Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geneva and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $4,115 in Geneva, rent and utilities included – about $41,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

197

Cost of Living Index in Geneva
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Geneva Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,115

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Geneva and in Cairo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Geneva and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,115 per month in Geneva vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Geneva $4,115
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $6,200 per month in Geneva vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Geneva $6,200
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $8,284 per month in Geneva vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Geneva $8,284
Cairo $1,431

Geneva costs about 540% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Geneva sits 207% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.87 CHF 24.84

$4.69 E£245

536.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$135 CHF 112

$28.49 E£1,491

372.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.31 CHF 15.23

$6.03 E£316

203.65%

Cappuccino

$6.32 CHF 5.26

$1.81 E£94.8

249.17%

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

$4.89 CHF 4.07

$0.35 E£18.18

1297.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 CHF 3.49

$0.15 E£7.95

2693.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.39 CHF 7.81

$1.45 E£76.0

547.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.48 CHF 7.89

$2.24 E£117

323.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.92

$0.97 E£50.7

137.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.33 CHF 2.77

$0.73 E£37.97

356.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.35 CHF 2.78

$0.77 E£40.25

335.06%

Eggs

$8.16 CHF 6.79

$1.17 E£61.2

597.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 CHF 20.76

$4.32 E£226

477.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.00 CHF 24.12

$5.07 E£265

471.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.99 CHF 35.75

$8.92 E£467

381.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.82

$1.83 E£95.8

85.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.35

$0.75 E£39.08

117.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 CHF 2.26

$0.57 E£29.78

375.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.63 CHF 3.85

$0.51 E£26.63

807.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 CHF 1.28

$0.38 E£20.06

305.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.70

$0.42 E£21.89

388.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 CHF 1.77

$0.35 E£18.43

508.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 CHF 1.39

$0.24 E£12.57

595.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 9.11

$1.99 E£104

450.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 CHF 9.98

$7.48 E£391

60.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 CHF 2.53

$1.52 E£79.4

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CHF 2.78

$2.13 E£112

56.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.51 CHF 2.92

$0.33 E£17.10

963.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 CHF 74.4

$8.66 E£453

933.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.35 CHF 6.11

$0.37 E£19.27

1886.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.78 CHF 3.14

$0.20 E£10.65

1790.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$62.8 CHF 52.2

$1.49 E£77.8

4111.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 CHF 1.98

$0.46 E£23.95

417.39%

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

$38.7K CHF 32.2K

$32.6K E£1.7M

18.76%

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

$38.7K CHF 32.2K

$28.4K E£1.5M

36.39%

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

$281 CHF 234

$27.54 E£1,441

921.31%

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

$36.78 CHF 30.59

$8.27 E£433

344.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 CHF 49.01

$14.05 E£735

319.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.4 CHF 62.7

$28.27 E£1,480

166.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.62 CHF 37.11

$6.70 E£350

565.97%

Cinema Ticket

$23.76 CHF 19.76

$4.40 E£230

440.00%

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

$2,406 CHF 2,001

$121 E£6,357

1880.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.4K CHF 29.4K

$3,619 E£189.4K

878.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$136 CHF 113

$40.16 E£2,102

238.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.6 CHF 65.4

$49.61 E£2,596

58.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$163 CHF 135

$115 E£6,034

41.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$186 CHF 155

$60.6 E£3,170

206.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,809 CHF 2,336

$220 E£11.5K

1177.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 CHF 1,758

$194 E£10.2K

988.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,784 CHF 3,979

$514 E£26.9K

830.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,729 CHF 3,101

$334 E£17.5K

1017.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$22.0K CHF 18.3K

$806 E£42.2K

2634.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$15.5K CHF 12.9K

$513 E£26.9K

2929.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,065 CHF 5,875

$200 E£10.5K

3429.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

16.21

-87.79%

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

Last update for Geneva: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geneva

$2.1K 52%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 90.8% $1.9K

Groceries & Markets

Geneva

$595 14.6%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 76.3% $454

Eating Out

Geneva

$472 11.6%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 80.7% $381

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geneva

$377 9.3%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 86.8% $327

Clothing & Footwear

Geneva

$253 6.2%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 52.8% $134

Getting Around

Geneva

$130 3.2%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 91.3% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Geneva

$123 3%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 69.8% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,809 in Geneva versus $220 in Cairo. 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 3429% higher in Geneva, 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 $135 in Geneva versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $595 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Geneva

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

09:16 9:16 AM

1 h ahead of Geneva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

191,557

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.832 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.933 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Geneva Cairo 2,810 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Geneva vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Geneva is pricier by about 540%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,173 per month in Geneva and $965 in Cairo. 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 321% more in Geneva, 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 $135 in Geneva and $28.00 in Cairo. 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 Geneva at $4,115. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geneva 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, Geneva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.