As a Oldham lass myself I had to respond sorry havent much practical info for you except to say life in Cairo has become easy in many ways with the opening of the big supermarkets like Asda and Tescos, and big shopping malls to make to Spindles look tiny, I think the initial time to visit Cairo you become very aware of the poverty around and the massive gap between rich and poor- some areas to me reminded me very much of what I would have expected to find in India, however that having been said their are some great reasons for living in Cairo as well you feel the city is alive. Many people expats live in Maddi but you need to be aware that it is built up area and not what you are used to. the distance between work and home needs to be a major consideration for you, as a foreign workers you will be ripped off so be careful who you trust. May be of help there is a flat on website holiday lettings . co .uk that is in the Giza area may be cheaper than a hotel for a short stay and is run by a british woman - I dont know them but hopefully its ok, the other place to have a look may be website edar . com they have places to rent to give you idea of prices but dont expect to get anything fixed up from here as you have to be there to make arrangements . sorry as I am still a new member it wont let me post the website addres as it should be put a couple of w's and it should work
good luck Julie