Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Biel

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.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
Learn more

Biel Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Buenos Aires $1,656
Biel $2,826

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

Buenos Aires $2,697
Biel $4,452

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

Buenos Aires $3,737
Biel $6,078

Buenos Aires is about 41% cheaper than Biel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-36.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$108 CHF 88.9

-39.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$18.28 CHF 15.06

-27.79%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$6.07 CHF 5.00

-36.57%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$5.17 CHF 4.26

-61.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$4.13 CHF 3.40

-61.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$7.77 CHF 6.40

-49.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$4.91 CHF 4.04

-6.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.09 CHF 1.72

-28.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.78 CHF 3.11

-33.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$3.30 CHF 2.72

-51.21%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$7.19 CHF 5.92

-60.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$21.93 CHF 18.06

-53.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$27.12 CHF 22.34

-63.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$38.83 CHF 31.98

-65.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.06 CHF 2.52

-5.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$2.04 CHF 1.68

7.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.46 CHF 2.02

-43.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$3.10 CHF 2.55

-36.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.47 CHF 1.21

-17.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.81 CHF 1.49

-30.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-16.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.05 CHF 0.87

63.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$10.99 CHF 9.05

-60.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$14.90 CHF 12.28

-61.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$0.92 CHF 0.76

135.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$1.77 CHF 1.46

55.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$4.91 CHF 4.04

-84.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$93.3 CHF 76.9

-70.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$7.84 CHF 6.46

-79.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$4.53 CHF 3.73

-77.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$83.0 CHF 68.4

-90.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.22 CHF 1.83

-36.04%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

-33.01%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

0.39%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$137 CHF 113

42.04%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$35.74 CHF 29.43

-29.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$50.2 CHF 41.30

-37.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$77.2 CHF 63.6

-34.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$21.92 CHF 18.05

-52.83%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$2,620 CHF 2,158

-82.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

-76.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$108 CHF 89.2

10.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$40.74 CHF 33.56

134.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$136 CHF 112

-16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$219 CHF 180

-36.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,240 CHF 1,022

-39.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,120 CHF 922

-53.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,275 CHF 1,874

-30.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$2,035 CHF 1,676

-41.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$9,683 CHF 7,975

-71.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$7,818 CHF 6,439

-75.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$5,516 CHF 4,543

-83.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

1.68

3307.74%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Biel

$1.1K 39.6% 115% $600

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Biel

$538 19% 90% $255

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Biel

$454 16.1% 61.2% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Biel

$223 7.9% 11.3% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Biel

$227 8% 7.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Biel

$121 4.3% 69% $49

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Biel

$143 5.1% 288% $106

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Biel

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

06:22 6:22 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

56,378

💱 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 Biel 11,200 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Biel

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 Biel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Biel is pricier by about 71%, 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 $4,240 in Biel. 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.

Public transport costs about 242% less in Buenos Aires. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $463 per month in Buenos Aires and $2,620 in Biel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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.

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, Biel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.