Instead, a remarkable calm has emerged, with the capital returning to the rhythms of life that defined it before January 2011. For many Egyptians, the ideals of the revolution that felled Mr. Mubarak and brought Mr. Morsi to power no longer square with their desire to live without the daily interruptions caused by street marches and political gridlock that has contributed to a steep economic decline.

Banks have reopened, long lines at gas stations have all but disappeared, electricity outages are far fewer and people have returned to daily work routines. Police are more visible, attempting to direct Cairo’s unruly traffic.

For Mr. Ashraf, who once feared the repressive state security apparatus, the sight of a police patrol no longer startles him.

“I don’t know what happened, but instead of a slap on the back of the neck, these guys are smiling at me,” he said on a recent late afternoon, while sitting at a sidewalk cafe in his working-class neighborhood. The father of three can’t pinpoint how his life has improved since Mr. Morsi’s removal. It is a feeling, he said, that his stalled prospects will improve under a military-backed government he views as “competent and experienced.”