Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amherst, MA and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $2,759 in Amherst, MA, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Amherst, MA
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Amherst, MA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Amherst, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,759

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,759 in Amherst, MA versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Amherst, MA $2,759
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,250 in Amherst, MA versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Amherst, MA $4,250
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,742 in Amherst, MA versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Amherst, MA $5,742
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Amherst, MA is roughly 67% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Amherst, MA 104% above, Buenos Aires 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.37 $20.37

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

6.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.3 $69.3

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

5.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.18 $9.18

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-30.45%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$3.85 ARS 5,841

26.23%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$1.99 ARS 3,020

31.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.60 ARS 2,430

21.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.92 $5.92

$3.93 ARS 5,959

50.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.63 $10.63

$4.61 ARS 7,003

130.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.17 $3.17

$2.53 ARS 3,837

25.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$7.12 $7.12

$1.61 ARS 2,445

342.24%

Eggs

$4.68 $4.68

$2.84 ARS 4,316

64.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.30 $16.30

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

58.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.68 $15.68

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

56.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.11 $18.11

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

36.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 $4.83

$2.88 ARS 4,366

67.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 $1.37

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-37.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.40 ARS 2,120

132.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.82 $4.82

$1.98 ARS 3,004

143.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.24 $3.24

$1.21 ARS 1,835

167.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.26 ARS 1,910

181.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.71 ARS 2,592

29.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 $2.04

$1.72 ARS 2,603

18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 $10.38

$4.29 ARS 6,505

141.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 $12.16

$5.70 ARS 8,645

113.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 $2.05

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-5.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 $3.95

$2.76 ARS 4,188

43.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 $1.29

$0.75 ARS 1,141

72.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.49 $27.49

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

0.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.57 ARS 2,375

120.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 $1.37

$1.03 ARS 1,558

33.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.92 $29.92

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

278.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 $0.92

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-35.21%

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

$36.5K $36.5K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

30.68%

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

$25.2K $25.2K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-28.03%

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

$207 $207

$195 ARS 296.2K

6.29%

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

$56.8 $56.8

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

125.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.5 $90.5

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

187.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$120 $120

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

135.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.15 $7.15

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-57.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.64 $10.64

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

2.90%

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

$1,513 $1,513

$463 ARS 703.2K

226.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K $16.8K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

91.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.36 $44.36

$120 ARS 181.8K

-62.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.35 $40.35

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-57.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 $89.7

$114 ARS 173.1K

-21.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 $107

$139 ARS 211.4K

-23.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,826 $1,826

$756 ARS 1.1M

141.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 $1,342

$520 ARS 788.8K

158.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,963 $3,963

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

149.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 $2,682

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

123.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,010 $4,010

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

47.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,000 $4,000

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

110.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,769 $4,769

$938 ARS 1.4M

408.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

57.25

-89.34%

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

Last update for Amherst, MA: October 13, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amherst, MA

$1.3K 48.7%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 61.3% $822

Groceries & Markets

Amherst, MA

$433 15.7%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 34.6% $150

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amherst, MA

$355 12.9%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 29% $103

Eating Out

Amherst, MA

$318 11.5%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 11.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Amherst, MA

$141 5.1%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 49.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Amherst, MA

$127 4.6%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 66.7% $84

Getting Around

Amherst, MA

$43 1.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 13.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,826 in Amherst, MA and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amherst, MA pays 409% 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: $69.0 in Amherst, MA vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $433 vs $283 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Amherst, MA

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

07:23 7:23 AM

1 h ahead of Amherst, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,819

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

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Amherst, MA Buenos Aires 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Amherst, MA
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

Amherst, MA vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. The 67% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 409% higher in Amherst, MA, 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: $1,826 in Amherst, MA versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,513 in Amherst, MA versus $463 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Amherst, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,656 in Buenos Aires versus $2,759 in Amherst, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Amherst, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Buenos Aires is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Amherst, MA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Amherst, MA 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 67% less than in Amherst, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.