Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barrie and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,516 in Barrie, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Barrie
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Barrie Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Barrie

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,516

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,516 in Barrie versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Barrie $2,516
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,464 in Barrie versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Barrie $3,464
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,413 in Barrie versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Barrie $4,413
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Barrie is roughly 49% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barrie 88% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.06 CA$20.05

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

-24.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.2 CA$81.6

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

-11.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.11 CA$15.84

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

-13.74%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.22

$3.98 ARS 6,029

-8.04%

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

$1.90 CA$2.71

$2.05 ARS 3,103

-7.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 CA$2.08

$1.55 ARS 2,349

-5.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 CA$7.11

$3.84 ARS 5,830

29.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 CA$7.78

$4.60 ARS 6,970

18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 CA$2.90

$1.44 ARS 2,181

40.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 CA$3.53

$2.46 ARS 3,738

0.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 CA$3.79

$1.63 ARS 2,467

63.19%

Eggs

$2.91 CA$4.15

$2.89 ARS 4,385

0.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 CA$13.82

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

-8.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.10 CA$20.10

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

41.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.09 CA$31.48

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

60.77%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 CA$5.76

$2.75 ARS 4,166

46.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 CA$1.66

$2.18 ARS 3,300

-46.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.31

$1.45 ARS 2,205

108.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.47

$1.99 ARS 3,013

92.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 CA$1.54

$1.24 ARS 1,885

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 CA$1.92

$1.27 ARS 1,921

5.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.06 CA$2.93

$1.70 ARS 2,575

21.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 CA$2.38

$1.73 ARS 2,617

-3.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.32 CA$16.13

$4.18 ARS 6,337

170.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.07 CA$14.36

$5.80 ARS 8,790

73.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 CA$3.49

$2.09 ARS 3,163

17.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 CA$3.01

$2.77 ARS 4,198

-23.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.43 CA$3.46

$0.75 ARS 1,132

224.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 CA$91.1

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

135.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 CA$5.08

$1.62 ARS 2,451

120.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 CA$1.53

$0.98 ARS 1,481

9.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 CA$1.63

$1.36 ARS 2,058

-16.18%

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

$27.9K CA$39.8K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

-0.30%

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

$20.4K CA$29.1K

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

-40.83%

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

$230 CA$328

$216 ARS 326.9K

6.63%

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

$34.39 CA$49.02

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

34.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.8 CA$108

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

141.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.44 CA$56.2

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

-20.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.99 CA$49.88

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

105.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 CA$18.13

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

21.96%

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

$1,382 CA$1,970

$466 ARS 706.7K

196.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.6 CA$90.6

$122 ARS 185.2K

-47.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.59 CA$62.1

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

-55.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 CA$211

$117 ARS 177.4K

26.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 CA$120

$140 ARS 211.9K

-39.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,427 CA$2,034

$763 ARS 1.2M

86.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,218 CA$1,736

$505 ARS 766.1K

141.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 CA$2,923

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

28.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,786 CA$2,546

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

50.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,955 CA$7,062

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

84.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,122 CA$5,875

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

121.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,020 CA$4,305

$954 ARS 1.4M

216.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

57.25

-91.83%

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

Last update for Barrie: October 6, 2026

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barrie

$1.2K 49.5%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 58.5% $713

Groceries & Markets

Barrie

$362 14.7%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 21.6% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barrie

$340 13.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 19.8% $67

Eating Out

Barrie

$239 9.7%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 16.6% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Barrie

$153 6.2%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 40.5% $62

Getting Around

Barrie

$83 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 55.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Barrie

$65 2.6%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 9% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,427 in Barrie and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barrie pays 216% 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: $57.0 in Barrie vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires. Groceries flip the comparison at $362 vs $284, with Buenos Aires cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Barrie

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

01:07 1:07 AM

02:07 2:07 AM

1 h ahead of Barrie

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

141,434

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.702 USD

1 CAD = 0.626 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 CAD (1 CAD = 0.702 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.626 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barrie Buenos Aires 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Barrie
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

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

Barrie and Buenos Aires differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,516 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 216% higher in Barrie, 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: $1,427 in Barrie versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Buenos Aires runs roughly 135% less than in Barrie. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,382 in Barrie versus $466 in Buenos Aires. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,516 in Barrie, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Barrie. 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, Barrie 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 49% less than in Barrie. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.