Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Olten

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $3,049 in Olten, rent and utilities included – about $29,000 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
148

Cost of Living Index in Olten
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Olten Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Olten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,049

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Olten

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $3,049 in Olten, rent included.

Cairo $635
Olten $3,049

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $4,812 in Olten, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Olten $4,812

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $6,576 in Olten, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Olten $6,576

Cairo is about 79% cheaper than Olten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cairo sits 53% below the global median, while Olten is 125% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$33.18 CHF 27.33

-86.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$122 CHF 100

-77.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$17.69 CHF 14.57

-67.04%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$6.29 CHF 5.18

-73.13%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$5.51 CHF 4.54

-93.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$5.21 CHF 4.29

-97.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$9.22 CHF 7.59

-84.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$7.52 CHF 6.19

-70.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$2.11 CHF 1.73

-55.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$3.87 CHF 3.19

-79.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-81.63%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-86.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$26.10 CHF 21.50

-84.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$26.77 CHF 22.05

-82.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$46.34 CHF 38.16

-80.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-58.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$2.69 CHF 2.22

-73.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-80.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$4.69 CHF 3.86

-89.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-85.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$2.14 CHF 1.76

-79.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$2.55 CHF 2.10

-86.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$1.29 CHF 1.06

-83.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$10.85 CHF 8.93

-81.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$14.12 CHF 11.63

-46.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.79 CHF 2.30

-45.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$3.25 CHF 2.68

-36.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$5.30 CHF 4.37

-93.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$107 CHF 88.3

-92.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$8.39 CHF 6.91

-95.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-95.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$90.2 CHF 74.3

-98.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-79.17%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-16.27%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-33.47%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$275 CHF 227

-89.97%

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

$7.83 E£418

$32.97 CHF 27.15

-76.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$47.51 CHF 39.13

-69.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$80.2 CHF 66.1

-64.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$21.01 CHF 17.30

-78.30%

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

$120 E£6,417

$3,608 CHF 2,971

-96.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$41.7K CHF 34.3K

-91.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$143 CHF 118

-72.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$59.3 CHF 48.81

-17.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$167 CHF 137

-33.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$210 CHF 173

-72.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$1,210 CHF 997

-82.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$1,035 CHF 852

-81.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$1,968 CHF 1,621

-72.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$1,948 CHF 1,605

-82.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$5,837 CHF 4,808

-96.66%

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 Olten: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Olten

$1K 34% 428% $839

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Olten

$617 20.3% 350% $480

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Olten

$261 8.6% 126% $145

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Olten

$498 16.3% 463% $410

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Olten

$356 11.7% 614% $306

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Olten

$122 4% 224% $85

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Olten

$160 5.2% 1348% $149

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $1,210 in Olten. 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 2895% higher in Olten, 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 Olten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $617 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Olten

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

17,280

💱 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 Olten 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Olten

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 Olten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Olten is pricier by about 380%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $4,573 in Olten. 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 350% more in Olten, 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 Olten. 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 Olten at $3,049. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Olten 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, Olten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.