Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Bern

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $3,361 in Bern, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
163

Cost of Living Index in Bern
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Bern Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Bern

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,361 in Bern.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Bern $3,361

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $5,127 in Bern.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Bern $5,127

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $6,894 in Bern.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Bern $6,894

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 50% less than in Bern, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Bern 151% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$28.65 CHF 23.78

-34.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$120 CHF 99.9

-46.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$15.95 CHF 13.23

-19.25%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$6.61 CHF 5.49

-39.79%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$6.16 CHF 5.11

-66.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$6.97 CHF 5.79

-77.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$9.14 CHF 7.59

-57.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$7.95 CHF 6.60

-42.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-34.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$2.91 CHF 2.42

-15.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.25 CHF 2.70

-49.85%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$7.57 CHF 6.29

-61.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$24.53 CHF 20.36

-56.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$28.76 CHF 23.87

-65.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$38.92 CHF 32.30

-64.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.94 CHF 3.27

-30.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.95 CHF 1.62

11.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.64 CHF 2.19

-45.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.71 CHF 3.91

-57.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.61 CHF 1.34

-22.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$2.29 CHF 1.90

-25.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.35 CHF 1.12

28.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$11.08 CHF 9.20

-62.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$12.00 CHF 9.96

-51.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-6.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$2.91 CHF 2.42

-4.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$6.31 CHF 5.24

-88.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$100 CHF 83.2

-72.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$8.04 CHF 6.68

-79.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$4.52 CHF 3.76

-78.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$107 CHF 88.8

-92.78%

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

$43.0K CHF 35.7K

-34.89%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$39.2K CHF 32.5K

-11.95%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$267 CHF 222

-19.29%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$27.95 CHF 23.20

-8.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$54.8 CHF 45.51

-42.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$86.9 CHF 72.2

-42.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$46.30 CHF 38.43

-63.15%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$23.85 CHF 19.79

-56.27%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$3,148 CHF 2,612

-85.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$30.7K CHF 25.5K

-70.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$142 CHF 118

-14.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$61.4 CHF 51.0

58.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$157 CHF 130

-25.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$195 CHF 162

-28.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$1,900 CHF 1,577

-59.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$1,386 CHF 1,151

-63.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$3,555 CHF 2,951

-55.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$2,455 CHF 2,037

-51.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$18.4K CHF 15.3K

-85.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$14.6K CHF 12.1K

-87.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$6,782 CHF 5,629

-85.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.46

2227.24%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bern: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Bern

$1.4K 41.8% 174% $881

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Bern

$569 17.2% 100% $285

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Bern

$470 14.2% 68.7% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Bern

$350 10.6% 28.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Bern

$250 7.5% 16.6% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Bern

$135 4.1% 90.5% $64

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Bern

$156 4.7% 326% $120

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $1,900 in Bern. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bern pays 611% 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 $120 in Bern for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $569 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Bern

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

128,848 Capital

💱 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

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Between locations

Buenos Aires Bern 11,200 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Bern

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 Bern: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires wins on cost – living expenses run 99% lower than in Bern. 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 611% lower in Bern. 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 $1,900 in Bern. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $120 in Bern. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,685 per month in Buenos Aires versus $3,361 in Bern – a 99% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,361 in Bern, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Bern. 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 Bern 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 99% less than in Bern. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.