Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankeny, IA and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ankeny, IA
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Ankeny, IA Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Ankeny, IA

🇺🇸 United States

$2,326

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,326 in Ankeny, IA versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Ankeny, IA $2,326
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,298 in Ankeny, IA versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Ankeny, IA $3,298
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,270 in Ankeny, IA versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Ankeny, IA $4,270
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Ankeny, IA is roughly 38% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ankeny, IA 74% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

4.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 $79.1

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.80 $11.80

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-8.39%

Cappuccino

$5.46 $5.46

$3.98 ARS 6,029

37.19%

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

$2.97 $2.97

$2.05 ARS 3,103

44.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.55 ARS 2,349

12.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 $5.06

$3.84 ARS 5,830

31.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.79 $5.79

$4.60 ARS 6,970

25.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 $0.91

$1.44 ARS 2,181

-36.81%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 $2.91

$2.46 ARS 3,738

18.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.27 $3.27

$1.63 ARS 2,467

100.61%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.89 ARS 4,385

37.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.65 $9.65

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-9.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 $8.65

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-13.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.96 $14.96

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

8.88%

Apples (1kg)

$5.24 $5.24

$2.75 ARS 4,166

90.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 $1.52

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-30.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.45 ARS 2,205

237.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 $3.67

$1.99 ARS 3,013

84.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.24 ARS 1,885

79.03%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 $3.33

$1.27 ARS 1,921

162.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 $1.88

$1.70 ARS 2,575

10.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 $2.65

$1.73 ARS 2,617

53.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.80 $8.80

$4.18 ARS 6,337

110.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 $14.79

$5.80 ARS 8,790

155.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 $1.69

$2.09 ARS 3,163

-19.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-10.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 $2.05

$1.62 ARS 2,451

26.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.98 ARS 1,481

29.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.71 $19.71

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

155.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-27.21%

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

$35.7K $35.7K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

27.36%

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

$25.4K $25.4K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-26.48%

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

$159 $159

$216 ARS 326.9K

-26.07%

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

$53.2 $53.2

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

107.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 $64.2

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

104.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.0 $74.0

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

48.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 $14.95

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

43.34%

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

$1,101 $1,101

$466 ARS 706.7K

136.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K $11.9K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

31.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.27 $48.27

$122 ARS 185.2K

-60.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.89 $34.89

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-64.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.1 $90.1

$117 ARS 177.4K

-22.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 $117

$140 ARS 211.9K

-16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 $1,109

$763 ARS 1.2M

45.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,141 $1,141

$505 ARS 766.1K

125.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,971 $1,971

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

23.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 $1,599

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

34.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,289 $5,289

$954 ARS 1.4M

454.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.37

57.25

-88.87%

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

Last update for Ankeny, IA: 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

Ankeny, IA

$1.1K 49%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 55.7% $636

Groceries & Markets

Ankeny, IA

$353 15.2%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 19.5% $69

Eating Out

Ankeny, IA

$314 13.5%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 11.1% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankeny, IA

$277 11.9%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 1.5% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Ankeny, IA

$130 5.6%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 64.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Ankeny, IA

$104 4.5%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 32% $33

Getting Around

Ankeny, IA

$8.4 * 0.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 336% $28

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 $1,109 in Ankeny, IA and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ankeny, IA pays 454% 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: $79.0 in Ankeny, IA vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Ankeny, IA

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

06:27 6:27 AM

08:27 8:27 AM

2 h ahead of Ankeny, IA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,887

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 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 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

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).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ankeny, IA Buenos Aires 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankeny, IA
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

Ankeny, IA vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ankeny, IA and Buenos Aires differ by about 38% in total monthly costs ($2,326 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 454% higher in Ankeny, IA, 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: $1,109 in Ankeny, IA versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Ankeny, IA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,326 per month in Ankeny, IA versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires – a 38% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,326 in Ankeny, IA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Ankeny, IA. 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, Ankeny, IA 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 38% less than in Ankeny, IA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.