Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Biel

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.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
Learn more

Biel Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Biel

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

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

Cairo $647
Biel $2,826

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

Cairo $1,035
Biel $4,452

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

Cairo $1,423
Biel $6,078

Cairo is about 77% cheaper than Biel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-84.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$108 CHF 88.9

-73.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$18.28 CHF 15.06

-67.01%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$6.07 CHF 5.00

-71.66%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$5.17 CHF 4.26

-93.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$4.13 CHF 3.40

-97.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$7.77 CHF 6.40

-80.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$4.91 CHF 4.04

-52.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-55.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-80.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$3.30 CHF 2.72

-77.58%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$7.19 CHF 5.92

-83.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$21.93 CHF 18.06

-80.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$27.12 CHF 22.34

-81.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$38.83 CHF 31.98

-76.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$3.06 CHF 2.52

-42.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-64.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$2.46 CHF 2.02

-77.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$3.10 CHF 2.55

-83.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.47 CHF 1.21

-71.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$1.81 CHF 1.49

-77.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-83.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.05 CHF 0.87

-80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$10.99 CHF 9.05

-81.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$14.90 CHF 12.28

-47.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$0.92 CHF 0.76

72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$1.77 CHF 1.46

18.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$4.91 CHF 4.04

-92.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$93.3 CHF 76.9

-90.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$7.84 CHF 6.46

-95.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-95.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$83.0 CHF 68.4

-98.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-80.63%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

-21.62%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

-21.83%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$137 CHF 113

-80.16%

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

$8.58 E£458

$35.74 CHF 29.43

-75.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$50.2 CHF 41.30

-72.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$77.2 CHF 63.6

-61.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$21.92 CHF 18.05

-77.83%

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

$121 E£6,438

$2,620 CHF 2,158

-95.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

-90.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$108 CHF 89.2

-62.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$40.74 CHF 33.56

21.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$136 CHF 112

-15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$219 CHF 180

-72.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$1,240 CHF 1,022

-82.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$1,120 CHF 922

-82.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$2,275 CHF 1,874

-75.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$2,035 CHF 1,676

-82.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$9,683 CHF 7,975

-91.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$7,818 CHF 6,439

-93.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$5,516 CHF 4,543

-96.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

1.68

864.88%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Biel

$1.1K 39.6% 474% $925

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Biel

$538 19% 280% $396

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Biel

$227 8% 90.3% $108

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Biel

$454 16.1% 405% $364

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Biel

$223 7.9% 348% $173

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Biel

$121 4.3% 207% $82

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Biel

$143 5.1% 1138% $132

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $1,240 in Biel. 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 $28.00 in Cairo versus $108 in Biel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $538 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Biel

🕒 Local time

01:24 1:24 AM

00:24 12:24 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

56,378

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cairo Biel 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Biel

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 Biel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Biel is pricier by about 337%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $4,240 in Biel. 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.

Public transport costs about 974% less in Cairo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $2,620 in Biel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.

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, Biel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.