Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Buenos Aires

For one person, living is cheaper in Buenos Aires: $1,685 a month against $2,552 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

126

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,552

/mo nomad

Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,552 in Brussels versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires.

Brussels $2,552
Buenos Aires $1,685

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,875 in Brussels versus $2,742 in Buenos Aires.

Brussels $3,875
Buenos Aires $2,742

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,197 in Brussels versus $3,799 in Buenos Aires.

Brussels $5,197
Buenos Aires $3,799

Living in Brussels is roughly 51% more expensive than in Buenos Aires, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brussels 90% above, Buenos Aires 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.61 €20.16

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

20.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.4

$64.5 ARS 97.7K

41.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.21 €13.56

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

18.09%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.85

$3.98 ARS 6,027

8.54%

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

$3.78 €3.37

$2.05 ARS 3,102

84.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.55 ARS 2,348

96.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.93

$3.84 ARS 5,828

44.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.11

$4.60 ARS 6,968

24.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.44 ARS 2,180

-9.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.46 ARS 3,737

10.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$1.63 ARS 2,466

71.78%

Eggs

$5.33 €4.75

$2.89 ARS 4,384

84.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.78 €15.86

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

66.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.11 €11.69

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

31.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.01 €19.62

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

60.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.75 ARS 4,165

13.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$2.18 ARS 3,299

8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$1.45 ARS 2,204

89.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 €3.78

$1.99 ARS 3,012

113.07%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.24 ARS 1,884

108.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.27 ARS 1,920

75.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.70 ARS 2,574

5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.73 ARS 2,616

-26.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.20

$4.18 ARS 6,335

227.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 €8.69

$5.80 ARS 8,787

68.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.09 ARS 3,162

28.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$2.77 ARS 4,197

10.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.75 ARS 1,131

284.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.1 €56.2

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

132.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 €2.55

$1.62 ARS 2,450

76.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.06

$0.98 ARS 1,480

135.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 €36.05

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

423.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.36 ARS 2,057

58.09%

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

$35.1K €31.3K

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

25.29%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$34.5K ARS 52.3M

-3.97%

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

$285 €254

$216 ARS 326.8K

32.35%

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

$21.90 €19.52

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

-14.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.22

$31.36 ARS 47.5K

68.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.51 €29.88

$49.82 ARS 75.5K

-32.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.85 €24.83

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

63.25%

Cinema Ticket

$16.62 €14.82

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

59.35%

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

$1,590 €1,418

$466 ARS 706.5K

241.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K €33.1K

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

310.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.6

$122 ARS 185.1K

-14.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.15 €41.14

$97.4 ARS 147.7K

-52.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €99.1

$117 ARS 177.3K

-4.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$140 ARS 211.8K

6.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,175

$763 ARS 1.2M

72.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 €1,039

$505 ARS 765.8K

130.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,442 €2,177

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

52.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,766

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

67.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,082 €4,531

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

89.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,941 €3,514

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

112.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,280 €2,924

$954 ARS 1.4M

243.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

57.25

-93.52%

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

Last update for Brussels: 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

Brussels

$1.2K 44.8%

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4% 56.7% $660

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$393 15.1%

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1% 27.8% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$360 13.8%

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4% 24.3% $88

Eating Out

Brussels

$345 13.2%

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8% 19.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$185 7.1%

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9% 16% $30

Getting Around

Brussels

$89 3.4%

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2% 58.8% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$67 2.6%

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3% 5.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 244% 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: $91.0 in Brussels vs $64.0 in Buenos Aires for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $393 vs $284 per month, with Buenos Aires cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🕒 Local time

04:25 4:25 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

5 h behind Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

2,891,082 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,516 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 1,700 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brussels Buenos Aires 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

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

Buenos Aires wins on cost – living expenses run 51% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Buenos Aires the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 244% higher in Brussels, 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $763 in Buenos Aires. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buenos Aires – a meal for two runs $64.0 versus $91.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $2,552 in Brussels, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Buenos Aires but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Buenos Aires the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Buenos Aires delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,685 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Buenos Aires hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels 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 51% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.