Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Montreux

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $3,392 in Montreux, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 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
165

Cost of Living Index in Montreux
Learn more

Montreux Living Index

Jump to prices

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Montreux

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,392

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $3,392 in Montreux.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Montreux $3,392

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $5,203 in Montreux.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Montreux $5,203

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $7,015 in Montreux.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Montreux $7,015

Living in Buenos Aires costs roughly 51% less than in Montreux, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Montreux 151% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$30.50 CHF 25.12

-37.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$132 CHF 109

-50.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$18.41 CHF 15.16

-28.30%

Cappuccino

$3.85 ARS 5,841

$5.93 CHF 4.89

-35.08%

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

$1.99 ARS 3,020

$4.86 CHF 4.00

-59.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$4.11 CHF 3.38

-61.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$9.83 CHF 8.10

-60.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$9.85 CHF 8.11

-53.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.12 CHF 1.75

-29.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.35 CHF 2.76

-24.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$3.23 CHF 2.66

-50.15%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$7.08 CHF 5.83

-59.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$24.74 CHF 20.37

-58.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$28.15 CHF 23.19

-64.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$39.23 CHF 32.31

-66.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-17.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.63 CHF 1.35

34.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.43 CHF 2.00

-42.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$4.62 CHF 3.81

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.79 CHF 1.47

-32.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$1.92 CHF 1.58

-34.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$1.96 CHF 1.61

-12.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.72 CHF 1.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$10.67 CHF 8.79

-59.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$11.98 CHF 9.87

-52.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.70 CHF 2.22

-19.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.16 CHF 2.60

-12.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$4.54 CHF 3.74

-83.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$101 CHF 82.8

-72.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$7.52 CHF 6.20

-79.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$3.95 CHF 3.25

-73.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$62.4 CHF 51.4

-87.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.30 CHF 1.89

-38.26%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$38.2K CHF 31.4K

-26.78%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$38.8K CHF 32.0K

-9.88%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$285 CHF 234

-31.43%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$36.64 CHF 30.18

-31.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$50.9 CHF 41.94

-38.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$88.5 CHF 72.9

-42.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$45.52 CHF 37.49

-63.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$23.83 CHF 19.63

-56.61%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$2,416 CHF 1,990

-80.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

-75.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$137 CHF 113

-12.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$76.0 CHF 62.6

25.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$163 CHF 134

-29.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$185 CHF 152

-24.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$1,673 CHF 1,378

-54.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,440 CHF 1,186

-63.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,879 CHF 2,371

-44.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$2,458 CHF 2,025

-51.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$15.6K CHF 12.9K

-82.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$12.1K CHF 9,982

-84.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$8,082 CHF 6,657

-88.40%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Montreux: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Montreux

$1.4K 42.5% 177% $920

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Montreux

$570 16.8% 101% $287

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Montreux

$475 14% 68.6% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Montreux

$372 11% 47.8% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Montreux

$252 7.4% 19.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Montreux

$136 4% 90.1% $65

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Montreux

$146 4.3% 295% $109

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $1,673 in Montreux. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Montreux pays 762% 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 $132 in Montreux for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $570 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Montreux

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

05:17 5:17 AM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

26,208

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Montreux 11,130 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Montreux

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 Montreux: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Montreux differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $3,392 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 762% lower in Montreux. 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 $1,673 in Montreux. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $2,416 in Montreux. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Montreux. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $3,392 in Montreux, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Montreux. 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 Montreux 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 105% less than in Montreux. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.