Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Basel

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $3,548 in Basel, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Basel
Learn more

Basel Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,548

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Basel actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,548 in Basel.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Basel $3,548

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $5,573 in Basel.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Basel $5,573

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $7,599 in Basel.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Basel $7,599

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 52% less than in Basel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Basel 165% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$30.00 CHF 24.90

-37.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$125 CHF 104

-48.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$18.03 CHF 14.97

-28.56%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$6.54 CHF 5.43

-39.14%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$6.48 CHF 5.38

-68.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$5.77 CHF 4.79

-73.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$9.22 CHF 7.65

-58.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$9.42 CHF 7.82

-51.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.20 CHF 1.82

-34.55%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$3.09 CHF 2.56

-20.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.34 CHF 2.77

-51.20%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$7.70 CHF 6.39

-62.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$26.14 CHF 21.69

-59.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$27.34 CHF 22.69

-63.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$41.29 CHF 34.27

-66.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.63 CHF 3.01

-24.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.27 CHF 1.88

-3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$3.03 CHF 2.52

-52.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-57.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.75 CHF 1.45

-29.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.98 CHF 1.64

-35.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-21.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.61 CHF 1.34

7.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$11.41 CHF 9.47

-63.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$12.15 CHF 10.09

-52.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.45 CHF 2.03

-14.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.98 CHF 2.47

-7.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$4.82 CHF 4.00

-84.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$103 CHF 85.3

-73.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$7.68 CHF 6.38

-78.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-79.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$82.9 CHF 68.8

-90.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-41.13%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$42.0K CHF 34.9K

-33.30%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$39.3K CHF 32.6K

-12.15%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$286 CHF 237

-24.63%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$46.01 CHF 38.19

-44.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$63.0 CHF 52.3

-50.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$83.2 CHF 69.0

-40.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$57.2 CHF 47.45

-70.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$22.81 CHF 18.93

-54.27%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$2,915 CHF 2,419

-84.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$32.5K CHF 27.0K

-72.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$147 CHF 122

-17.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$79.8 CHF 66.3

22.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$164 CHF 136

-28.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$197 CHF 164

-29.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,943 CHF 1,613

-60.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$1,503 CHF 1,248

-66.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$3,544 CHF 2,941

-54.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$2,822 CHF 2,342

-58.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$18.3K CHF 15.2K

-85.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$14.4K CHF 11.9K

-87.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$6,904 CHF 5,730

-86.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.42

2265.70%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Basel: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Basel

$1.5K 42.8% 198% $998

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Basel

$583 16.6% 105% $299

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Basel

$487 13.8% 74.4% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Basel

$395 11.2% 44.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Basel

$265 7.5% 23.7% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Basel

$129 3.7% 82.2% $58

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Basel

$153 4.4% 318% $117

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,943 in Basel. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Basel pays 623% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $125 in Basel for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $583 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Basel

🕒 Local time

00:50 12:50 AM

05:50 5:50 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

174,491

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

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).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Basel 11,250 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Basel

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 Basel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires wins on cost – living expenses run 110% lower than in Basel. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Buenos Aires the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 623% lower in Basel. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $1,943 in Basel. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $2,915 in Basel. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Basel. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,548 in Basel, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Basel. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Buenos Aires delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,685 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Buenos Aires hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Basel are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buenos Aires gentler on the wallet – expenses run 110% less than in Basel. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.