Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George Town, Cayman Islands and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Bern: $3,524 a month against $4,938 in George Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

237

Cost of Living Index in George Town
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George Town Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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George Town

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands

$4,938

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,938 in George Town versus $3,524 in Bern.

George Town $4,938
Bern $3,524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $7,524 in George Town versus $5,348 in Bern.

George Town $7,524
Bern $5,348

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $10.1K in George Town versus $7,171 in Bern.

George Town $10.1K
Bern $7,171

Living in George Town is roughly 40% more expensive than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: George Town 263% above, Bern 159% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.25 KYD 24.80

$28.73 CHF 23.83

5.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 KYD 92.4

$123 CHF 102

-8.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.49 KYD 13.53

$15.88 CHF 13.17

3.84%

Cappuccino

$6.99 KYD 5.73

$6.89 CHF 5.72

1.45%

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

$3.10 KYD 2.54

$6.13 CHF 5.09

-49.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 KYD 2.40

$6.96 CHF 5.78

-57.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 KYD 5.85

$9.11 CHF 7.55

-21.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.34 KYD 7.66

$8.06 CHF 6.69

15.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.55 KYD 3.73

$2.21 CHF 1.84

105.88%

White Bread (500g)

$4.30 KYD 3.53

$2.92 CHF 2.42

47.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.35 KYD 3.57

$3.17 CHF 2.63

37.22%

Eggs

$7.42 KYD 6.09

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-3.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$57.0 KYD 46.75

$24.56 CHF 20.37

132.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.37 KYD 15.89

$29.33 CHF 24.33

-33.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.89 KYD 16.31

$38.43 CHF 31.88

-48.24%

Apples (1kg)

$7.59 KYD 6.23

$3.80 CHF 3.15

99.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.62 KYD 2.97

$2.01 CHF 1.67

80.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.29 KYD 5.16

$2.60 CHF 2.15

141.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.63 KYD 6.25

$4.62 CHF 3.83

65.15%

Potato (1kg)

$4.15 KYD 3.40

$1.65 CHF 1.37

151.52%

Onion (1kg)

$3.90 KYD 3.19

$2.05 CHF 1.70

90.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.25 KYD 2.67

$2.21 CHF 1.84

47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 KYD 1.86

$1.28 CHF 1.06

76.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.55 KYD 11.93

$11.13 CHF 9.24

30.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.16 KYD 20.63

$11.91 CHF 9.88

111.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.28 KYD 3.51

$2.29 CHF 1.90

86.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 KYD 4.61

$3.02 CHF 2.51

86.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 KYD 1.92

$6.35 CHF 5.27

-63.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$118 KYD 97.1

$97.9 CHF 81.2

21.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$18.63 KYD 15.27

$7.99 CHF 6.63

133.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.78 KYD 3.10

$4.66 CHF 3.86

-18.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.27 KYD 37.12

$110 CHF 91.4

-58.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 KYD 1.32

$2.36 CHF 1.96

-31.78%

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

$42.2K KYD 34.6K

$38.5K CHF 32.0K

9.57%

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

$42.3K KYD 34.7K

$39.6K CHF 32.9K

6.79%

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

$463 KYD 380

$272 CHF 225

70.37%

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

$119 KYD 97.9

$28.10 CHF 23.31

324.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$114 KYD 93.8

$54.0 CHF 44.82

111.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$216 KYD 177

$85.2 CHF 70.7

153.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.46 KYD 28.26

$47.65 CHF 39.53

-27.68%

Cinema Ticket

$17.89 KYD 14.67

$25.53 CHF 21.18

-29.93%

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

$1,677 KYD 1,375

$3,123 CHF 2,591

-46.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.2K KYD 21.5K

$30.5K CHF 25.3K

-14.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 KYD 69.2

$144 CHF 119

-41.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.0 KYD 61.5

$61.4 CHF 50.9

22.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 KYD 112

$155 CHF 129

-11.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 KYD 117

$198 CHF 164

-27.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,881 KYD 2,363

$2,102 CHF 1,744

37.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,444 KYD 2,004

$1,584 CHF 1,314

54.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,714 KYD 4,686

$3,558 CHF 2,952

60.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,811 KYD 3,945

$2,670 CHF 2,215

80.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,700 KYD 7,134

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

-52.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,303 KYD 1,889

$14.0K CHF 11.6K

-83.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$7,174 KYD 5,883

$6,701 CHF 5,559

7.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.46

225.20%

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

Last update for George Town: October 27, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George Town

$2.4K 49.5%

Bern

$1.6K 45% 35.2% $859

Groceries & Markets

George Town

$730 14.8%

Bern

$570 16.2% 21.9% $160

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George Town

$697 14.1%

Bern

$354 10% 49.2% $343

Eating Out

George Town

$454 9.2%

Bern

$474 13.5% 4.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

George Town

$252 5.1%

Bern

$136 3.9% 45.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

George Town

$197 4%

Bern

$251 7.1% 27.3% $54

Getting Around

George Town

$165 3.4%

Bern

$155 4.4% 6.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,881 in George Town and $2,102 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

George Town pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $113 in George Town vs $123 in Bern. Groceries flip the comparison at $730 vs $570, with Bern cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇾 George Town

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

6 h ahead of George Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,089 Capital

128,848 Capital

💱 Currency

Cayman Islands Dollar KYD $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 KYD = 1.22 USD

1 KYD = 1.1 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.82 KYD (1 KYD = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.913 KYD (1 KYD = 1.1 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to KYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

George Town Bern 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

George Town
Bern

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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bern wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in George Town. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bern the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% higher in George Town, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,881 in George Town versus $2,102 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in George Town – a meal for two runs $113 versus $123 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $4,938 per month in George Town versus $3,524 in Bern – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,000. Bern is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, George Town and Bern are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Bern wins on affordability, George Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.