Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zurich and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $4,519 in Zurich, rent and utilities included – about $46,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

218

Cost of Living Index in Zurich
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Zurich Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,519

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,519 per month in Zurich vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Zurich $4,519
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $6,911 per month in Zurich vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Zurich $6,911
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $9,303 per month in Zurich vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Zurich $9,303
Cairo $1,431

Zurich costs about 602% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zurich sits 237% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.88 CHF 29.01

$4.69 E£245

643.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$146 CHF 121

$28.49 E£1,491

411.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.25

$6.03 E£316

204.15%

Cappuccino

$6.94 CHF 5.77

$1.81 E£94.8

283.43%

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

$5.94 CHF 4.94

$0.35 E£18.18

1597.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.27 CHF 4.39

$0.15 E£7.95

3413.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.91 CHF 8.24

$1.45 E£76.0

583.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.48 CHF 7.05

$2.24 E£117

278.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 CHF 1.74

$0.97 E£50.7

116.49%

White Bread (500g)

$3.82 CHF 3.18

$0.73 E£37.97

423.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.74 CHF 3.11

$0.77 E£40.25

385.71%

Eggs

$8.49 CHF 7.06

$1.17 E£61.2

625.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.67 CHF 22.18

$4.32 E£226

517.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.17 CHF 23.43

$5.07 E£265

455.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$60.8 CHF 50.5

$8.92 E£467

581.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 CHF 3.49

$1.83 E£95.8

129.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 CHF 2.23

$0.75 E£39.08

257.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 CHF 2.82

$0.57 E£29.78

494.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.46 CHF 3.71

$0.51 E£26.63

774.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CHF 2.14

$0.38 E£20.06

576.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 CHF 1.85

$0.42 E£21.89

428.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 CHF 2.09

$0.35 E£18.43

617.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.04

$0.24 E£12.57

420.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.91 CHF 9.08

$1.99 E£104

448.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 CHF 11.56

$7.48 E£391

85.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 CHF 2.31

$1.52 E£79.4

82.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 CHF 2.55

$2.13 E£112

44.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.59 CHF 4.65

$0.33 E£17.10

1593.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 CHF 87.6

$8.66 E£453

1116.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 CHF 6.61

$0.37 E£19.27

2045.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.64 CHF 3.86

$0.20 E£10.65

2220.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$89.7 CHF 74.6

$1.49 E£77.8

5918.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.94

$0.46 E£23.95

406.52%

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

$39.9K CHF 33.2K

$32.6K E£1.7M

22.23%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.5K

$28.4K E£1.5M

37.72%

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

$275 CHF 229

$27.54 E£1,441

897.86%

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

$36.64 CHF 30.47

$8.27 E£433

343.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 CHF 46.16

$14.05 E£735

295.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.7 CHF 75.4

$28.27 E£1,480

220.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$62.1 CHF 51.7

$6.70 E£350

827.16%

Cinema Ticket

$24.25 CHF 20.17

$4.40 E£230

451.14%

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

$3,617 CHF 3,008

$121 E£6,357

2877.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.7K CHF 35.5K

$3,619 E£189.4K

1081.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 117

$40.16 E£2,102

249.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 CHF 49.01

$49.61 E£2,596

18.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 CHF 138

$115 E£6,034

44.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$251 CHF 209

$60.6 E£3,170

314.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,960 CHF 2,461

$220 E£11.5K

1245.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,296 CHF 1,909

$194 E£10.2K

1082.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,003 CHF 4,992

$514 E£26.9K

1067.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,217 CHF 3,507

$334 E£17.5K

1164.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$27.7K CHF 23.0K

$806 E£42.2K

3332.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$16.1K CHF 13.4K

$513 E£26.9K

3033.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,005 CHF 6,657

$200 E£10.5K

3898.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

16.21

-87.23%

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

Last update for Zurich: 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

Zurich

$2.3K 51.8%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 91.5% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Zurich

$669 15.1%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 78.9% $528

Eating Out

Zurich

$529 11.9%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 82.8% $438

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zurich

$367 8.3%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 86.4% $317

Clothing & Footwear

Zurich

$277 6.3%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 56.9% $158

Getting Around

Zurich

$159 3.6%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 92.9% $148

Sport & Entertainment

Zurich

$139 3.1%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 73.4% $102

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,960 in Zurich 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 3899% higher in Zurich, 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 $146 in Zurich versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $669 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Zurich

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

06:54 6:54 AM

07:54 7:54 AM

1 h ahead of Zurich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

443,037

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Zurich Cairo 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Zurich
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

Zurich vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zurich is pricier by about 602%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,779 per month in Zurich 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 374% more in Zurich, 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 $146 in Zurich 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 Zurich at $4,519. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zurich 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, Zurich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.