Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $34,700 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
171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Cham

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $3,527 in Cham, rent included.

Cairo $635
Cham $3,527

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $5,432 in Cham, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Cham $5,432

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $7,337 in Cham, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Cham $7,337

Cairo is about 82% cheaper than Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 53% below the global median, while Cham is 160% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$30.40 CHF 25.04

-84.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$122 CHF 101

-77.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$18.19 CHF 14.98

-67.95%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$6.17 CHF 5.09

-72.61%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$5.52 CHF 4.55

-93.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-97.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$8.62 CHF 7.10

-82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$6.60 CHF 5.44

-66.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-56.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$3.80 CHF 3.13

-79.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$3.86 CHF 3.18

-81.87%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$7.26 CHF 5.98

-84.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$26.70 CHF 21.99

-84.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$28.37 CHF 23.37

-83.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$42.48 CHF 34.98

-79.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$4.22 CHF 3.48

-60.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-66.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$3.28 CHF 2.70

-82.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-88.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-84.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-79.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$2.46 CHF 2.03

-86.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$1.16 CHF 0.95

-81.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$10.98 CHF 9.05

-81.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$12.73 CHF 10.48

-41.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.78 CHF 2.29

-45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-33.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$4.95 CHF 4.08

-93.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$149 CHF 122

-94.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$5.29 CHF 4.36

-92.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$3.40 CHF 2.80

-94.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$61.7 CHF 50.8

-97.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-80.60%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

-15.16%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-33.06%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$279 CHF 230

-90.10%

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

$7.83 E£418

$30.94 CHF 25.48

-74.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$55.9 CHF 46.04

-74.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-68.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$49.67 CHF 40.90

-84.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$25.71 CHF 21.18

-82.26%

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

$120 E£6,417

$1,791 CHF 1,475

-93.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

-89.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$143 CHF 118

-72.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$58.7 CHF 48.31

-16.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$168 CHF 138

-33.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$253 CHF 208

-77.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$1,739 CHF 1,432

-87.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$1,475 CHF 1,214

-86.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$2,977 CHF 2,452

-81.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$2,600 CHF 2,142

-87.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

-95.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

-96.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Cham: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Cham

$1.5K 41.8% 653% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Cham

$604 17.1% 340% $467

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Cham

$280 7.9% 143% $165

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Cham

$470 13.3% 431% $381

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Cham

$366 10.4% 634% $316

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Cham

$142 4% 276% $104

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Cham

$191 5.4% 1631% $180

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $1,739 in Cham. 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 $122 in Cham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $604 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Cham

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

17,060

💱 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 Cham 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Cham

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 Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cham is pricier by about 455%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $5,290 in Cham. 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.

Groceries cost about 340% more in Cham, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $122 in Cham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Cham at $3,527. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cham 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, Cham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.