Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Meilen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $3,372 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 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
163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Meilen

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

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $3,372 in Meilen, rent included.

Cairo $647
Meilen $3,372

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $5,942 in Meilen, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Meilen $5,942

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $8,512 in Meilen, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Meilen $8,512

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

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while Meilen is 150% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$32.47 CHF 26.74

-85.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$122 CHF 101

-77.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$16.33 CHF 13.45

-63.07%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$6.31 CHF 5.19

-72.74%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$5.68 CHF 4.67

-93.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$5.01 CHF 4.13

-97.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$8.46 CHF 6.97

-82.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$8.29 CHF 6.83

-72.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-58.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$3.27 CHF 2.69

-77.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-80.42%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-84.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$26.56 CHF 21.87

-83.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$25.69 CHF 21.16

-80.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$40.25 CHF 33.15

-76.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-48.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$2.03 CHF 1.67

-64.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$2.67 CHF 2.20

-79.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-89.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-78.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-81.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-85.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.25 CHF 1.03

-83.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$11.03 CHF 9.09

-82.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$13.25 CHF 10.91

-41.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-29.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$3.23 CHF 2.66

-35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-92.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$96.8 CHF 79.7

-91.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$7.55 CHF 6.21

-94.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-95.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$88.0 CHF 72.5

-98.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-80.97%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-15.45%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-30.92%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$235 CHF 194

-88.41%

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

$8.58 E£458

$36.06 CHF 29.70

-76.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$65.3 CHF 53.8

-78.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$88.1 CHF 72.6

-66.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$44.50 CHF 36.65

-83.71%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$21.90 CHF 18.04

-77.81%

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

$121 E£6,438

$2,816 CHF 2,319

-95.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-91.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$137 CHF 113

-70.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$59.2 CHF 48.77

-16.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$144 CHF 118

-19.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$174 CHF 143

-65.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$1,690 CHF 1,392

-86.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$1,471 CHF 1,211

-86.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$2,831 CHF 2,332

-80.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$4,065 CHF 3,348

-91.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

-94.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$11.9K CHF 9,812

-95.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$8,259 CHF 6,802

-97.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

1.72

842.44%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6% 654% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Meilen

$570 16.9% 302% $429

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Meilen

$231 6.9% 94.1% $112

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Meilen

$486 14.4% 440% $396

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Meilen

$337 10% 576% $287

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Meilen

$132 3.9% 235% $93

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Meilen

$145 4.3% 1154% $134

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $1,690 in Meilen. 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 4035% higher in Meilen, 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 $122 in Meilen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $570 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

18:33 6:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

13,515

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 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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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Meilen 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Meilen

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 Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Meilen is pricier by about 421%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $5,059 in Meilen. 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 302% more in Meilen, 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 Meilen. 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 $647, than in Meilen at $3,372. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meilen 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, Meilen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.