Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Zermatt

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $3,362 in Zermatt, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Zermatt
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Zermatt Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Zermatt

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $3,362 in Zermatt.

Buenos Aires $1,656
Zermatt $3,362

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,697 in Buenos Aires versus $5,133 in Zermatt.

Buenos Aires $2,697
Zermatt $5,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,737 in Buenos Aires versus $6,904 in Zermatt.

Buenos Aires $3,737
Zermatt $6,904

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Buenos Aires 23% above, Zermatt 149% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

$30.31 CHF 24.96

-37.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

$120 CHF 99.1

-45.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

$18.01 CHF 14.83

-26.71%

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

$5.14 CHF 4.23

-61.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ARS 2,430

$4.74 CHF 3.90

-66.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.93 ARS 5,959

$9.19 CHF 7.56

-57.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.61 ARS 7,003

$7.42 CHF 6.11

-37.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ARS 2,272

$2.19 CHF 1.81

-31.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.53 ARS 3,837

$3.61 CHF 2.97

-29.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 ARS 2,445

$3.81 CHF 3.14

-57.74%

Eggs

$2.84 ARS 4,316

$7.71 CHF 6.35

-63.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

$25.52 CHF 21.02

-59.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$28.00 CHF 23.06

-64.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

$40.02 CHF 32.96

-66.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 ARS 4,366

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-18.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 ARS 3,334

$1.99 CHF 1.64

10.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,120

$2.71 CHF 2.23

-48.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ARS 3,004

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-58.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ARS 1,835

$1.77 CHF 1.45

-31.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ARS 1,910

$2.15 CHF 1.77

-41.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 ARS 2,592

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-21.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 ARS 2,603

$1.24 CHF 1.02

38.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.29 ARS 6,505

$11.01 CHF 9.07

-61.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ARS 8,645

$12.71 CHF 10.47

-55.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 ARS 3,288

$2.72 CHF 2.24

-20.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 ARS 4,188

$3.20 CHF 2.64

-13.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,141

$4.55 CHF 3.75

-83.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

$97.1 CHF 79.9

-71.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ARS 2,375

$7.79 CHF 6.42

-79.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,558

$4.50 CHF 3.71

-77.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

$76.6 CHF 63.1

-89.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ARS 2,160

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-36.61%

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

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

$40.5K CHF 33.4K

-30.99%

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

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

$38.9K CHF 32.0K

-10.04%

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

$195 ARS 296.2K

$277 CHF 228

-29.52%

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

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

$32.99 CHF 27.17

-23.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

$56.1 CHF 46.21

-43.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

$88.2 CHF 72.6

-42.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

$44.75 CHF 36.86

-62.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

$22.78 CHF 18.76

-54.61%

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

$463 ARS 703.2K

$2,662 CHF 2,193

-82.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

$33.8K CHF 27.8K

-74.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ARS 181.8K

$142 CHF 117

-15.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

$58.8 CHF 48.39

62.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ARS 173.1K

$152 CHF 125

-24.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 ARS 211.4K

$184 CHF 152

-24.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 ARS 1.1M

$2,194 CHF 1,807

-65.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 ARS 788.8K

$1,423 CHF 1,172

-63.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

$2,778 CHF 2,288

-42.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

$2,426 CHF 1,998

-50.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

$16.0K CHF 13.1K

-82.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

$12.0K CHF 9,849

-84.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$938 ARS 1.4M

$9,685 CHF 7,976

-90.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

2.07

2665.70%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Last update for Zermatt: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4%

Zermatt

$1.4K 42.3% 174% $903

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1%

Zermatt

$584 17.4% 106% $300

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$282 17%

Zermatt

$468 13.9% 66.1% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2%

Zermatt

$366 10.9% 45.3% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7%

Zermatt

$242 7.2% 14.6% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3%

Zermatt

$134 4% 86.8% $62

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Zermatt

$146 4.3% 294% $109

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $756 in Buenos Aires and $2,194 in Zermatt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zermatt pays 933% 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 $120 in Zermatt for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $283 vs $584 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇨🇭 Zermatt

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

19:32 7:32 PM

5 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

5,800

💱 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 Zermatt 11,150 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
Zermatt

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 Zermatt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Zermatt differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($1,656 vs $3,362 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 933% lower in Zermatt. 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 $2,194 in Zermatt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $463 in Buenos Aires versus $2,662 in Zermatt. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $3,362 in Zermatt, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Zermatt. 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 Zermatt 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 103% less than in Zermatt. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.