Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $3,334 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $32,400 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index

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Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Staefa

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $3,334 in Staefa, rent included.

Cairo $635
Staefa $3,334

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $5,350 in Staefa, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Staefa $5,350

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $7,365 in Staefa, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Staefa $7,365

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

Cairo sits 53% below the global median, while Staefa is 146% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$32.82 CHF 27.03

-85.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$121 CHF 99.3

-77.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$16.37 CHF 13.49

-64.39%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$6.22 CHF 5.12

-72.83%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$5.88 CHF 4.84

-94.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$5.00 CHF 4.12

-97.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$8.26 CHF 6.80

-82.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$8.41 CHF 6.93

-73.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-57.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$3.45 CHF 2.84

-77.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$3.77 CHF 3.11

-81.43%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$8.37 CHF 6.90

-86.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$26.91 CHF 22.17

-84.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$25.91 CHF 21.34

-81.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$55.2 CHF 45.46

-84.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-51.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$2.75 CHF 2.27

-74.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$3.58 CHF 2.95

-83.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$4.48 CHF 3.69

-88.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$2.49 CHF 2.05

-85.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-80.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$2.48 CHF 2.05

-86.29%

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

$10.79 CHF 8.88

-81.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$13.68 CHF 11.27

-45.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$2.74 CHF 2.26

-44.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$3.21 CHF 2.64

-35.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-92.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$100 CHF 82.5

-91.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$7.40 CHF 6.10

-94.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-95.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$87.0 CHF 71.7

-98.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-80.77%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-16.41%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

-33.78%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$236 CHF 194

-88.30%

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

$7.83 E£418

$31.65 CHF 26.06

-75.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$56.5 CHF 46.52

-74.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$79.0 CHF 65.1

-63.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$44.96 CHF 37.03

-83.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$22.08 CHF 18.18

-79.35%

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

$120 E£6,417

$2,812 CHF 2,316

-95.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$42.2K CHF 34.7K

-91.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$138 CHF 113

-71.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$59.9 CHF 49.37

-18.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$147 CHF 121

-24.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$171 CHF 141

-66.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$1,581 CHF 1,302

-86.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$1,382 CHF 1,138

-85.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$2,894 CHF 2,383

-81.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$2,779 CHF 2,289

-87.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$17.3K CHF 14.3K

-95.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

-96.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Staefa

$1.4K 41.4% 605% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Staefa

$637 19.1% 364% $500

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Staefa

$232 7% 101% $117

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Staefa

$488 14.6% 452% $400

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Staefa

$324 9.7% 550% $274

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Staefa

$123 3.7% 226% $85

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Staefa

$149 4.5% 1249% $138

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $1,581 in Staefa. 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 $121 in Staefa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $137 vs $637 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

11,567

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Staefa 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
Staefa

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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Staefa is pricier by about 425%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $5,002 in Staefa. 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 364% more in Staefa, 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 $121 in Staefa. 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 Staefa at $3,334. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Staefa 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, Staefa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.