Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Atenas and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Atenas: $1,546 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Atenas
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Atenas Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Atenas

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,546

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,546 per month in Atenas vs $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Atenas $1,546
Buenos Aires $1,656

A couple spends around $2,543 per month in Atenas vs $2,697 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Atenas $2,543
Buenos Aires $2,697

A family of three spends $3,540 per month in Atenas vs $3,737 in Buenos Aires, rent included.

Atenas $3,540
Buenos Aires $3,737

Atenas is about 7% cheaper than Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Atenas and Buenos Aires sit above the global median – Atenas by 15%, Buenos Aires by 23%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.58 ₡4,298

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-49.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 ₡25.5K

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-13.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.85 ₡5,314

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-10.23%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,711

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-0.78%

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

$2.64 ₡1,186

$1.99 ARS 3,020

32.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₡852

$1.60 ARS 2,430

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 ₡1,459

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-17.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ₡1,966

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-4.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 ₡1,070

$1.50 ARS 2,272

59.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 ₡1,401

$2.53 ARS 3,837

23.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 ₡957

$1.61 ARS 2,445

32.30%

Eggs

$3.41 ₡1,528

$2.84 ARS 4,316

20.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 ₡4,802

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

3.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 ₡4,426

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-1.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.36 ₡4,646

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

-22.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 ₡1,921

$2.88 ARS 4,366

48.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-28.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 ₡1,148

$1.40 ARS 2,120

82.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 ₡1,071

$1.98 ARS 3,004

20.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.70 ₡1,660

$1.21 ARS 1,835

205.79%

Onion (1kg)

$2.69 ₡1,205

$1.26 ARS 1,910

113.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ₡500

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 ₡1,387

$1.72 ARS 2,603

79.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.00 ₡2,690

$4.29 ARS 6,505

39.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.30 ₡8,207

$5.70 ARS 8,645

221.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 ₡1,200

$2.17 ARS 3,288

23.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ₡1,208

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-2.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 ₡1,001

$0.75 ARS 1,141

197.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₡1,067

$1.57 ARS 2,375

51.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₡725

$1.03 ARS 1,558

57.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.83 ₡3,960

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

11.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 ₡701

$1.42 ARS 2,160

9.86%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

-20.16%

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

$34.6K ₡15.5M

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

-1.01%

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

$95.7 ₡42.9K

$195 ARS 296.2K

-50.99%

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

$35.36 ₡15.9K

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

40.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 ₡22.8K

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

61.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.47 ₡21.7K

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-4.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 ₡4,835

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-35.56%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 ₡3,542

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-23.60%

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

$994 ₡445.7K

$463 ARS 703.2K

114.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,652 ₡3.0M

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-24.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 ₡31.8K

$120 ARS 181.8K

-40.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 ₡24.7K

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-42.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡57.2K

$114 ARS 173.1K

11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 ₡58.0K

$139 ARS 211.4K

-7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₡290.6K

$756 ARS 1.1M

-14.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 ₡246.8K

$520 ARS 788.8K

5.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 ₡682.3K

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-4.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,281 ₡574.3K

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

6.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,322 ₡592.9K

$938 ARS 1.4M

40.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

57.25

-84.94%

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

Last update for Atenas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Atenas

$550 35.6%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 5.6% $31

Groceries & Markets

Atenas

$356 23.1%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 20.5% $73

Eating Out

Atenas

$201 13%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 40% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Atenas

$182 11.8%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 38.4% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Atenas

$172 11.2%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 22.4% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Atenas

$64 4.2%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 11.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Atenas

$19 * 1.3%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 90.7% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $648 in Atenas 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 41% higher in Atenas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Atenas versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries tell a different story – $356 in Atenas vs $283 in Buenos Aires – so Buenos Aires wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇷 Atenas

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

02:24 2:24 AM

3 h ahead of Atenas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,000

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,706 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.86 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Atenas Buenos Aires 5,660 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Atenas
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

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

Yes – Buenos Aires is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,319 per month in Atenas 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 Atenas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Atenas and $66.0 in Buenos Aires. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Buenos Aires – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Atenas, where all-in costs run around $1,546, than in Buenos Aires at $1,656. In Atenas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Buenos Aires it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Atenas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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