Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meilen and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $3,372 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Meilen
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,372
/mo nomad
Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,372 per month in Meilen vs $647 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Meilen $3,372
  • Cairo $647

A couple spends around $5,942 per month in Meilen vs $1,035 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Meilen $5,942
  • Cairo $1,035

A family of three spends $8,512 per month in Meilen vs $1,423 in Cairo, rent included.

  • Meilen $8,512
  • Cairo $1,423

Meilen costs about 421% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meilen sits 150% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$32.47 CHF 26.74
$4.64 E£248
599.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$122 CHF 101
$28.12 E£1,501
335.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$16.33 CHF 13.45
$6.03 E£322
170.81%
Cappuccino
$6.31 CHF 5.19
$1.72 E£92.1
266.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.68 CHF 4.67
$0.36 E£19.38
1477.78%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 CHF 4.13
$0.12 E£6.41
4075.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.46 CHF 6.97
$1.51 E£80.4
460.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.29 CHF 6.83
$2.32 E£124
257.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.21 CHF 1.82
$0.92 E£48.92
140.22%
White Bread (500g)
$3.27 CHF 2.69
$0.73 E£38.92
347.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.78 CHF 3.11
$0.74 E£39.64
410.81%
Eggs
$7.49 CHF 6.17
$1.19 E£63.7
529.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$26.56 CHF 21.87
$4.33 E£231
513.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$25.69 CHF 21.16
$5.03 E£269
410.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$40.25 CHF 33.15
$9.28 E£496
333.73%
Apples (1kg)
$3.42 CHF 2.82
$1.77 E£94.4
93.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.03 CHF 1.67
$0.73 E£39.03
178.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.67 CHF 2.20
$0.55 E£29.51
385.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.58 CHF 3.77
$0.50 E£26.91
816.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 CHF 1.61
$0.42 E£22.42
366.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.16 CHF 1.78
$0.41 E£21.81
426.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.32 CHF 1.91
$0.33 E£17.51
603.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.25 CHF 1.03
$0.21 E£11.20
495.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.03 CHF 9.09
$1.98 E£106
457.07%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.25 CHF 10.91
$7.81 E£417
69.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.26 CHF 1.86
$1.59 E£84.7
42.14%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.23 CHF 2.66
$2.09 E£112
54.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.59 CHF 3.78
$0.35 E£18.83
1211.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$96.8 CHF 79.7
$8.69 E£464
1013.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.55 CHF 6.21
$0.39 E£21.02
1835.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.50 CHF 3.71
$0.22 E£11.57
1945.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$88.0 CHF 72.5
$1.51 E£80.5
5729.80%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.26 CHF 1.86
$0.43 E£22.88
425.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.7K CHF 31.9K
$32.7K E£1.7M
18.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.4K CHF 32.5K
$27.2K E£1.5M
44.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$235 CHF 194
$27.27 E£1,456
763.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.06 CHF 29.70
$8.58 E£458
320.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$65.3 CHF 53.8
$13.99 E£747
366.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$88.1 CHF 72.6
$29.69 E£1,585
196.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$44.50 CHF 36.65
$7.25 E£387
513.79%
Cinema Ticket
$21.90 CHF 18.04
$4.86 E£260
350.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,816 CHF 2,319
$121 E£6,438
2235.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$42.3K CHF 34.8K
$3,560 E£190.1K
1086.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$137 CHF 113
$40.28 E£2,151
241.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$59.2 CHF 48.77
$49.53 E£2,645
19.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$144 CHF 118
$115 E£6,137
24.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$174 CHF 143
$60.0 E£3,206
189.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,690 CHF 1,392
$222 E£11.9K
660.85%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,471 CHF 1,211
$195 E£10.4K
654.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,831 CHF 2,332
$550 E£29.3K
415.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$4,065 CHF 3,348
$346 E£18.5K
1074.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$15.8K CHF 13.0K
$800 E£42.7K
1873.75%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$11.9K CHF 9,812
$525 E£28.0K
2169.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Meilen
Cairo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$8,259 CHF 6,802
$200 E£10.7K
4035.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.72
16.21
-89.39%

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

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Meilen
$1.5K
Cairo
$195 86.7% $1.3K
Groceries & Markets
Meilen
$570
Cairo
$142 75.1% $429
Eating Out
Meilen
$486
Cairo
$90 81.5% $396
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Meilen
$337
Cairo
$50 85.2% $287
Clothing & Footwear
Meilen
$231
Cairo
$119 48.5% $112
Getting Around
Meilen
$145
Cairo
$12 92% $134
Sport & Entertainment
Meilen
$132
Cairo
$39 70.1% $93

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,690 in Meilen versus $222 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 4035% higher in Meilen, 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 $122 in Meilen versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $570 vs $142 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Meilen
🇪🇬 Cairo
🕒 Local time
16:38 4:38 PM
17:38 5:38 PM
1 h ahead of Meilen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
13,515
9,120,350 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.04 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Meilen Cairo 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Meilen
  • 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
Meilen vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cairo cheaper than Meilen?
Yes – Meilen is pricier by about 421%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,059 per month in Meilen and $970 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
How do food prices compare in Meilen and in Cairo?
Groceries cost about 302% more in Meilen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Meilen or in Cairo?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Meilen and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Meilen or in Cairo?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Meilen at $3,372. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meilen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Meilen or Cairo more family-friendly?
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.
Which city is safer, Meilen or Cairo?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Meilen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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