Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lausanne and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $3,790 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $37,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
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Lausanne Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,790

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lausanne 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 Lausanne and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,790 per month in Lausanne vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Lausanne $3,790
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $5,672 per month in Lausanne vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Lausanne $5,672
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $7,554 per month in Lausanne vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Lausanne $7,554
Cairo $1,431

Lausanne costs about 489% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lausanne sits 183% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.72 CHF 24.67

$4.69 E£245

533.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$117 CHF 96.9

$28.49 E£1,491

309.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.81 CHF 14.78

$6.03 E£315

195.36%

Cappuccino

$6.03 CHF 5.00

$1.81 E£94.7

233.15%

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

$4.99 CHF 4.14

$0.35 E£18.18

1325.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 CHF 3.40

$0.15 E£7.95

2633.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.12 CHF 8.40

$1.45 E£76.0

597.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.39 CHF 7.80

$2.24 E£117

319.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.24 CHF 1.86

$0.97 E£50.7

130.93%

White Bread (500g)

$3.96 CHF 3.29

$0.73 E£37.96

442.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 CHF 2.77

$0.77 E£40.24

332.47%

Eggs

$7.05 CHF 5.85

$1.17 E£61.2

502.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.14 CHF 20.04

$4.32 E£226

458.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.93 CHF 23.19

$5.07 E£265

450.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.52 CHF 32.81

$8.92 E£467

343.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.88

$1.83 E£95.8

89.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 CHF 1.78

$0.75 E£39.07

185.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.12

$0.57 E£29.78

349.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.65 CHF 3.86

$0.51 E£26.62

811.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 CHF 1.48

$0.38 E£20.05

368.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.64

$0.42 E£21.88

369.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 CHF 1.63

$0.35 E£18.43

462.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CHF 1.44

$0.24 E£12.57

620.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.68 CHF 8.86

$1.99 E£104

436.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.21 CHF 12.63

$7.48 E£391

103.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CHF 2.24

$1.52 E£79.4

77.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$2.13 E£112

49.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.45 CHF 3.69

$0.33 E£17.10

1248.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.3 CHF 78.3

$8.66 E£453

989.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 CHF 6.55

$0.37 E£19.27

2032.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.74

$0.20 E£10.65

2150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.4 CHF 69.2

$1.49 E£77.8

5495.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.91

$0.46 E£23.94

400.00%

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

$43.5K CHF 36.1K

$32.6K E£1.7M

33.43%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

$28.4K E£1.5M

39.36%

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

$288 CHF 239

$27.54 E£1,441

946.19%

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

$37.56 CHF 31.17

$8.27 E£432

354.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 CHF 43.35

$14.05 E£735

271.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 CHF 60.0

$28.27 E£1,479

155.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.87 CHF 40.56

$6.70 E£350

629.40%

Cinema Ticket

$23.88 CHF 19.82

$4.40 E£230

442.73%

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

$2,913 CHF 2,418

$121 E£6,356

2297.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K CHF 30.5K

$3,619 E£189.3K

914.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 118

$40.16 E£2,101

252.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$77.0 CHF 63.9

$49.61 E£2,596

55.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$142 CHF 118

$115 E£6,033

22.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$212 CHF 176

$60.6 E£3,170

249.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,280 CHF 1,892

$220 E£11.5K

936.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,814 CHF 1,505

$194 E£10.2K

833.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,204 CHF 3,489

$514 E£26.9K

717.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,202 CHF 2,657

$334 E£17.5K

859.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

$806 E£42.2K

2161.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

$513 E£26.9K

2566.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,565 CHF 5,449

$200 E£10.5K

3179.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

16.21

-87.97%

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

Last update for Lausanne: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.2%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 89.3% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Lausanne

$586 15.6%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 75.9% $445

Eating Out

Lausanne

$469 12.5%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 80.6% $378

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lausanne

$378 10%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 86.8% $328

Clothing & Footwear

Lausanne

$257 6.8%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 53.6% $138

Getting Around

Lausanne

$143 3.8%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 92% $131

Sport & Entertainment

Lausanne

$120 3.2%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 69.1% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,280 in Lausanne 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 3180% higher in Lausanne, 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 $117 in Lausanne versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $586 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

1 h ahead of Lausanne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,521

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 = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

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).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lausanne Cairo 2,800 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Lausanne
Cairo

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

Lausanne vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lausanne is pricier by about 489%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,684 per month in Lausanne 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 315% more in Lausanne, 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 $117 in Lausanne 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 Lausanne at $3,790. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lausanne 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, Lausanne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.