Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Riehen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $3,372 in Riehen, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Riehen
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Riehen Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$647

/mo nomad

Riehen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Riehen

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

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

Cairo $647
Riehen $3,372

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $5,084 in Riehen, rent included.

Cairo $1,035
Riehen $5,084

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $6,797 in Riehen, rent included.

Cairo $1,423
Riehen $6,797

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.64 E£248

$29.55 CHF 24.34

-84.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.12 E£1,501

$120 CHF 98.5

-76.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£322

$15.72 CHF 12.94

-61.64%

Cappuccino

$1.72 E£92.1

$6.21 CHF 5.11

-72.30%

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

$0.36 E£19.38

$4.98 CHF 4.10

-92.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 E£6.41

$5.26 CHF 4.33

-97.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 E£80.4

$7.15 CHF 5.89

-78.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 E£124

$6.57 CHF 5.41

-64.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 E£48.92

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-56.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£38.92

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-76.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 E£39.64

$3.51 CHF 2.89

-78.92%

Eggs

$1.19 E£63.7

$7.13 CHF 5.87

-83.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 E£231

$24.83 CHF 20.45

-82.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.03 E£269

$24.86 CHF 20.48

-79.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.28 E£496

$37.07 CHF 30.53

-74.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 E£94.4

$3.52 CHF 2.90

-49.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 E£39.03

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-54.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.51

$2.51 CHF 2.07

-78.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 E£26.91

$4.36 CHF 3.59

-88.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 E£22.42

$1.78 CHF 1.46

-76.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 E£21.81

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-80.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 E£17.51

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-84.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.20

$1.23 CHF 1.02

-82.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 E£106

$10.91 CHF 8.99

-81.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 E£417

$10.39 CHF 8.56

-24.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 E£84.7

$3.48 CHF 2.87

-54.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 E£112

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-9.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 E£18.83

$4.45 CHF 3.67

-92.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.69 E£464

$98.6 CHF 81.2

-91.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.39 E£21.02

$9.84 CHF 8.11

-96.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 E£11.57

$4.02 CHF 3.31

-94.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 E£80.5

$73.6 CHF 60.6

-97.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£22.88

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-80.28%

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

$32.7K E£1.7M

$41.5K CHF 34.1K

-21.13%

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

$27.2K E£1.5M

$39.3K CHF 32.3K

-30.63%

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

$27.27 E£1,456

$339 CHF 280

-91.97%

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

$8.58 E£458

$41.49 CHF 34.17

-79.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.99 E£747

$56.6 CHF 46.59

-75.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.69 E£1,585

$88.7 CHF 73.1

-66.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.25 E£387

$45.01 CHF 37.07

-83.89%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 E£260

$21.40 CHF 17.63

-77.29%

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

$121 E£6,438

$1,786 CHF 1,471

-93.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,560 E£190.1K

$36.6K CHF 30.2K

-90.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.28 E£2,151

$102 CHF 84.0

-60.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.53 E£2,645

$57.0 CHF 46.94

-13.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,137

$165 CHF 136

-30.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 E£3,206

$183 CHF 151

-67.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 E£11.9K

$1,680 CHF 1,384

-86.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$195 E£10.4K

$1,440 CHF 1,186

-86.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 E£29.3K

$3,422 CHF 2,819

-83.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$346 E£18.5K

$2,418 CHF 1,992

-85.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$800 E£42.7K

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-94.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$525 E£28.0K

$12.0K CHF 9,867

-95.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.7K

$8,642 CHF 7,118

-97.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

2.31

601.73%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Riehen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$195 30.2%

Riehen

$1.4K 42.7% 638% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$142 21.9%

Riehen

$540 16% 281% $399

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$119 18.4%

Riehen

$228 6.8% 91.6% $109

Eating Out

Cairo

$90 13.9%

Riehen

$448 13.3% 397% $358

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

Riehen

$438 13% 778% $388

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$39 6.1%

Riehen

$132 3.9% 234% $92

Getting Around

Cairo

$12 1.8%

Riehen

$146 4.3% 1164% $135

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $1,680 in Riehen. 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 4227% higher in Riehen, 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 $120 in Riehen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $540 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Riehen

🕒 Local time

15:12 3:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

20,970

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Riehen 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Riehen

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 Riehen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Riehen 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 $5,057 in Riehen. 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 281% more in Riehen, 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 $120 in Riehen. 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 Riehen at $3,372. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Riehen 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, Riehen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.