Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alicante and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $1,803 in Alicante, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alicante outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Alicante
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Alicante Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Alicante

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,803

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,803 in Alicante versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Alicante $1,803
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,791 in Alicante versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Alicante $2,791
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,779 in Alicante versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Alicante $3,779
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Alicante is roughly 7% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Alicante 35% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.46 €17.36

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

3.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €60.0

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

4.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-11.80%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-45.73%

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

$2.14 €1.91

$2.05 ARS 3,103

4.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-14.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.94

$3.84 ARS 5,830

-14.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 €2.98

$4.60 ARS 6,970

-27.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-20.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.51

$2.46 ARS 3,738

-31.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.63 ARS 2,467

3.68%

Eggs

$3.22 €2.87

$2.89 ARS 4,385

11.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.72 €15.82

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

66.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 €8.48

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-5.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.42

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

17.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.75 ARS 4,166

-4.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-4.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.45 ARS 2,205

26.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$1.99 ARS 3,013

35.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.24 ARS 1,885

48.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.27 ARS 1,921

59.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.70 ARS 2,575

-26.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-62.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.73 €6.00

$4.18 ARS 6,337

61.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 €5.09

$5.80 ARS 8,790

-1.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-42.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.92

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-22.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.75 ARS 1,132

116.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.35 €23.51

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

-2.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 €2.68

$1.62 ARS 2,451

85.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.98 ARS 1,481

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 €15.15

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

119.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.36 ARS 2,058

28.68%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

24.36%

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

$28.9K €25.7K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-16.44%

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

$138 €123

$216 ARS 326.9K

-35.82%

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

$18.71 €16.70

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-26.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.82 €26.61

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

-4.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.39 €36.94

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-16.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 €15.23

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 €8.50

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

-8.72%

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

$709 €633

$466 ARS 706.7K

52.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,531 €8,505

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

5.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.9 €74.9

$122 ARS 185.2K

-31.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.58 €31.75

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-63.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €86.5

$117 ARS 177.4K

-17.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.8

$140 ARS 211.9K

-23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 €907

$763 ARS 1.2M

33.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$837 €747

$505 ARS 766.1K

65.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 €1,517

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

6.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 €1,372

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

29.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,254 €3,797

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

58.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,066 €1,844

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

11.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,925 €1,718

$954 ARS 1.4M

101.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

57.25

-94.78%

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

Last update for Alicante: October 4, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alicante

$837 46.2%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 39.7% $332

Groceries & Markets

Alicante

$288 15.9%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 1.3% $3.6

Eating Out

Alicante

$253 13.9%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 10.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alicante

$187 10.3%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 45.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Alicante

$145 8%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 47.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Alicante

$60 3.3%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 17% $10

Getting Around

Alicante

$42 2.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 13.8% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,016 in Alicante and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alicante pays 102% 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: $67.0 in Alicante vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Alicante

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

11:19 11:19 AM

06:19 6:19 AM

5 h behind Alicante

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

349,282

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Alicante Buenos Aires 10,070 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Alicante
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

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

Buenos Aires wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Alicante. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Buenos Aires the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 102% higher in Alicante, 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: $1,016 in Alicante versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $709 in Alicante 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 1% higher in Alicante. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $1,803 in Alicante, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Alicante. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Buenos Aires delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,685 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Buenos Aires hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alicante 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 7% less than in Alicante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.