Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biel and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $2,826 in Biel, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Biel
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$2,826
/mo nomad
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Biel and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $2,826 per month in Biel vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Biel $2,826
  • Cairo $647

A couple spends around $4,452 per month in Biel vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Biel $4,452
  • Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $6,078 per month in Biel vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Biel $6,078
  • Cairo $1,423

Biel costs about 337% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Biel sits 109% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Biel
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.08 CHF 24.77
$4.64 E£248
548.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 CHF 88.9
$28.12 E£1,501
284.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.28 CHF 15.06
$6.03 E£322
203.15%
Cappuccino
$6.07 CHF 5.00
$1.72 E£92.1
252.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 CHF 4.26
$0.36 E£19.38
1336.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 CHF 3.40
$0.12 E£6.41
3341.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.77 CHF 6.40
$1.51 E£80.4
414.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.91 CHF 4.04
$2.32 E£124
111.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Biel
Cairo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 CHF 1.72
$0.92 E£48.92
127.17%
White Bread (500g)
$3.78 CHF 3.11
$0.73 E£38.92
417.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.30 CHF 2.72
$0.74 E£39.64
345.95%
Eggs
$7.19 CHF 5.92
$1.19 E£63.7
504.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.93 CHF 18.06
$4.33 E£231
406.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$27.12 CHF 22.34
$5.03 E£269
439.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$38.83 CHF 31.98
$9.28 E£496
318.43%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 CHF 2.52
$1.77 E£94.4
72.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 CHF 1.68
$0.73 E£39.03
179.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 2.02
$0.55 E£29.51
347.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.10 CHF 2.55
$0.50 E£26.91
520.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 CHF 1.21
$0.42 E£22.42
250.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 CHF 1.49
$0.41 E£21.81
341.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.04 CHF 1.68
$0.33 E£17.51
518.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 CHF 0.87
$0.21 E£11.20
400.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.99 CHF 9.05
$1.98 E£106
455.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.90 CHF 12.28
$7.81 E£417
90.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 CHF 0.76
$1.59 E£84.7
-42.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 CHF 1.46
$2.09 E£112
-15.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Biel
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.91 CHF 4.04
$0.35 E£18.83
1302.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$93.3 CHF 76.9
$8.69 E£464
973.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.84 CHF 6.46
$0.39 E£21.02
1910.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.53 CHF 3.73
$0.22 E£11.57
1959.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$83.0 CHF 68.4
$1.51 E£80.5
5399.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 CHF 1.83
$0.43 E£22.88
416.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.7K CHF 34.4K
$32.7K E£1.7M
27.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K CHF 28.7K
$27.2K E£1.5M
27.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Biel
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 CHF 113
$27.27 E£1,456
403.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.74 CHF 29.43
$8.58 E£458
316.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.2 CHF 41.30
$13.99 E£747
258.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Biel
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 CHF 63.6
$29.69 E£1,585
159.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$7.25 E£387
-
Cinema Ticket
$21.92 CHF 18.05
$4.86 E£260
351.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Biel
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,620 CHF 2,158
$121 E£6,438
2073.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.2K CHF 30.6K
$3,560 E£190.1K
944.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Biel
Cairo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 CHF 89.2
$40.28 E£2,151
169.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.74 CHF 33.56
$49.53 E£2,645
-17.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$136 CHF 112
$115 E£6,137
18.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$219 CHF 180
$60.0 E£3,206
264.54%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Biel
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 CHF 1,022
$222 E£11.9K
458.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 CHF 922
$195 E£10.4K
474.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,275 CHF 1,874
$550 E£29.3K
313.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,035 CHF 1,676
$346 E£18.5K
487.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,683 CHF 7,975
$800 E£42.7K
1110.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,818 CHF 6,439
$525 E£28.0K
1389.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Biel
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,516 CHF 4,543
$200 E£10.7K
2661.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.68
16.21
-89.64%

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

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Biel
$1.1K
Cairo
$195 82.6% $925
Groceries & Markets
Biel
$538
Cairo
$142 73.7% $396
Eating Out
Biel
$454
Cairo
$90 80.2% $364
Clothing & Footwear
Biel
$227
Cairo
$119 47.4% $108
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Biel
$223
Cairo
$50 77.7% $173
Getting Around
Biel
$143
Cairo
$12 91.9% $132
Sport & Entertainment
Biel
$121
Cairo
$39 67.4% $82

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Biel versus $222 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2662% higher in Biel, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $108 in Biel versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $538 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Biel
🇪🇬 Cairo
🕒 Local time
06:22 6:22 AM
07:22 7:22 AM
1 h ahead of Biel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
56,378
9,120,350 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Biel Cairo 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Biel
  • Cairo

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
Biel vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cairo cheaper than Biel?
Yes – Biel is pricier by about 337%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,240 per month in Biel and $970 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 974% less in Cairo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,620 per month in Biel and $121 in Cairo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Biel or in Cairo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Biel at $2,826. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Biel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Biel or Cairo more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Biel or Cairo?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Biel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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