Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Aarau: $2,794 a month against $4,936 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

238

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
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Aarau Living Index

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George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,936

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in George Town and in Aarau

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

A single person spends $4,936 per month in George Town vs $2,794 in Aarau, rent included.

George Town $4,936
Aarau $2,794

A couple spends around $7,405 per month in George Town vs $4,568 in Aarau, rent included.

George Town $7,405
Aarau $4,568

A family of three spends $9,875 per month in George Town vs $6,342 in Aarau, rent included.

George Town $9,875
Aarau $6,342

George Town costs about 77% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both George Town and Aarau sit above the global median – George Town by 266%, Aarau by 107%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.24 KYD 24.80

$29.07 CHF 23.94

4.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$115 KYD 94.0

$106 CHF 87.6

7.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.97 KYD 13.91

$17.63 CHF 14.52

-3.74%

Cappuccino

$7.16 KYD 5.87

$5.80 CHF 4.78

23.45%

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

$2.99 KYD 2.45

$5.22 CHF 4.30

-42.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 KYD 2.35

$4.70 CHF 3.87

-39.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.10 KYD 5.82

$6.15 CHF 5.06

15.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.42 KYD 7.73

$6.60 CHF 5.44

42.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.67 KYD 3.83

$2.05 CHF 1.69

127.80%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 KYD 3.47

$3.62 CHF 2.98

16.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.40 KYD 3.61

$2.59 CHF 2.13

69.88%

Eggs

$7.29 KYD 5.98

$7.22 CHF 5.95

0.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$55.9 KYD 45.87

$30.30 CHF 24.96

84.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.98 KYD 15.56

$29.34 CHF 24.16

-35.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.38 KYD 15.89

$40.30 CHF 33.19

-51.91%

Apples (1kg)

$7.47 KYD 6.12

$2.89 CHF 2.38

158.48%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 KYD 2.96

$1.78 CHF 1.46

103.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.01 KYD 4.93

$2.44 CHF 2.01

146.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.95 KYD 6.52

$5.50 CHF 4.53

44.55%

Potato (1kg)

$4.03 KYD 3.31

$1.66 CHF 1.37

142.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.96 KYD 3.24

$1.96 CHF 1.61

102.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.18 KYD 2.61

$2.28 CHF 1.87

39.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 KYD 1.85

$1.19 CHF 0.98

89.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.50 KYD 11.89

$10.86 CHF 8.94

33.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.15 KYD 20.62

$10.21 CHF 8.41

146.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.14 KYD 3.40

$2.49 CHF 2.05

66.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.37 KYD 4.40

$2.86 CHF 2.36

87.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 KYD 1.92

$5.11 CHF 4.20

-54.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.7 KYD 65.4

$146 CHF 120

-45.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$19.10 KYD 15.66

$6.84 CHF 5.64

179.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.86 KYD 3.16

$3.32 CHF 2.74

16.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.76 KYD 37.52

$58.8 CHF 48.45

-22.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 KYD 1.35

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-25.68%

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

$42.3K KYD 34.7K

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

-1.52%

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

$43.1K KYD 35.3K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

9.68%

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

$459 KYD 377

$120 CHF 98.9

282.51%

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

$118 KYD 96.4

$30.84 CHF 25.40

281.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$112 KYD 91.9

$55.7 CHF 45.84

101.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$213 KYD 174

$97.9 CHF 80.6

117.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.02 KYD 28.71

$59.6 CHF 49.04

-41.19%

Cinema Ticket

$18.78 KYD 15.40

$21.42 CHF 17.64

-12.32%

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

$1,840 KYD 1,509

$3,152 CHF 2,596

-41.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K KYD 21.5K

$32.4K CHF 26.7K

-19.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 KYD 70.4

$88.7 CHF 73.0

-3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$74.8 KYD 61.3

$70.6 CHF 58.2

5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 KYD 113

$109 CHF 90.1

26.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 KYD 121

$169 CHF 140

-13.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,943 KYD 2,413

$1,277 CHF 1,052

130.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,491 KYD 2,042

$1,033 CHF 851

141.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,699 KYD 4,674

$2,290 CHF 1,886

148.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,661 KYD 3,822

$2,114 CHF 1,742

120.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,627 KYD 7,074

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,246 KYD 1,842

$11.8K CHF 9,759

-81.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,354 KYD 6,030

$6,801 CHF 5,601

8.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

246.32%

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

Last update for George Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$2.5K 50.5%

Aarau

$1K 37% 58.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$721 14.6%

Aarau

$588 21% 18.5% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$689 14%

Aarau

$207 7.4% 70% $482

Eating Out

George Town

$457 9.3%

Aarau

$439 15.7% 3.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$250 5.1%

Aarau

$141 5% 43.8% $110

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$201 4.1%

Aarau

$197 7.1% 1.8% $3.5

Getting Around

George Town

$127 2.6%

Aarau

$190 6.8% 49.1% $63

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,943 in George Town versus $1,277 in Aarau. 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 8% higher in George Town, 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 $115 in George Town versus $106 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $721 vs $588 – making Aarau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇾 George Town

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

7 h ahead of George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,089 Capital

21,191

💱 Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to KYD – Cayman Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands Dollar ($)

Cayman Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.922 KYD (1 KYD = 1.08 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 KYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

George Town Aarau 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

George Town
Aarau

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

George Town vs Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

George Town costs about 77% more than Aarau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $7,404 per month in George Town and $4,191 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aarau, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 83% less in Aarau. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,840 per month in George Town and $3,152 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $4,936 in George Town and $2,794 in Aarau. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Aarau – 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 Aarau. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, George Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.