Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelos and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Barcelos: $1,190 a month against $1,656 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,190

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires.

Barcelos $1,190
Buenos Aires $1,656

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,885 in Barcelos versus $2,697 in Buenos Aires.

Barcelos $1,885
Buenos Aires $2,697

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,579 in Barcelos versus $3,737 in Buenos Aires.

Barcelos $2,579
Buenos Aires $3,737

Living in Barcelos costs roughly 28% less than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelos is 12% below, Buenos Aires is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.09 €9.86

$19.09 ARS 29.0K

-41.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.16 €42.83

$65.8 ARS 99.9K

-26.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 €7.87

$13.20 ARS 20.0K

-32.95%

Cappuccino

$1.84 €1.63

$3.85 ARS 5,841

-52.21%

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

$1.93 €1.72

$1.99 ARS 3,020

-3.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.60 ARS 2,430

-17.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 €3.00

$3.93 ARS 5,959

-14.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.52

$4.61 ARS 7,003

-38.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.50 ARS 2,272

-26.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.65

$2.53 ARS 3,837

-26.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.61 ARS 2,445

11.18%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.94

$2.84 ARS 4,316

16.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$10.30 ARS 15.6K

15.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.04 €7.15

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

-19.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.83 €13.19

$13.30 ARS 20.2K

11.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.88 ARS 4,366

-31.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.20 ARS 3,334

-37.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.40 ARS 2,120

32.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.98 ARS 3,004

27.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.21 ARS 1,835

42.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.63

$1.26 ARS 1,910

46.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.71 ARS 2,592

-9.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.72 ARS 2,603

-43.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.84

$4.29 ARS 6,505

52.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 €4.08

$5.70 ARS 8,645

-19.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.05

$2.17 ARS 3,288

-45.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.95

$2.76 ARS 4,188

-20.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.03

$0.75 ARS 1,141

205.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 €19.70

$27.27 ARS 41.4K

-18.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 €3.80

$1.57 ARS 2,375

171.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.03 ARS 1,558

38.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.25 €14.46

$7.90 ARS 12.0K

105.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.42 ARS 2,160

51.41%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$27.9K ARS 42.4M

18.75%

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

$37.8K €33.7K

$35.0K ARS 53.1M

8.20%

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

$111 €98.8

$195 ARS 296.2K

-43.11%

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

$17.73 €15.77

$25.16 ARS 38.2K

-29.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.28 €39.39

$31.54 ARS 47.9K

40.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.52 €34.26

$50.9 ARS 77.3K

-24.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.57 €5.84

$16.73 ARS 25.4K

-60.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.12 €8.11

$10.34 ARS 15.7K

-11.80%

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

$339 €302

$463 ARS 703.2K

-26.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,374 €5,669

$8,793 ARS 13.3M

-27.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$120 ARS 181.8K

-39.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.75 €33.57

$95.5 ARS 144.9K

-60.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 €70.0

$114 ARS 173.1K

-31.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 €93.4

$139 ARS 211.4K

-24.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €439

$756 ARS 1.1M

-34.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 €318

$520 ARS 788.8K

-31.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$895 €796

$1,590 ARS 2.4M

-43.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 €619

$1,198 ARS 1.8M

-41.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,651 €2,358

$2,713 ARS 4.1M

-2.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,510 €1,343

$1,901 ARS 2.9M

-20.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,072 €954

$938 ARS 1.4M

14.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

57.25

-93.54%

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

Last update for Barcelos: 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

Barcelos

$357 30%

Buenos Aires

$520 31.4% 45.5% $163

Groceries & Markets

Barcelos

$255 21.4%

Buenos Aires

$283 17.1% 11.2% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelos

$173 14.6%

Buenos Aires

$252 15.2% 45.6% $79

Eating Out

Barcelos

$173 14.5%

Buenos Aires

$282 17% 63% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelos

$132 11.1%

Buenos Aires

$211 12.7% 59.4% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelos

$57 4.8%

Buenos Aires

$72 4.3% 26.1% $15

Getting Around

Barcelos

$43 3.6%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 13.4% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $494 in Barcelos and $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays 14% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Barcelos vs $66.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $255 vs $283 per month, with Barcelos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

4 h behind Barcelos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,766

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 = 5.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barcelos Buenos Aires 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelos
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

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

Barcelos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 14% higher in Barcelos, 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: $494 in Barcelos versus $756 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Barcelos – a meal for two runs $48.00 versus $66.0 in Buenos Aires. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,190 in Barcelos versus $1,656 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Barcelos but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. The gap between the two cities makes Barcelos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Barcelos 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 Barcelos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.