Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Lachen

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,646 a month against $3,419 in Lachen, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
166

Cost of Living Index in Lachen
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Lachen Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,646

/mo nomad

Lachen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,419

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $3,419 in Lachen.

Buenos Aires $1,646
Lachen $3,419

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,680 in Buenos Aires versus $5,218 in Lachen.

Buenos Aires $2,680
Lachen $5,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,714 in Buenos Aires versus $7,017 in Lachen.

Buenos Aires $3,714
Lachen $7,017

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 21% above, Lachen 152% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.81 ARS 27.0K

$33.00 CHF 27.18

-46.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.2 ARS 98.9K

$121 CHF 99.4

-46.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 ARS 19.9K

$16.33 CHF 13.45

-19.66%

Cappuccino

$3.86 ARS 5,863

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-37.64%

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

$2.06 ARS 3,133

$5.68 CHF 4.68

-63.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ARS 2,542

$5.11 CHF 4.20

-67.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.10 ARS 6,218

$8.44 CHF 6.95

-51.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.73 ARS 7,181

$9.62 CHF 7.92

-50.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ARS 2,285

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-30.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 ARS 3,950

$3.39 CHF 2.79

-23.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 ARS 2,380

$4.33 CHF 3.57

-63.74%

Eggs

$2.73 ARS 4,144

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-65.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.86 ARS 16.5K

$26.48 CHF 21.81

-58.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.07 ARS 15.3K

$26.44 CHF 21.77

-61.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.22 ARS 20.1K

$39.73 CHF 32.72

-66.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 ARS 4,255

$3.49 CHF 2.87

-19.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ARS 3,170

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-2.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,194

$2.63 CHF 2.17

-44.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.00 ARS 3,040

$4.78 CHF 3.94

-58.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,826

$2.01 CHF 1.65

-40.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ARS 1,821

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-47.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.69 ARS 2,569

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-30.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ARS 2,711

$1.42 CHF 1.17

26.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ARS 6,074

$11.07 CHF 9.12

-63.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 ARS 8,388

$13.22 CHF 10.89

-58.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 ARS 3,219

$2.29 CHF 1.88

-7.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ARS 4,212

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-17.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ARS 1,049

$3.85 CHF 3.17

-82.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.90 ARS 42.3K

$110 CHF 90.7

-74.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.63 ARS 2,471

$7.70 CHF 6.34

-78.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ARS 1,478

$4.95 CHF 4.07

-80.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 ARS 12.0K

$86.9 CHF 71.6

-90.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,156

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-37.99%

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

$23.3K ARS 35.4M

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

-40.33%

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

$31.9K ARS 48.5M

$39.8K CHF 32.8K

-19.85%

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

$199 ARS 302.7K

$231 CHF 190

-13.50%

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

$23.36 ARS 35.4K

$31.78 CHF 26.18

-26.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.44 ARS 47.7K

$65.5 CHF 53.9

-51.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.81 ARS 75.6K

$88.5 CHF 72.9

-43.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.63 ARS 25.2K

$47.80 CHF 39.37

-65.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 ARS 16.4K

$21.69 CHF 17.86

-50.21%

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

$462 ARS 701.7K

$2,846 CHF 2,344

-83.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,790 ARS 13.3M

$44.9K CHF 37.0K

-80.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.6K

$139 CHF 114

-13.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$94.6 ARS 143.6K

$88.1 CHF 72.6

7.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ARS 176.4K

$147 CHF 121

-20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ARS 208.6K

$172 CHF 142

-20.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 ARS 1.1M

$1,745 CHF 1,437

-57.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$514 ARS 780.5K

$1,482 CHF 1,221

-65.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,567 ARS 2.4M

$2,930 CHF 2,413

-46.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 ARS 1.8M

$2,496 CHF 2,056

-52.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,632 ARS 4.0M

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

-83.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,874 ARS 2.8M

$12.6K CHF 10.4K

-85.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$924 ARS 1.4M

$9,670 CHF 7,965

-90.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

1.72

3228.49%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lachen: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$514 31.3%

Lachen

$1.5K 43.4% 188% $968

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$285 17.3%

Lachen

$582 17% 104% $297

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$273 16.6%

Lachen

$492 14.4% 80.1% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$254 15.5%

Lachen

$328 9.6% 28.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.8%

Lachen

$246 7.2% 16.6% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Lachen

$132 3.9% 84.7% $60

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.3%

Lachen

$158 4.6% 325% $121

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $750 in Buenos Aires and $1,745 in Lachen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lachen pays 946% 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: $65.0 in Buenos Aires vs $121 in Lachen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $285 vs $582 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Lachen

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

20:47 8:47 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

9,000

💱 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 Lachen 11,300 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Lachen

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 Lachen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Lachen differ by about 108% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $3,419 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 946% lower in Lachen. 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: $750 in Buenos Aires versus $1,745 in Lachen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $462 in Buenos Aires versus $2,846 in Lachen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Lachen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,646 in Buenos Aires versus $3,419 in Lachen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Lachen. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires and Lachen 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 108% less than in Lachen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.