An overview of Marassi
Marassi is a coastal development in North Coast (Sidi Abdel Rahman and El Alamein), built by Emaar Misr, offering Chalets, Studios, Standalone Villas, Twin Houses, Townhouses, Residential Apartments in sizes from 61 to 785 m². Published prices currently start from 10.4 million EGP, and a unit can be reserved with a 5% down payment with the balance paid over 8 years.
This is not an advertisement for Marassi. It is the full review I work through with clients before any purchase decision: the location and the real distances, the developer's record, an analysis of the rate per square metre, an instalment schedule worked out in numbers, a comparison against the other projects in the area, and the points you need to verify before you sign. If you finish reading and conclude the project does not suit your circumstances, the page has done its job.
I am Nada Mahmoud, a real estate consultant working in the Egyptian market, helping buyers and investors choose the right unit at the right price. You can browse the other available projects or contact me directly for a free property consultation.
The developer: Emaar Misr
Before committing to years of instalments, the most important question is not about the project — it is about the developer. Have they delivered before? Did they deliver on time? What condition are their handed-over projects in today? That is what decides whether this contract is an asset or a risk.
Emaar Misr is the Egyptian arm of Emaar Properties of the UAE, the group behind Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and Downtown Dubai. It entered the Egyptian market in 2005 and has built one of the largest portfolios in the country by land area and by execution standard.
What distinguishes Emaar locally is that it builds destinations rather than compounds. Marassi is not a village; it is a resort with a yacht marina, a golf course, a string of international hotels and a retail district that operates outside the summer. The same approach produced Mivida in New Cairo and Uptown Cairo in Mokattam.
From a buyer's standpoint, Emaar's delivery record is among the strongest in the market, and that feeds directly into resale pricing: Emaar units hold their value and trade in the secondary market with above-average liquidity.
Where Marassi is and how to get there
Sidi Abdel Rahman is the heart of the luxury North Coast and the stretch that sets the price ceiling for everywhere else. It sits between kilometre 125 and 140 on the Alexandria–Marsa Matrouh road, and its water is among the clearest in Egypt, running to a pale turquoise that comes from the limestone sand and the shallow shelf near shore rather than from any photo filter.
The area changed fundamentally with New Alamein City and its seafront towers, with Alamein International Airport cutting the journey from Cairo to under an hour of flying time, and with the high-speed rail line under construction. Together these turn a three-month summer destination into something that trades over a much longer window, helped by the winter festival and events calendar.
Projects here occupy the highest price tier in the entire Egyptian market, and most are delivered or well into handover, which means buyers inspect a finished product rather than a model. That lowers delivery risk considerably, but it raises the entry price by a visible margin.
Distances from Sidi Abdel Rahman and El Alamein
These figures are approximate and vary with traffic and time of travel, but they are the reference every buyer uses when comparing two destinations:
| Cairo | 240 to 280 km — about three hours |
|---|---|
| Alexandria | 120 to 140 km |
| Alamein International Airport | 20 to 40 minutes |
| New Alamein City | 15 to 30 minutes |
| Marsa Matrouh | About 160 km |
Unit sizes and types in Marassi
The units available in Marassi are chalets, Studios, Standalone Villas, Twin Houses, Townhouses, Residential Apartments. Sizes run from 61 to 785 m², and that wide spread between the smallest and largest layout means the project serves two buyers at once: the investor looking for the smallest rentable unit, and the family looking for a full-sized home.
On the coast the practical rule is that units between 80 and 130 square metres rent fastest and resell most easily, because they serve the mid-market Egyptian family, the largest segment in the seasonal rental market. Smaller units deliver the highest return per pound invested, while larger ones take longer to move but hold their value if they carry a genuinely good view.
The unit types explained
Every unit type has its own pricing logic and its own resale market. Here is a quick read on each type available in Marassi and who it suits:
Chalets
The chalet is the most sought-after unit type in the Egyptian coastal market, typically one or two bedrooms with a reception, kitchen and terrace. Ground-floor chalets come with a private garden that adds real usable space, though the garden area is priced on a different basis; upper chalets come with a roof or terrace and a wider outlook. For an investor, a two-bedroom chalet between 80 and 110 square metres is the fastest to rent and the easiest to resell, because it serves the mid-market Egyptian family, the largest single segment in the seasonal rental market.
Studios
A studio is an open-plan unit, usually 35 to 60 square metres, and the cheapest point of entry into the market. Its advantage for an investor is the highest return per pound invested: the nightly rate approaches that of a larger chalet while the purchase cost is far lower. Its drawback is a narrower pool of resale buyers, because families prefer more space, so it is more an investor's instrument than an end-user's home.
Standalone Villas
The standalone villa is the highest tier in any project for both price and privacy, with a garden on all sides and often a private pool. Villas hold their value strongly because supply within any project is limited, but their resale liquidity is slower because fewer buyers can afford them. If you are buying a villa as an investment, model the expected time to sell, not just the expected price.
Twin Houses
A twin house is two units sharing a party wall, each with its own garden and independent entrance. It offers space and privacy approaching a villa at a lower price, which makes it one of the most in-demand types in residential compounds. When viewing, pay attention to the unit's orientation, the shared wall, and where the garden sits relative to the sun.
Townhouses
A townhouse sits within a terrace of adjoining units, and the corner units command a premium because they have an extra facade and a wider garden. The townhouse is the middle ground between an apartment and a villa in both price and space, and it is one of the types that finds consistent demand in the secondary market.
Residential Apartments
The apartment is the most widely held and most liquid unit type in the Egyptian market: faster to sell, easier to let and cheaper to maintain. When comparing two apartments, the deciding factor is not total area but the layout and how efficiently the space is used: a well-arranged 130-square-metre three-bedroom outperforms a 150-square-metre unit with wasted circulation.
Marassi prices and the rate per square metre
Published prices for Marassi start from 10.4 million EGP (last updated 24 September 2026). That price applies to the smallest available unit and rises with size, floor, view and where the unit sits on the master plan.
The approximate rate in Marassi is around 170,492 EGP per square metre. The rate per square metre is the only number that lets you compare two projects in the same area fairly — comparing the headline price of a 90-square-metre unit with a 140-square-metre one tells you nothing.
When comparing the rate between two projects, three things change the equation: whether the price includes full finishing or semi-finishing, whether the stated area is net or includes a share of common space, and whether a garden or terrace is counted at a different rate. Those differences alone can reverse the comparison.
Payment and instalment plans in Marassi
The payment plans currently available in Marassi:
- Down payment from 5% with instalments up to 8 years (varies by district and unit type)
The instalment schedule worked out on the entry price
This table is calculated on the lowest published price (10.4 million EGP) with a 5% down payment over 8 years, so you can see the real commitment in money rather than in percentages:
| Total unit price | 10,400,000 EGP |
|---|---|
| Reservation down payment (5%) | 520,000 EGP |
| Balance to pay in instalments | 9,880,000 EGP |
| Approximate monthly instalment | 102,917 EGP over 96 months |
| Approximate quarterly instalment | 308,750 EGP |
| Approximate annual payment | 1,235,000 EGP |
The table assumes an equal split with no interest and no additional payments. Most developers add a handover payment or uneven semi-annual instalments, so the real figure can differ — ask me for the official schedule for the unit you want before deciding anything.
A practical note: the longest term is not automatically the best choice. A longer term lowers the instalment, but most developers tie the cash discount or the lower headline price to shorter terms. If you have liquidity, ask for a comparison between the 8 years plan and a shorter one and look at the real difference in the total paid — it sometimes runs to a meaningful share of the unit value.
Marassi amenities and services
Amenities are not a luxury in a purchase decision — they decide whether the unit rents at all, and they set the resale price years later. These are the facilities available in Marassi:
- Developer: Emaar Misr
- 1,455 feddans across 7 residential districts
- 5 private beaches totalling 6,260 metres
- An 18-hole golf course and a yacht marina
- From a 5% down payment over up to 8 years
When you visit, ask two things about every item on this list: is it actually built or only on the master plan, and who will operate it after handover. An amenity that exists in the render but not in the contract is not an amenity.
Services and price movement in Sidi Abdel Rahman and El Alamein
Sidi Abdel Rahman and El Alamein now carry services at true city level: Alamein International Airport, hospitals, university branches and major retail centres inside New Alamein City. That has changed the area from a resort strip that closes in September into a destination with life outside the season.
I have written a full guide to Sidi Abdel Rahman and El Alamein covering the services and amenities around the projects, how the rate per square metre has moved, and how to compare one project against another: Guide to North Coast Chalets. If you are weighing Marassi against another project in the same area, start there.
Investing in Marassi: yield and season
Buying in Sidi Abdel Rahman is buying scarcity of location. The first coastal row is close to fully built out, and front-row units hold value more firmly than the market average. Returns come from two directions: very high peak nightly rates in July and August, and capital growth driven by constrained supply.
Season: Peak from mid-June to mid-September, with growing shoulder-season activity in spring and autumn since the airport opened.
Read it the way an investor would: you pay 520,000 EGP now to secure an asset worth 10,400,000 EGP, and settle the balance over 8 years. That is real leverage — any appreciation during the payment term accrues on the full value, not on the amount you have paid in. It is exactly why buying on instalments in an inflationary market can beat paying cash, provided the instalment is comfortable rather than punishing.
Payment scenarios: which one costs you less in Marassi?
Almost every buyer asks the same question: cash or instalments? There is no single answer — it depends on the liquidity you have and on the alternative you could invest it in. Here are three scenarios worked out on the same unit in Marassi:
| Scenario | Paid at contract | Monthly commitment | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full cash settlement | 10,400,000 EGP | None | A buyer with the full amount available, chasing the lowest net price after discount |
| A 5% down payment over 8 years | 520,000 EGP | 102,917 EGP | The largest group of buyers — the smallest upfront commitment with an extended instalment |
| Double the down payment over half the term | 1,040,000 EGP | 195,000 EGP | A buyer with partial liquidity who wants to cut the total paid and capture the shorter-term discount |
The third scenario is the one most buyers overlook, and it is usually the cheapest: a larger down payment over a shorter term reduces the total paid, because developers tie the price to the length of the term. Ask me to compare the total across all three before you choose — on the same unit the gap between two plans can run into the hundreds of thousands.
Estimating the return on a unit in Marassi
If you are buying as an investment you need two numbers: the annual rental yield and the expected capital growth. This is an approximate calculation on the entry price in Marassi at three yield levels:
| Annual yield rate | Approximate annual income | Approximate monthly income |
|---|---|---|
| 4% | 416,000 EGP | 34,667 EGP |
| 6% | 624,000 EGP | 52,000 EGP |
| 8% | 832,000 EGP | 69,333 EGP |
This table is a calculator, not a promise of return. The actual rate depends on the unit position, its size, its finishing level and whether an operator manages it, and it is reduced by maintenance charges, commissions and void periods. I do not offer guaranteed returns, and if anyone guarantees you a yield in an advertisement, read the contract carefully before believing it.
One point that matters: compare the rental income against the instalment. If the expected rent exceeds the monthly instalment, the unit roughly funds itself, which is the best case for an investor. If it falls short, make sure you can cover the gap each month from other income for the whole term.
Marassi compared with other Sidi Abdel Rahman and El Alamein projects
A quick comparison between Marassi and its closest neighbours on entry price, down payment and payment term:
| Project | Starts from | Down payment | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marassi (this page) | 10.4 million EGP | 5% | 8 years |
| Hacienda Bay | 22 million EGP | 10% | 6 years |
| Fouka Bay | 13.9 million EGP | 10% | 15 years |
| Jefaira | 8.95 million EGP | 10% | 8 years |
| Cali Coast | 10.4 million EGP | 5% | 8 years |
Prices are indicative and refer to the smallest published unit in each project; they change with availability and with each developer policy. This comparison is a starting point for negotiation, not a substitute for an official quotation.
What to verify before reserving in Marassi
The gap between a front-row unit and one set back can approach double, both in price and in how quickly it resells. Ask for the master plan, establish your row number, and get the walking distance to the beach in metres rather than in adjectives.
This is the list I go through with every client before any signature, whatever the developer's name:
- Actual construction progress: ask for recent site photographs and visit in person — not renders.
- Delivery record: ask about an earlier project the developer actually handed over, and go and see it yourself. It is the most honest indicator available.
- The delay clause: there must be a defined grace period and explicit compensation, not open-ended wording.
- The area in the contract: confirm whether it is net or gross, and at what proportion a garden or terrace is counted in the rate per square metre.
- Maintenance charges: establish the percentage, when it is due, and whether it is one-off or annual — this cost stays with you permanently.
- Land title and permits: ask to see the land status and the building permits before paying any deposit.
- The official instalment schedule: with the payments and their dates written down, not a percentage quoted verbally.
If any of these is unclear, that is not necessarily a reason to walk away — but it is reason enough to postpone signing until it is clarified in writing.
How to reserve in Marassi with Nada Mahmoud
- A needs call: we establish the budget, the purpose (home, holiday, investment) and the monthly instalment that is genuinely comfortable for you.
- A shortlist: I prepare two to four suitable units inside Marassi and in competing projects, with prices and official instalment schedules.
- The viewing: we arrange a site visit and inspect the unit on the ground or at its current stage.
- Negotiation: I negotiate the price, the payment plan and the available discounts with you — this is the stage where the largest difference is made.
- Contract review: we go through the critical clauses (delay, area, maintenance, handover) before you sign.
- After contracting: following up the payments and the handover, and helping you let or resell the unit later if you want to.
The service is free to the buyer because my commission comes from the developer — and even so, my interest is that you buy well, because a satisfied client comes back and refers me. You can look through my track record or read about the negotiation and buying service.
