Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mendrisio and Buenos Aires

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.

148

Cost of Living Index in Mendrisio
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Mendrisio Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Mendrisio

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,034

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mendrisio and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Mendrisio $3,034
Buenos Aires $1,656

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

Mendrisio $3,758
Buenos Aires $2,697

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

Mendrisio $4,483
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Mendrisio is roughly 83% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.26 CHF 28.21

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

79.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$177 CHF 146

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

168.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.99 CHF 15.64

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

43.86%

Cappuccino

$4.80 CHF 3.96

$3.85 ARS 5,841

24.68%

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

$5.41 CHF 4.46

$1.99 ARS 3,020

171.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$1.60 ARS 2,430

173.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.36 CHF 6.88

$3.93 ARS 5,959

112.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.03 CHF 5.79

$4.61 ARS 7,003

52.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.80

$1.50 ARS 2,272

45.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.70 CHF 3.04

$2.53 ARS 3,837

46.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.15 CHF 3.42

$1.61 ARS 2,445

157.76%

Eggs

$7.07 CHF 5.83

$2.84 ARS 4,316

148.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.44 CHF 20.95

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

146.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.11 CHF 23.15

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

181.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.04 CHF 32.15

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

193.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$2.88 ARS 4,366

9.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.40

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-22.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 CHF 2.11

$1.40 ARS 2,120

82.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.49 CHF 5.35

$1.98 ARS 3,004

227.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 CHF 1.52

$1.21 ARS 1,835

52.07%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$1.26 ARS 1,910

69.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.71 ARS 2,592

36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.96

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-32.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.74 CHF 8.84

$4.29 ARS 6,505

150.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.64 CHF 12.06

$5.70 ARS 8,645

156.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.36 CHF 2.77

$2.17 ARS 3,288

54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 CHF 3.36

$2.76 ARS 4,188

47.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 CHF 2.50

$0.75 ARS 1,141

304.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 CHF 5.82

$1.57 ARS 2,375

350.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.38 CHF 4.43

$1.03 ARS 1,558

422.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.3 CHF 64.5

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

891.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$1.42 ARS 2,160

54.93%

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

$34.6K CHF 28.5K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

23.88%

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

$38.6K CHF 31.8K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

10.33%

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

$304 CHF 250

$195 ARS 296.2K

55.58%

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

$25.15 CHF 20.71

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-0.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.38 CHF 39.85

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

53.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.1 CHF 60.2

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

43.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

Cinema Ticket

$21.74 CHF 17.91

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

110.25%

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

$3,187 CHF 2,625

$463 ARS 703.2K

587.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.5K CHF 31.7K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

337.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 CHF 87.8

$120 ARS 181.8K

-11.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.52 CHF 39.14

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-50.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 CHF 135

$114 ARS 173.1K

44.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 CHF 137

$139 ARS 211.4K

19.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 CHF 1,137

$756 ARS 1.1M

82.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 CHF 987

$520 ARS 788.8K

130.57%

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)

$6,944 CHF 5,719

$938 ARS 1.4M

640.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.37

57.25

-95.86%

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

Last update for Mendrisio: October 11, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mendrisio

$1.2K 39.5%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 56.6% $679

Groceries & Markets

Mendrisio

$594 19.6%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 52.3% $311

Eating Out

Mendrisio

$484 15.9%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 41.7% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mendrisio

$377 12.4%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 33.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Mendrisio

$218 7.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 3.3% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Mendrisio

$117 3.8%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 38.6% $45

Getting Around

Mendrisio

$46 * 1.5%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 19.7% $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 $1,381 in Mendrisio and $756 in Buenos Aires. 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: $177 in Mendrisio vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $594 vs $283 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Mendrisio

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

15:38 3:38 PM

10:38 10:38 AM

5 h behind Mendrisio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,562

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

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).

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).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Mendrisio Buenos Aires 11,210 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

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Mendrisio
Buenos Aires

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

Mendrisio vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 641% higher in Mendrisio, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,381 in Mendrisio versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $3,187 in Mendrisio versus $463 in Buenos Aires. 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, Mendrisio and Buenos Aires 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.