Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, VA and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,656 a month against $3,568 in Arlington, VA, rent and utilities included – about $22,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

174

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, VA
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Arlington, VA Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Arlington, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,568

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,568 per month in Arlington, VA vs $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Arlington, VA $3,568
Buenos Aires $1,656

A couple spends around $5,411 per month in Arlington, VA vs $2,697 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Arlington, VA $5,411
Buenos Aires $2,697

A family of three spends $7,255 per month in Arlington, VA vs $3,737 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Arlington, VA $7,255
Buenos Aires $3,737

Arlington, VA costs about 115% more than Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arlington, VA and Buenos Aires sit above the global median – Arlington, VA by 164%, Buenos Aires by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.97 $23.97

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

25.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 $99.0

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

50.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 $10.85

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-17.80%

Cappuccino

$5.97 $5.97

$3.85 ARS 5,841

55.06%

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

$3.09 $3.09

$1.99 ARS 3,020

55.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$1.60 ARS 2,430

51.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$3.93 ARS 5,959

102.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.93 $8.93

$4.61 ARS 7,003

93.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 $1.25

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-16.67%

White Bread (500g)

$4.35 $4.35

$2.53 ARS 3,837

71.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.46 $5.46

$1.61 ARS 2,445

239.13%

Eggs

$5.24 $5.24

$2.84 ARS 4,316

84.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.58 $21.58

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

109.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.93 $15.93

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

59.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.20 $23.20

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

74.44%

Apples (1kg)

$5.70 $5.70

$2.88 ARS 4,366

97.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-16.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 $4.62

$1.40 ARS 2,120

230.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.87 $5.87

$1.98 ARS 3,004

196.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 $3.21

$1.21 ARS 1,835

165.29%

Onion (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.26 ARS 1,910

199.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 $2.33

$1.71 ARS 2,592

36.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.72 ARS 2,603

43.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.36 $10.36

$4.29 ARS 6,505

141.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.94 $16.94

$5.70 ARS 8,645

197.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.17 ARS 3,288

33.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 $2.90

$2.76 ARS 4,188

5.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.75 ARS 1,141

272.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$122 $122

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

347.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.57 ARS 2,375

159.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.03 ARS 1,558

19.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.15 $25.15

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

218.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.42 ARS 2,160

-28.87%

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

$34.3K $34.3K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

22.73%

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

$25.3K $25.3K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-27.79%

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

$165 $165

$195 ARS 296.2K

-15.41%

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

$50.7 $50.7

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

101.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 $60.8

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

92.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.2 $70.2

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

37.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.96 $18.96

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

13.33%

Cinema Ticket

$16.37 $16.37

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

58.32%

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

$1,612 $1,612

$463 ARS 703.2K

247.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.9K $35.9K

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

308.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 $55.1

$120 ARS 181.8K

-54.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.6 $62.6

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-34.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 $103

$114 ARS 173.1K

-9.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 $161

$139 ARS 211.4K

15.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,488 $2,488

$756 ARS 1.1M

228.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,987 $1,987

$520 ARS 788.8K

282.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,810 $4,810

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

202.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,596 $3,596

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

200.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,380 $6,380

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

135.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,983 $4,983

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

162.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,625 $6,625

$938 ARS 1.4M

606.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

57.25

-88.14%

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

Last update for Arlington, VA: October 12, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, VA

$2K 55.7%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 73.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, VA

$510 14.3%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 44.5% $227

Eating Out

Arlington, VA

$376 10.5%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 25% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, VA

$277 7.8%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 8.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, VA

$172 4.8%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 22.6% $39

Getting Around

Arlington, VA

$143 4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 74.2% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, VA

$103 2.9%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 30.4% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,488 in Arlington, VA versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 607% higher in Arlington, VA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Arlington, VA versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $510 vs $283 – making Buenos Aires the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, VA

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Arlington, VA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

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 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, VA Buenos Aires 8,390 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, VA
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

Arlington, VA vs Buenos Aires: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arlington, VA costs about 115% more than Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,352 per month in Arlington, VA and $2,484 in Buenos Aires. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buenos Aires, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 80% more in Arlington, VA, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Arlington, VA and $66.0 in Buenos Aires. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Buenos Aires, where all-in costs run around $1,656, than in Arlington, VA at $3,568. In Buenos Aires it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlington, VA it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Buenos Aires costs $1,656 versus $3,568 in Arlington, VA. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Buenos Aires. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arlington, VA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.