Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Altstätten

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $3,362 in Altstätten, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
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Altstätten Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Altstätten

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $3,362 in Altstätten, rent included.

Cairo $647
Altstätten $3,362

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $5,134 in Altstätten, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Altstätten $5,134

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $6,905 in Altstätten, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Altstätten $6,905

Cairo is about 81% cheaper than Altstätten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Altstätten is 149% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$29.51 CHF 24.30

-84.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$118 CHF 97.2

-76.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$17.80 CHF 14.66

-66.12%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-71.04%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$5.13 CHF 4.22

-92.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$4.86 CHF 4.01

-97.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$9.25 CHF 7.62

-83.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-68.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-57.99%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-79.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-79.89%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$7.71 CHF 6.35

-84.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$25.63 CHF 21.11

-83.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$28.49 CHF 23.47

-82.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$40.80 CHF 33.60

-77.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$3.60 CHF 2.96

-50.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.03 CHF 1.67

-64.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-79.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$4.75 CHF 3.91

-89.47%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-77.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-80.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-85.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.29 CHF 1.07

-83.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$10.72 CHF 8.83

-81.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$12.90 CHF 10.63

-39.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$2.82 CHF 2.32

-43.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$3.11 CHF 2.56

-32.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-92.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$100 CHF 82.7

-91.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$7.47 CHF 6.15

-94.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-95.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$74.3 CHF 61.2

-97.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-80.80%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$40.5K CHF 33.4K

-19.30%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-31.20%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$277 CHF 228

-90.15%

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

$8.58 E£458

$32.44 CHF 26.72

-73.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$55.8 CHF 45.95

-74.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$91.5 CHF 75.4

-67.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$44.93 CHF 37.01

-83.86%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$22.65 CHF 18.66

-78.54%

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

$121 E£6,438

$2,646 CHF 2,179

-95.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$34.1K CHF 28.1K

-89.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$143 CHF 118

-71.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$57.4 CHF 47.30

-13.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$149 CHF 123

-23.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$185 CHF 152

-67.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$1,668 CHF 1,374

-86.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$1,419 CHF 1,168

-86.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$2,868 CHF 2,362

-80.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$2,429 CHF 2,000

-85.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-94.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$12.2K CHF 10.0K

-95.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

2.07

683.09%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Altstätten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Altstätten

$1.4K 42.2% 628% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Altstätten

$590 17.5% 316% $448

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Altstätten

$241 7.2% 102% $121

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Altstätten

$462 13.7% 413% $372

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Altstätten

$365 10.9% 633% $315

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Altstätten

$137 4.1% 247% $97

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Altstätten

$150 4.5% 1192% $138

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $1,668 in Altstätten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $118 in Altstätten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $590 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

03:18 3:18 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

11,145

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

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).

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).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo Altstätten 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Altstätten

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

Cairo vs Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Altstätten is pricier by about 420%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $5,043 in Altstätten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $647 in Cairo and $3,362 in Altstätten. That's a gap of about 420%.

Public transport costs about 1055% less in Cairo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Altstätten at $3,362. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Altstätten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Altstätten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.