Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Altstätten

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $3,362 in Altstätten, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Altstätten
Learn more

Altstätten Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Altstätten

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,656 per month in Buenos Aires vs $3,362 in Altstätten, rent included.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Altstätten $3,362

A couple spends around $2,697 per month in Buenos Aires vs $5,134 in Altstätten, rent included.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Altstätten $5,134

A family of three spends $3,737 per month in Buenos Aires vs $6,905 in Altstätten, rent included.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Altstätten $6,905

Buenos Aires is about 51% cheaper than Altstätten, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Buenos Aires and Altstätten sit above the global median – Buenos Aires by 23%, Altstätten by 149%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$29.51 CHF 24.30

-35.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$118 CHF 97.2

-44.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$17.80 CHF 14.66

-25.84%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$5.94 CHF 4.89

-35.19%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$5.13 CHF 4.22

-61.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$4.86 CHF 4.01

-67.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$9.25 CHF 7.62

-57.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$7.32 CHF 6.03

-37.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-31.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.56 CHF 2.93

-28.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$3.68 CHF 3.03

-56.25%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$7.71 CHF 6.35

-63.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$25.63 CHF 21.11

-59.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$28.49 CHF 23.47

-64.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$40.80 CHF 33.60

-67.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.60 CHF 2.96

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.03 CHF 1.67

8.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.68 CHF 2.21

-47.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$4.75 CHF 3.91

-58.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-34.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-22.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.29 CHF 1.07

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$10.72 CHF 8.83

-59.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$12.90 CHF 10.63

-55.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.82 CHF 2.32

-23.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.11 CHF 2.56

-11.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-83.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$100 CHF 82.7

-72.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$7.47 CHF 6.15

-78.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$4.66 CHF 3.84

-77.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$74.3 CHF 61.2

-89.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-36.61%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$40.5K CHF 33.4K

-31.03%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

-11.64%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$277 CHF 228

-29.51%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$32.44 CHF 26.72

-22.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$55.8 CHF 45.95

-43.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$91.5 CHF 75.4

-44.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$44.93 CHF 37.01

-62.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$22.65 CHF 18.66

-54.35%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$2,646 CHF 2,179

-82.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$34.1K CHF 28.1K

-74.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$143 CHF 118

-16.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$57.4 CHF 47.30

66.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$149 CHF 123

-23.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$185 CHF 152

-24.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,668 CHF 1,374

-54.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,419 CHF 1,168

-63.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,868 CHF 2,362

-44.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$2,429 CHF 2,000

-50.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$15.7K CHF 12.9K

-82.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$12.2K CHF 10.0K

-84.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.07

2665.70%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Altstätten: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Altstätten

$1.4K 42.2% 173% $899

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Altstätten

$590 17.5% 108% $306

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Altstätten

$462 13.7% 63.8% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Altstätten

$365 10.9% 45% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Altstätten

$241 7.2% 14.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Altstätten

$137 4.1% 91.1% $65

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Altstätten

$150 4.5% 305% $113

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Buenos Aires versus $1,668 in Altstätten. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Buenos Aires versus $118 in Altstätten. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $283 vs $590 – making Buenos Aires the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Altstätten

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

11,145

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Altstätten 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Altstätten

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

Buenos Aires vs Altstätten: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Altstätten is pricier by about 103%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,484 per month in Buenos Aires and $5,043 in Altstätten. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,656 in Buenos Aires and $3,362 in Altstätten. That's a gap of about 103%.

Public transport costs about 268% less in Buenos Aires. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenos Aires, where all-in costs run around $1,656, than in Altstätten at $3,362. In Buenos Aires it covers expenses comfortably, while in Altstätten it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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.

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 Buenos Aires. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Altstätten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.