Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $3,548 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $34,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
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Basel Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Basel

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 Basel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $643 in Cairo versus $3,548 in Basel.

Cairo $643
Basel $3,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,037 in Cairo versus $5,573 in Basel.

Cairo $1,037
Basel $5,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,431 in Cairo versus $7,599 in Basel.

Cairo $1,431
Basel $7,599

Living in Cairo costs roughly 82% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Basel is 165% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$30.00 CHF 24.90

-84.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$125 CHF 104

-77.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$18.03 CHF 14.97

-66.56%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$6.54 CHF 5.43

-72.32%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$6.48 CHF 5.38

-94.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$5.77 CHF 4.79

-97.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$9.22 CHF 7.65

-84.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$9.42 CHF 7.82

-76.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-55.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$3.09 CHF 2.56

-76.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$3.34 CHF 2.77

-76.95%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-84.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$26.14 CHF 21.69

-83.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$27.34 CHF 22.69

-81.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$41.29 CHF 34.27

-78.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$3.63 CHF 3.01

-49.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-66.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$3.03 CHF 2.52

-81.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-89.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.75 CHF 1.45

-78.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.98 CHF 1.64

-78.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-83.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.61 CHF 1.34

-85.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$11.41 CHF 9.47

-82.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$12.15 CHF 10.09

-38.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.45 CHF 2.03

-37.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.98 CHF 2.47

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$4.82 CHF 4.00

-93.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$103 CHF 85.3

-91.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$7.68 CHF 6.38

-95.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-95.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$82.9 CHF 68.8

-98.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-80.09%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$42.0K CHF 34.9K

-22.30%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

-27.76%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$286 CHF 237

-90.37%

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

$8.27 E£432

$46.01 CHF 38.19

-82.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$63.0 CHF 52.3

-77.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$83.2 CHF 69.0

-66.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$57.2 CHF 47.45

-88.28%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$22.81 CHF 18.93

-80.71%

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

$121 E£6,356

$2,915 CHF 2,419

-95.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$32.5K CHF 27.0K

-88.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$147 CHF 122

-72.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$79.8 CHF 66.3

-37.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$164 CHF 136

-29.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$197 CHF 164

-69.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$1,943 CHF 1,613

-88.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$1,503 CHF 1,248

-87.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$3,544 CHF 2,941

-85.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$2,822 CHF 2,342

-88.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$18.3K CHF 15.2K

-95.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$14.4K CHF 11.9K

-96.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$6,904 CHF 5,730

-97.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

2.42

569.83%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Basel

$1.5K 42.8% 674% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Basel

$583 16.6% 313% $442

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Basel

$265 7.5% 122% $145

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Basel

$487 13.8% 434% $395

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Basel

$395 11.2% 692% $345

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Basel

$129 3.7% 247% $92

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Basel

$153 4.4% 1250% $142

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $220 in Cairo and $1,943 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 3349% 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: $28.00 in Cairo vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $141 vs $583 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

09:07 9:07 AM

08:07 8:07 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

174,491

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Basel 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Basel

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 Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 451% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cairo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 3349% lower in Basel. 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: $220 in Cairo versus $1,943 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $121 in Cairo versus $2,915 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 313% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $643 in Cairo versus $3,548 in Basel, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Cairo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cairo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $643 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cairo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cairo and Basel 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 Cairo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 451% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.