Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biel and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,826 in Biel, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Biel
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$2,826
/mo nomad
Buenos Aires
🇦🇷 Argentina
$1,656
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Biel and in Buenos Aires

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

A single person spends $2,826 per month in Biel vs $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

  • Biel $2,826
  • Buenos Aires $1,656

A couple spends around $4,452 per month in Biel vs $2,697 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

  • Biel $4,452
  • Buenos Aires $2,697

A family of three spends $6,078 per month in Biel vs $3,737 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

  • Biel $6,078
  • Buenos Aires $3,737

Biel costs about 71% more than Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Biel and Buenos Aires sit above the global median – Biel by 109%, Buenos Aires by 23%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.08 CHF 24.77
$19.09 ARS 29.0K
57.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$108 CHF 88.9
$65.8 ARS 99.9K
64.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.28 CHF 15.06
$13.20 ARS 20.0K
38.48%
Cappuccino
$6.07 CHF 5.00
$3.85 ARS 5,841
57.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.17 CHF 4.26
$1.99 ARS 3,020
159.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.13 CHF 3.40
$1.60 ARS 2,430
158.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.77 CHF 6.40
$3.93 ARS 5,959
97.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.91 CHF 4.04
$4.61 ARS 7,003
6.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.09 CHF 1.72
$1.50 ARS 2,272
39.33%
White Bread (500g)
$3.78 CHF 3.11
$2.53 ARS 3,837
49.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.30 CHF 2.72
$1.61 ARS 2,445
104.97%
Eggs
$7.19 CHF 5.92
$2.84 ARS 4,316
153.17%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$21.93 CHF 18.06
$10.30 ARS 15.6K
112.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$27.12 CHF 22.34
$10.00 ARS 15.2K
171.20%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$38.83 CHF 31.98
$13.30 ARS 20.2K
191.95%
Apples (1kg)
$3.06 CHF 2.52
$2.88 ARS 4,366
6.25%
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 CHF 1.68
$2.20 ARS 3,334
-7.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 CHF 2.02
$1.40 ARS 2,120
75.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.10 CHF 2.55
$1.98 ARS 3,004
56.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 CHF 1.21
$1.21 ARS 1,835
21.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 CHF 1.49
$1.26 ARS 1,910
43.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.04 CHF 1.68
$1.71 ARS 2,592
19.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 CHF 0.87
$1.72 ARS 2,603
-38.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.99 CHF 9.05
$4.29 ARS 6,505
156.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.90 CHF 12.28
$5.70 ARS 8,645
161.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 CHF 0.76
$2.17 ARS 3,288
-57.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 CHF 1.46
$2.76 ARS 4,188
-35.87%
🚌 Getting Around
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.91 CHF 4.04
$0.75 ARS 1,141
554.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$93.3 CHF 76.9
$27.27 ARS 41.4K
242.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$7.84 CHF 6.46
$1.57 ARS 2,375
399.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$4.53 CHF 3.73
$1.03 ARS 1,558
339.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$83.0 CHF 68.4
$7.90 ARS 12.0K
951.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 CHF 1.83
$1.42 ARS 2,160
56.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$41.7K CHF 34.4K
$27.9K ARS 42.4M
49.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.8K CHF 28.7K
$35.0K ARS 53.1M
-0.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$137 CHF 113
$195 ARS 296.2K
-29.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.74 CHF 29.43
$25.16 ARS 38.2K
42.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.2 CHF 41.30
$31.54 ARS 47.9K
59.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$77.2 CHF 63.6
$50.9 ARS 77.3K
51.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$16.73 ARS 25.4K
-
Cinema Ticket
$21.92 CHF 18.05
$10.34 ARS 15.7K
111.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,620 CHF 2,158
$463 ARS 703.2K
465.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$37.2K CHF 30.6K
$8,793 ARS 13.3M
322.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$108 CHF 89.2
$120 ARS 181.8K
-9.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.74 CHF 33.56
$95.5 ARS 144.9K
-57.33%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$136 CHF 112
$114 ARS 173.1K
19.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$219 CHF 180
$139 ARS 211.4K
57.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,240 CHF 1,022
$756 ARS 1.1M
64.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,120 CHF 922
$520 ARS 788.8K
115.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,275 CHF 1,874
$1,590 ARS 2.4M
43.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,035 CHF 1,676
$1,198 ARS 1.8M
69.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$9,683 CHF 7,975
$2,713 ARS 4.1M
256.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$7,818 CHF 6,439
$1,901 ARS 2.9M
311.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Biel
Buenos Aires
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,516 CHF 4,543
$938 ARS 1.4M
488.24%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
1.68
57.25
-97.07%

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

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Biel
$1.1K
Buenos Aires
$520 53.6% $600
Groceries & Markets
Biel
$538
Buenos Aires
$283 47.4% $255
Eating Out
Biel
$454
Buenos Aires
$282 38% $173
Clothing & Footwear
Biel
$227
Buenos Aires
$211 7% $16
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Biel
$223
Buenos Aires
$252 12.8% $29
Getting Around
Biel
$143
Buenos Aires
$37 74.2% $106
Sport & Entertainment
Biel
$121
Buenos Aires
$72 40.8% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Biel versus $756 in Buenos Aires. 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 488% higher in Biel, 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 $108 in Biel versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $538 vs $283 – making Buenos Aires the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Biel
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires
🕒 Local time
22:51 10:51 PM
17:51 5:51 PM
5 h behind Biel
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
56,378
2,891,082 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Biel Buenos Aires 11,200 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Biel
  • Buenos Aires

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
Biel vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Buenos Aires cheaper than Biel?
Yes – Biel is pricier by about 71%, 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 $4,240 per month in Biel and $2,484 in Buenos Aires. 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 Buenos Aires, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 242% less in Buenos Aires. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $2,620 per month in Biel and $463 in Buenos Aires. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $3,000 a realistic budget for living in Biel or in Buenos Aires?
A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenos Aires, where all-in costs run around $1,656, than in Biel at $2,826. In Buenos Aires it covers expenses comfortably, while in Biel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Biel or Buenos Aires more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Buenos Aires – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Biel or Buenos Aires?
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 Buenos Aires. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Biel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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