Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bern and George Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,337 a month against $4,936 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index
238

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index

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Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,337

/mo nomad

George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bern and in George Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bern and in George Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,337 in Bern versus $4,936 in George Town.

Bern $3,337
George Town $4,936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,148 in Bern versus $7,405 in George Town.

Bern $5,148
George Town $7,405

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,958 in Bern versus $9,875 in George Town.

Bern $6,958
George Town $9,875

Living in Bern costs roughly 32% less than in George Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bern 147% above, George Town 266% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.53 CHF 23.50

$30.24 KYD 24.80

-5.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.3

$115 KYD 94.0

4.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.35 CHF 12.64

$16.97 KYD 13.91

-9.55%

Cappuccino

$6.90 CHF 5.68

$7.16 KYD 5.87

-3.63%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.13 CHF 5.05

$2.99 KYD 2.45

105.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 CHF 5.59

$2.86 KYD 2.35

137.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.89 CHF 7.32

$7.10 KYD 5.82

25.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$9.42 KYD 7.73

-18.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.79

$4.67 KYD 3.83

-53.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 CHF 2.49

$4.23 KYD 3.47

-28.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 CHF 2.67

$4.40 KYD 3.61

-26.14%

Eggs

$7.79 CHF 6.42

$7.29 KYD 5.98

6.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.73 CHF 19.54

$55.9 KYD 45.87

-57.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.58 CHF 23.54

$18.98 KYD 15.56

50.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.02 CHF 31.31

$19.38 KYD 15.89

96.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CHF 3.23

$7.47 KYD 6.12

-47.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$3.62 KYD 2.96

-45.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 CHF 2.22

$6.01 KYD 4.93

-55.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$7.95 KYD 6.52

-42.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$4.03 KYD 3.31

-60.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$3.96 KYD 3.24

-48.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 CHF 1.87

$3.18 KYD 2.61

-28.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.05

$2.25 KYD 1.85

-43.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.37 CHF 9.37

$14.50 KYD 11.89

-21.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.12 CHF 9.98

$25.15 KYD 20.62

-51.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$4.14 KYD 3.40

-47.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$5.37 KYD 4.40

-44.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$2.34 KYD 1.92

161.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 CHF 81.0

$79.7 KYD 65.4

23.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 CHF 6.75

$19.10 KYD 15.66

-57.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.61 CHF 3.79

$3.86 KYD 3.16

19.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$106 CHF 87.3

$45.76 KYD 37.52

131.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$1.65 KYD 1.35

42.42%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.0K CHF 34.6K

$42.3K KYD 34.7K

-0.76%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$43.1K KYD 35.3K

-9.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$275 CHF 227

$459 KYD 377

-40.04%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.22 CHF 23.24

$118 KYD 96.4

-76.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 CHF 44.43

$112 KYD 91.9

-51.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.2 CHF 73.4

$213 KYD 174

-58.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.49 CHF 38.29

$35.02 KYD 28.71

32.75%

Cinema Ticket

$23.80 CHF 19.60

$18.78 KYD 15.40

26.73%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,103 CHF 2,556

$1,840 KYD 1,509

68.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.9K CHF 25.4K

$26.2K KYD 21.5K

17.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$85.9 KYD 70.4

59.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.7 CHF 50.0

$74.8 KYD 61.3

-18.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$156 CHF 128

$138 KYD 113

12.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$192 CHF 158

$147 KYD 121

30.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 CHF 1,516

$2,943 KYD 2,413

-37.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,411 CHF 1,162

$2,491 KYD 2,042

-43.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,449 CHF 2,841

$5,699 KYD 4,674

-39.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 CHF 2,066

$4,661 KYD 3,822

-46.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.3K CHF 15.0K

$8,627 KYD 7,074

111.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.1K CHF 12.4K

$2,246 KYD 1,842

570.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,708 CHF 5,525

$7,354 KYD 6,030

-8.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

-69.25%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bern: October 12, 2026

Last update for George Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bern

$1.4K 42.3%

George Town

$2.5K 50.5% 76.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Bern

$564 16.9%

George Town

$721 14.6% 27.9% $157

Eating Out

Bern

$469 14%

George Town

$457 9.3% 2.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bern

$358 10.7%

George Town

$689 14% 92.7% $331

Clothing & Footwear

Bern

$246 7.4%

George Town

$201 4.1% 18.3% $45

Getting Around

Bern

$154 4.6%

George Town

$127 2.6% 17.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bern

$137 4.1%

George Town

$250 5.1% 83% $114

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,841 in Bern and $2,943 in George Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 10% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $119 in Bern vs $115 in George Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $564 vs $721, with Bern cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bern

🇰🇾 George Town

🕒 Local time

07:01 7:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

7 h behind Bern

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,848 Capital

28,089 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KYD, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.922 KYD (1 KYD = 1.08 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bern George Town 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bern
George Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bern vs George Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in George Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in George Town. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,841 in Bern versus $2,943 in George Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bern – a meal for two runs $119 versus $115 in George Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $3,337 per month in Bern versus $4,936 in George Town – a 48% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bern delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $3,337 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bern hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bern and George Town are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bern gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in George Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.