Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Mendrisio

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $3,034 in Mendrisio, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
Learn more

Buenos Aires Living Index
148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
Learn more

Mendrisio Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $3,034 in Mendrisio.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Mendrisio $3,034

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $3,758 in Mendrisio.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Mendrisio $3,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $4,483 in Mendrisio.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Mendrisio $4,483

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 45% less than in Mendrisio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Mendrisio 125% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$34.26 CHF 28.21

-44.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$177 CHF 146

-62.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$18.99 CHF 15.64

-30.49%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$4.80 CHF 3.96

-19.79%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$5.41 CHF 4.46

-63.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$4.37 CHF 3.60

-63.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$8.36 CHF 6.88

-52.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$7.03 CHF 5.79

-34.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.18 CHF 1.80

-31.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.70 CHF 3.04

-31.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$4.15 CHF 3.42

-61.20%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$7.07 CHF 5.83

-59.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$25.44 CHF 20.95

-59.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$28.11 CHF 23.15

-64.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$39.04 CHF 32.15

-65.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-8.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.70 CHF 1.40

29.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.56 CHF 2.11

-45.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$6.49 CHF 5.35

-69.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.84 CHF 1.52

-34.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.13 CHF 1.76

-40.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$2.34 CHF 1.93

-26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.16 CHF 0.96

48.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$10.74 CHF 8.84

-60.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$14.64 CHF 12.06

-61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$3.36 CHF 2.77

-35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$4.08 CHF 3.36

-32.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$3.03 CHF 2.50

-75.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$7.07 CHF 5.82

-77.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$5.38 CHF 4.43

-80.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$78.3 CHF 64.5

-89.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-35.45%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

-19.28%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

-9.36%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$304 CHF 250

-35.73%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$25.15 CHF 20.71

0.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$48.38 CHF 39.85

-34.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$73.1 CHF 60.2

-30.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$21.74 CHF 17.91

-52.44%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$3,187 CHF 2,625

-85.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

-77.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$107 CHF 87.8

12.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$47.52 CHF 39.14

100.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$164 CHF 135

-30.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$166 CHF 137

-16.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,381 CHF 1,137

-45.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,199 CHF 987

-56.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$6,944 CHF 5,719

-86.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.37

2315.61%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5% 131% $679

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Mendrisio

$594 19.6% 110% $311

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Mendrisio

$484 15.9% 71.7% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Mendrisio

$377 12.4% 49.8% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Mendrisio

$218 7.2% 3.4% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Mendrisio

$117 3.8% 62.8% $45

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5% 24.6% $9.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mendrisio pays 641% 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: $66.0 in Buenos Aires vs $177 in Mendrisio for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $594 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🕒 Local time

11:42 11:42 AM

16:42 4:42 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

15,562

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Mendrisio 11,210 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Mendrisio

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 Mendrisio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Mendrisio differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $3,034 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 641% lower in Mendrisio. 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: $756 in Buenos Aires versus $1,381 in Mendrisio. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $3,187 in Mendrisio. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $177 in Mendrisio. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $3,034 in Mendrisio, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Mendrisio. 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 Mendrisio 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 83% less than in Mendrisio. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.