Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in St. Gallen 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 St. Gallen and in Buenos Aires actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,632 in St. Gallen versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

St. Gallen $3,632
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,284 in St. Gallen versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

St. Gallen $5,284
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,937 in St. Gallen versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

St. Gallen $6,937
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in St. Gallen is roughly 115% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: St. Gallen 171% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.41 CHF 24.41

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

57.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$145 CHF 121

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

125.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.82 CHF 14.79

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

38.35%

Cappuccino

$5.99 CHF 4.97

$3.98 ARS 6,029

50.50%

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

$5.81 CHF 4.83

$2.05 ARS 3,103

183.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CHF 4.42

$1.55 ARS 2,349

243.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 CHF 7.66

$3.84 ARS 5,830

140.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.12

$4.60 ARS 6,970

34.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$1.44 ARS 2,181

54.86%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$2.46 ARS 3,738

29.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.06

$1.63 ARS 2,467

125.77%

Eggs

$7.68 CHF 6.37

$2.89 ARS 4,385

165.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.41 CHF 21.09

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

138.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.97 CHF 24.05

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

189.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.85 CHF 32.25

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

182.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CHF 2.62

$2.75 ARS 4,166

14.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-26.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$1.45 ARS 2,205

59.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 CHF 4.99

$1.99 ARS 3,013

202.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.41

$1.24 ARS 1,885

37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.80

$1.27 ARS 1,921

70.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$1.70 ARS 2,575

27.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.98

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-31.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.84

$4.18 ARS 6,337

154.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 CHF 9.39

$5.80 ARS 8,790

95.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 CHF 1.81

$2.09 ARS 3,163

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-16.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 CHF 3.46

$0.75 ARS 1,132

456.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 CHF 106

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

372.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.64 CHF 5.51

$1.62 ARS 2,451

309.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.79 CHF 3.98

$0.98 ARS 1,481

388.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.3 CHF 64.2

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

901.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$1.36 ARS 2,058

63.24%

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

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

26.09%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

14.27%

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

$305 CHF 253

$216 ARS 326.9K

41.52%

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

$38.46 CHF 31.92

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

50.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CHF 44.95

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

72.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CHF 67.0

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

61.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$30.32 CHF 25.16

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

190.70%

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

$2,308 CHF 1,915

$466 ARS 706.7K

395.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

250.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 CHF 122

$122 ARS 185.2K

19.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.6 CHF 53.7

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-33.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 122

$117 ARS 177.4K

25.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 CHF 148

$140 ARS 211.9K

27.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 CHF 1,439

$763 ARS 1.2M

127.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 CHF 1,410

$505 ARS 766.1K

236.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,854 CHF 2,369

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

78.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 CHF 1,787

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

81.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

350.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,070 CHF 7,528

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

388.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,528 CHF 5,418

$954 ARS 1.4M

583.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

57.25

-96.33%

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

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 70.3% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

St. Gallen

$572 15.5%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 50.4% $288

Eating Out

St. Gallen

$464 12.6%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 39.8% $185

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Gallen

$398 10.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 31.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

St. Gallen

$242 6.6%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 11.3% $27

Getting Around

St. Gallen

$176 4.8%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 79.1% $139

Sport & Entertainment

St. Gallen

$141 3.8%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 50% $71

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,734 in St. Gallen and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

St. Gallen pays 584% 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: $145 in St. Gallen vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $572 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

22:40 10:40 PM

5 h behind St. Gallen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,213

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

St. Gallen Buenos Aires 11,340 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Gallen
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

St. Gallen vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Gallen and Buenos Aires differ by about 115% in total monthly costs ($3,632 vs $1,685 including rent). Buenos Aires is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 584% higher in St. Gallen, 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: $1,734 in St. Gallen versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,308 in St. Gallen versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $3,632 in St. Gallen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in St. Gallen. 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, St. Gallen 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 115% less than in St. Gallen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.