Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Lausanne

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $3,790 in Lausanne, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
182

Cost of Living Index in Lausanne
Learn more

Lausanne Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,790

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,790 in Lausanne.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Lausanne $3,790

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $5,672 in Lausanne.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Lausanne $5,672

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $7,554 in Lausanne.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Lausanne $7,554

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 56% less than in Lausanne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 26% above, Lausanne 183% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$29.72 CHF 24.67

-36.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$117 CHF 96.9

-44.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$17.81 CHF 14.78

-27.68%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$6.03 CHF 5.00

-34.00%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$4.99 CHF 4.14

-58.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$4.10 CHF 3.40

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$10.12 CHF 8.40

-62.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$9.39 CHF 7.80

-51.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$2.24 CHF 1.86

-35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$3.96 CHF 3.29

-37.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$3.33 CHF 2.77

-51.05%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$7.05 CHF 5.85

-59.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$24.14 CHF 20.04

-55.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$27.93 CHF 23.19

-64.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$39.52 CHF 32.81

-65.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$3.47 CHF 2.88

-20.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$2.14 CHF 1.78

1.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$2.56 CHF 2.12

-43.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$4.65 CHF 3.86

-57.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.78 CHF 1.48

-30.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.97 CHF 1.64

-35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$1.97 CHF 1.63

-13.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$1.73 CHF 1.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$10.68 CHF 8.86

-60.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$15.21 CHF 12.63

-61.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$2.70 CHF 2.24

-22.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-12.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$4.45 CHF 3.69

-83.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$94.3 CHF 78.3

-71.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$7.89 CHF 6.55

-79.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$4.50 CHF 3.74

-78.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$83.4 CHF 69.2

-90.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$2.30 CHF 1.91

-40.87%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$43.5K CHF 36.1K

-35.66%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-12.74%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$288 CHF 239

-25.18%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$37.56 CHF 31.17

-31.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$52.2 CHF 43.35

-39.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$72.2 CHF 60.0

-31.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$48.87 CHF 40.56

-65.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$23.88 CHF 19.82

-56.32%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$2,913 CHF 2,418

-84.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$36.7K CHF 30.5K

-75.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$142 CHF 118

-13.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$77.0 CHF 63.9

26.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$142 CHF 118

-17.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$212 CHF 176

-34.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$2,280 CHF 1,892

-66.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$1,814 CHF 1,505

-72.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$4,204 CHF 3,489

-61.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$3,202 CHF 2,657

-63.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$18.2K CHF 15.1K

-85.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$13.7K CHF 11.4K

-86.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$6,565 CHF 5,449

-85.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

1.95

2835.90%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Lausanne: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Lausanne

$1.8K 48.2% 259% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Lausanne

$586 15.6% 106% $302

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Lausanne

$469 12.5% 68.2% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Lausanne

$378 10% 38.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Lausanne

$257 6.8% 20.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Lausanne

$120 3.2% 69.8% $49

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Lausanne

$143 3.8% 289% $106

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $2,280 in Lausanne. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lausanne pays 588% 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 $117 in Lausanne for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $586 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Lausanne

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

133,521

💱 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 = 1.08 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 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 = 0.93 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Lausanne 11,120 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Lausanne

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 Lausanne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Lausanne differ by about 125% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $3,790 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 588% lower in Lausanne. 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 $2,280 in Lausanne. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $2,913 in Lausanne. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Lausanne. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,790 in Lausanne, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Lausanne. 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 Lausanne 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 125% less than in Lausanne. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.