Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $35,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in St. Gallen

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

A single person spends $643 per month in Cairo vs $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Cairo $643
St. Gallen $3,632

A couple spends around $1,037 per month in Cairo vs $5,284 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Cairo $1,037
St. Gallen $5,284

A family of three spends $1,431 per month in Cairo vs $6,937 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Cairo $1,431
St. Gallen $6,937

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

Cairo sits 52% below the global median, while St. Gallen is 171% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.69 E£245

$29.41 CHF 24.41

-84.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.49 E£1,491

$145 CHF 121

-80.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.03 E£315

$17.82 CHF 14.79

-66.16%

Cappuccino

$1.81 E£94.7

$5.99 CHF 4.97

-69.78%

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

$0.35 E£18.18

$5.81 CHF 4.83

-93.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 E£7.95

$5.33 CHF 4.42

-97.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 E£76.0

$9.23 CHF 7.66

-84.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 E£117

$6.17 CHF 5.12

-63.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£50.7

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-56.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 E£37.96

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-77.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 E£40.24

$3.68 CHF 3.06

-79.08%

Eggs

$1.17 E£61.2

$7.68 CHF 6.37

-84.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 E£226

$25.41 CHF 21.09

-83.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 E£265

$28.97 CHF 24.05

-82.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 E£467

$38.85 CHF 32.25

-77.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 E£95.8

$3.16 CHF 2.62

-42.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£39.07

$1.61 CHF 1.33

-53.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.57 E£29.78

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-75.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£26.62

$6.01 CHF 4.99

-91.51%

Potato (1kg)

$0.38 E£20.05

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-77.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 E£21.88

$2.16 CHF 1.80

-80.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 E£18.43

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-83.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 E£12.57

$1.18 CHF 0.98

-79.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£104

$10.65 CHF 8.84

-81.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.48 E£391

$11.32 CHF 9.39

-33.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 E£79.4

$2.18 CHF 1.81

-30.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 E£112

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-7.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 E£17.10

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-92.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.66 E£453

$128 CHF 106

-93.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 E£19.27

$6.64 CHF 5.51

-94.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 E£10.65

$4.79 CHF 3.98

-95.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 E£77.8

$77.3 CHF 64.2

-98.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£23.94

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-79.28%

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

$32.6K E£1.7M

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

-7.62%

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

$28.4K E£1.5M

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

-28.04%

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

$27.54 E£1,441

$305 CHF 253

-90.97%

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

$8.27 E£432

$38.46 CHF 31.92

-78.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 E£735

$54.2 CHF 44.95

-74.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 E£1,479

$80.7 CHF 67.0

-64.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.70 E£350

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 E£230

$30.32 CHF 25.16

-85.49%

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

$121 E£6,356

$2,308 CHF 1,915

-94.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,619 E£189.3K

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

-88.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.16 E£2,101

$146 CHF 122

-72.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.61 E£2,596

$64.6 CHF 53.7

-23.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,033

$147 CHF 122

-21.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.6 E£3,170

$179 CHF 148

-66.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 E£11.5K

$1,734 CHF 1,439

-87.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$194 E£10.2K

$1,698 CHF 1,410

-88.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 E£26.9K

$2,854 CHF 2,369

-81.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 E£17.5K

$2,153 CHF 1,787

-84.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$806 E£42.2K

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-93.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$513 E£26.9K

$9,070 CHF 7,528

-94.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$200 E£10.5K

$6,528 CHF 5,418

-96.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

2.1

671.90%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$194 30.1%

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46% 775% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$141 21.9%

St. Gallen

$572 15.5% 305% $431

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$120 18.6%

St. Gallen

$242 6.6% 102% $122

Eating Out

Cairo

$91 14.1%

St. Gallen

$464 12.6% 409% $373

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.7%

St. Gallen

$398 10.8% 698% $348

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$37 5.8%

St. Gallen

$141 3.8% 281% $104

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.8%

St. Gallen

$176 4.8% 1447% $164

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $220 in Cairo versus $1,734 in St. Gallen. 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 3161% higher in St. Gallen, 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 $145 in St. Gallen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $572 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

11:21 11:21 AM

10:21 10:21 AM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

78,213

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cairo St. Gallen 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
St. Gallen

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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – St. Gallen is pricier by about 464%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $965 per month in Cairo and $5,447 in St. Gallen. 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 305% more in St. Gallen, 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 $145 in St. Gallen. 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 $643, than in St. Gallen at $3,632. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Gallen 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, St. Gallen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.