using the rental yield guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is New Alamein only a summer city?
Its stated plan goes beyond holidays: a national university, a 5,500-feddan industrial city, a conference centre, and a summer headquarters for the Presidency and the Cabinet, according to Al-Ahram Gate in 2018, 2021 and 2026. We found no recent official figure for how many people actually live there year-round.
How much is the Ras El Hekma deal worth and how is it split?
$35 billion, according to Arab News citing Reuters: $24 billion for development rights and $11 billion of UAE deposits converted into investments in Egypt. The Egyptian government keeps 35% of the project.
Who is developing Ras El Hekma?
ADQ appointed Modon Holding in October 2024 as master developer and as developer of the 50-million-square-metre first phase, with partner developers for the rest. MEED reported in September 2026 that the first unit handovers at Wadi Yemm are expected in the third quarter of 2029.
When will the high-speed train reach Alamein?
The transport minister's tentative date for passenger service is July 2027, according to Ahram Online in October 2026. The date is tentative, so do not base a purchase decision on an opening date.
Are there verified price-per-metre figures for the North Coast?
We found no official or reputable dated source giving an average price per metre for the area, and prices vary widely between projects and phases. Work out the price per metre from your own offer: total price divided by area.
Run the numbers
The CalcRealty payment plan calculator handles the down payment, discount, maintenance deposit, and monthly, quarterly or annual installments, and shows a full schedule with the date, amount and percentage of every payment, which you can export as a PDF. The price-per-metre and ROI calculators help you read the same offer in numbers. Download the app free on Google Play, then start with the guides on comparing payment plans and real estate ROI.
Results are planning estimates; the developer contract sets final amounts.