Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $3,361 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $32,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
163

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Bern

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $643 in Cairo versus $3,361 in Bern.

Cairo $643
Bern $3,361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,037 in Cairo versus $5,127 in Bern.

Cairo $1,037
Bern $5,127

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,431 in Cairo versus $6,894 in Bern.

Cairo $1,431
Bern $6,894

Living in Cairo costs roughly 81% less than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cairo is 52% below, Bern is 151% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$28.65 CHF 23.78

-83.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$120 CHF 99.9

-76.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$15.95 CHF 13.23

-62.19%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$6.61 CHF 5.49

-72.62%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$6.16 CHF 5.11

-94.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$6.97 CHF 5.79

-97.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$9.14 CHF 7.59

-84.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$7.95 CHF 6.60

-71.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-55.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$2.91 CHF 2.42

-74.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$3.25 CHF 2.70

-76.31%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$7.57 CHF 6.29

-84.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$24.53 CHF 20.36

-82.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$28.76 CHF 23.87

-82.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$38.92 CHF 32.30

-77.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$3.94 CHF 3.27

-53.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.95 CHF 1.62

-61.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.64 CHF 2.19

-78.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$4.71 CHF 3.91

-89.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.61 CHF 1.34

-76.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-78.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-84.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.35 CHF 1.12

-82.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$11.08 CHF 9.20

-82.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$12.00 CHF 9.96

-37.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-31.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.91 CHF 2.42

-26.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$6.31 CHF 5.24

-94.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$100 CHF 83.2

-91.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$8.04 CHF 6.68

-95.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$4.52 CHF 3.76

-95.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$107 CHF 88.8

-98.61%

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

$43.0K CHF 35.7K

-24.16%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-27.60%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$267 CHF 222

-89.69%

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

$8.27 E£432

$27.95 CHF 23.20

-70.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$54.8 CHF 45.51

-74.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$86.9 CHF 72.2

-67.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

$46.30 CHF 38.43

-85.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$23.85 CHF 19.79

-81.55%

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

$121 E£6,356

$3,148 CHF 2,612

-96.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$30.7K CHF 25.5K

-88.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$142 CHF 118

-71.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$61.4 CHF 51.0

-19.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$157 CHF 130

-26.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$195 CHF 162

-68.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$1,900 CHF 1,577

-88.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$1,386 CHF 1,151

-85.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$3,555 CHF 2,951

-85.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$2,455 CHF 2,037

-86.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

-95.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$14.6K CHF 12.1K

-96.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$6,782 CHF 5,629

-97.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

2.46

558.94%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

Bern

$1.4K 41.8% 614% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

Bern

$569 17.2% 303% $428

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

Bern

$250 7.5% 109% $130

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

Bern

$470 14.2% 417% $379

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Bern

$350 10.6% 602% $300

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

Bern

$135 4.1% 263% $98

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

Bern

$156 4.7% 1276% $145

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $220 in Cairo and $1,900 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays 3288% 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 $120 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $141 vs $569 per month, with Cairo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

128,848 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Cairo Bern 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Bern

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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairo wins on cost – living expenses run 422% lower than in Bern. 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 3288% lower in Bern. 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 $1,900 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cairo – a meal for two runs $28.00 versus $120 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $643 per month in Cairo versus $3,361 in Bern – a 422% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $643 in Cairo versus $3,361 in Bern, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cairo but tight or insufficient in Bern. 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 Bern 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 422% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.